Weezer – Maladroit – 2002 (iTunes – Amazon)
In 2002 the internet was all abuzz with word that a new album by Weezer was coming and it was coming fast on the heels of Green. In keeping with (what was now perceived to be a tradition), the album would have a name rather an eponymous colored record.
“If you hate this, I can’t blame you. Cuz I’m hurting, so I’ll flame you.”, Cuomo blasts on “American Gigolo”, the opening track of Maladroit. Good thing it’s such a great song, cuz he was really opening himself up to attack here. From his fans. Who he seems to hate, yes?
Following it with the Arena sized, near souther rock, “Dope Nose” is a smart move. It’s a gas. And it contains probably the best lead guitar solo Brian Bell has ever recorded. It’s the most memorable. Has he ever been allowed to lay waste like this before? I can’t recall. I don’t think so. He has the chops. He should have been cut loose much much much earlier than this.
That big rock sound keeps pounding along on tracks like “Keep Fishin’” and “Take Control” (which reminds me of how much I love Raging Slab) where Bell’s solo feels like it fell off the 70s classic rock truck.
It would be easy to see why Gen Xers who fell in love with Weezer might take slight umbrage to this record. After all there is some really difficult music and songs that are not fun (“Death and Destruction”) and some are just bad (“Slob”) and others are just…weird (“Burndt Jam” which is SO steeped in 70s nostalgia that it is almost good and “Space Rock” which…I have no words for.)
“Slave”, “Fall Together”, “Possibilities” come across more as unfulfilled song ideas than anything you would put on a playlist or mix tape. Mix Tape is much more apropos in this case. Maladroit is Weezer’s attempt at a stylized retro thing. It doesn’t work and it’s easy to hate them for it. But fans would wait til the next album to really get angry.
The album abandons these barely-demos towards the end with “Love Explosion”, but I imagine that I like this song more for how honestly it wears it’s glam/southern/classic rock on it’s sleeve. It’s the band’s triumph. In spite of Rivers.
Grade C
A Side: Dope Nose, American Gigolo, Love Explosion
BlindSide: Keep Fishin’, Take Control
DownSide: Death & Destruction, Slob, Space Rock
