Orchestrated, analogue, packed with typically smart, reliably unshakeable River Cuomo compositions, this is Weezer's social media/lockdown-atuned Pet Sounds.
These moments of light and shade are everywhere on OK Human, and in addressing them Weezer have made one of their most catchy and insightful records to date.
The album feels like a departure: with its soft orchestral balm and sweet melancholic undertow, OK Human offers a singular, complete listening experience unlike anything else in their catalog.
OK Human is an oddity and a warm digital hug; it's Weezer reacting to an endless, nerve-shredding, social-life-destroying period of isolation the way only Weezer can, drawing further inwards to themselves but somehow inviting us along for the ride.
Fresh out of gimmicks, Weezer think outside the box and deliver their most sincere album in years with OK Human.
Weezer's 2021 output is off to a great start with OK Human.
What a lovely surprise from a band who are becoming increasingly more marmite as they near their third decade as a band.
A swooning, orchestral pop record that’s elegant, yet intimate and has become a document of Cuomo’s life during Covid times; the anxiety, the isolation, but also a sense of calm.
2016’s ‘White Album’ was genuinely good - at least by the standards of modern Weezer - and ‘OK Human’ is most certainly their strongest offering since ... A touch less polish, and some might even be suggesting Weezer were back on form.
OK Human isn’t just a pleasant surprise, it’s a genuinely good album that shows off a lot of Weezer’s best sides in a way that’s been missing of late.
Face-masked, Abbey Road-recorded orchestral sessions embroider some wonderfully imaginative conceits, Cuomo's trademark wryness dialled-down a tad as he focuses on tuning-out doom, isolation with his family, and his concerns about using literature to escape/self-medicate.
With 12 tracks and a runtime of barely more than half an hour, any flaws are minor and the album breezes by. The arrangements may be ambitious, but there's very little pomp or grandeur here; this is just another low-stakes success in a long and varied career.
It should remind Weezer’s doggedly loyal fanbase that the singer’s ear for melodicism remains second to none—and when the musical accompaniment rises to meet the challenge, as it often does here, it’s a testament to why we keep coming back.
It’s Weezer’s attempt at pathos (or bathos in Cuomo’s case) that makes OK Human feel, well, more human. If Cuomo could ever let his guard down fully, without feeling self-conscious, he probably has a great album inside of him.
Weezer has always had heart, and OK Human shows the value of taking time to record instead of filling the silence with countless tours and albums. Weezer is finally taking risks outside of the formula that has worked so well, and they still have a lot of mileage left in them.
The record isn’t groundbreaking material, but it’s definitely nice to have a new Weezer album that isn’t trying to recreate their old material and instead looks to the future of their sound.
By focusing on minutiae ... what is ostensibly a lockdown album (hello, reference to Zoom interviews) avoids cliche.
Despite the creative and cultural headwinds into which it was released, OK Human lands as a surprisingly charming collection of pop tunes whose imperfections add to rather than detract from the experience.
Weezer’s greatest misses may come from their frontman’s visceral desperation to stay relevant, but it’s a relief to hear them take chances and risk failure in such a new way.
The guitar heroes have – gulp – ditched the guitars for a bold new direction. The result is an evocative, intimate record that'll make you pine for the old world.
Rivers Cuomo pays tribute to his hermit orchestral-pop heroes, name-checking Harry Nilsson, Serge Gainsbourg, and Pet Sounds. But of course, it's all Weezer in the end.
Weezer’s maddeningly inane lyrics sometimes work, but they aren’t doing much to move the needle here. At least the album sounds nice, as that’s more than you could say for plenty of previous albums from Cuomo and the gang.
After 25 years of burying his inner demons with stacks of California anthems and odes to girls who got hot, Cuomo is seemingly unable to produce the raw melancholia that once spilled from him in a way that was messy but compelling. OK Human is mostly just messy.
When they’re bad, they’re bad ... and unfortunately, OK Human consistently misses the mark with persistent mediocrity, and humdrum quarantine monotony that never offers anything outside of watered-down proclamations.
Ok Human is probably the unexpected album of a band that we no longer present and of which we thought we had (still) seen everything. Not only is it deeply human and well written, but on top of that it is a very pleasant musical experience, adorned with catchy melodies and charming orchestration.
First of all, I would just like to congratulate Weezer for being so popular and so well attended almost 30 years after their foundation. It's just a few things that impress me, when nowadays ... read more
Edit: Shrunk on me. Still better than Van Weezer, Teal, or anything Weezer has released since White at that, however, a bit too hit or miss. Dead Roses, Grapes of Wrath, and Playing my Piano are still pretty great though.
With the removal of most rock pastiches one would expect from a Weezer album, Weezer crafts the perfect antidote for the insanity that is quarantine; their most wholesome and "human" album yet that emanates off nothing but pure, unadulterated charm.
The Tale of ... read more
VIDEO REVIEW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuFAR4AbzpM
Is this Weezer’s most mature record to date? Absolutely!
“OK Human” sees the once hailed power pop group take on the chamber pop menace of a genre. It’s been nearly two years since they’ve released “The Black Album”, which was a mixed bag to say the least. The same year, they released a covers record, which I ended up enjoying a bit. It seems to me that Weezer are becoming one of the most ... read more
Just like White Album, there's one track that's just kinda mid that makes me enjoy it less. It's Jacked Up for White and Screens for OK Human, if you're wondering.
I never thought orchestral music and Weezer combined would ever be something I would hear, but it actually works really well. Ok Human is definitely the most interesting Weezer listen so far and the only one that feels like a complete story. The transitions between songs are really good, and it was a really cool idea that paid off. I think the replay value on this record compared to other Weezer albums is a little low, but I think it's made up for by the storytelling and orchestra.
Favorites: ... read more
OK Human is the fourteenth studio album by American rock band Weezer, released in 2021. This album takes a departure from Weezer's typical guitar-driven sound, instead embracing a more orchestral and piano-centered approach. OK Human is a refreshing and introspective release that showcases Weezer's ability to evolve and experiment while maintaining their distinctive charm.
The album opens with the delicate and melodic "All My Favorite Songs," immediately setting the tone for the ... read more
1 | All My Favorite Songs 3:22 | 85 |
2 | Aloo Gobi 3:03 | 85 |
3 | Grapes Of Wrath 2:50 | 86 |
4 | Numbers 3:20 | 89 |
5 | Playing My Piano 2:36 | 84 |
6 | Mirror Image 1:17 | 81 |
7 | Screens 2:11 | 74 |
8 | Bird With A Broken Wing 3:51 | 82 |
9 | Dead Roses 2:17 | 80 |
10 | Everything Happens For A Reason 0:23 | 68 |
11 | Here Comes The Rain 2:27 | 78 |
12 | La Brea Tar Pits 2:50 | 84 |
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#86 | / | RIFF |