Lots of stylistic variety done well, but I wish it had picked one style and developed it instead.
We don't have keep kayfabe and pretend this isn't directly inspired by Weezer, so the metric this album should and is measured by is how well it holds up to the first 2 Weezer projects, to which I think it's fine. Ozma lacks some of the genius production choices and guitar flourishes of Blue, and it doesn't carry the same concept or emotional rawness of Pinkerton, so the only way they can get an edge is through songwriting and lyrics; and often they do just that. Domino ... read more
I want to be diplomatic to people who don't consider this grunge because I totally get it. There isn't really a punk influence at all and the noise rock influence is barely there. If it wasn't for Scoot Weilands vocal delivery, I think everyone would consider this alt-metal.
Genre label aside, the music is still good. Particularly, the production is incredible. Despite my trying, I don't really care about the lyrics, and aside from the singles, the melodies are pretty ... read more
As a Gen Z who "discovered" Weezer in their 20s, I have an unbiased perspective on the Weezer conversation. And as an unbiased outsider I have to believe the modern Weezer diehards are delusional.
Rivers can obviously still write a great pop song, but the performances and especially the solos on this album are bullshit. This album has great moments like the run from Photograph through Island in the Sun, but unlike Blue or Pinkerton it has a myriad of extraordinarily skippable songs. ... read more
A simultaneously faithful and forward-thinking homage to synthpop of the 80s reminiscent of the best of Tears For Fears and New Order while capturing the ennui of late 2010s with it's smiling bitterness. MGMT have never been the greatest vocalists, so this album leans into expressive lyrics and delivery where passion matters more than technical skill. The songwriting however isn't lacking technical skill at all. "Little Dark Age" and "One Thing Left To Try" both ... read more
I have been listening to every Friend's House release for a while and I am becoming increasingly disillusioned with them. It shouldn't be controversial to say this crop of artists is trying to bottle Will Toledo's lightning, and that isn't a bad thing. Car Seat Headrest is good, and I would like more good music. Sometimes it works. case in point, I really liked "post recovery" from March of this year. The problem is that I know what incredible songwrting in this ... read more
I didn't love this like the last two, but it could work in an album context.
Fun Black and Roll that isn't afraid to get Doomy or groovy. I'm happy that the project evolved into a full band, but I'm disappointed that they lost the crusty character in the production along the way.
Regardless of how I or anybody else feels about these covers, they effectively demonstrate how Nu metal wasn't a landfill. There was plenty of great music, or at least great food for inspiration, among what critics and music snobs at the time was completely writing off. The "Nu metal revival" seems quaint and unnecessary now, but in 2022 it was still new enough for this to serve a purpose.
As for the covers themself, I liked Wreck and Reference, Chat Pile, Vile Creature, and ... read more
Zero skips and a daring two ballad ending make this an undisputed 80s pop classic. Sure there is something to nitpick in the lyrics, and the structure of some of these songs which didn't need that many sections into a slow fade. But those problems only barely scuff this project.
Every Khemmis album is a combination of "desert" stoner rock guitar tone with epic doom metal lyrics and vocals. It is a winning formula that has netted them a stable place in metal music, but it feels deeply unambitious. Even on their second album which is the best written and produced so far, there isn't memorable moments. Instead there is a powerful atmosphere that has an ambient quality as it drifts in and out of mental focus. It is an experience worth returning to, and I do ... read more
Adequate store brand Slipknot with token industrial rock notes. It feels like there was a different vocal production idea on every track, and its really hit-or-miss. This really embodies metal in the year 2000, which gives it more artistic value.
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