New WEEZER Album Sounds Like...

Since I started listening to the "Blue" album when i was in fifth grade, I have been a die hard WEEZER fan. I was with them all the way up to and including Maladroit. That in itself is a great and very underrated album in my opinion. It had the most honest feel since Pinkerton as it was produced by the band themselves and captured Rivers at a time when he just could not deny his power rock roots, not to mention it contains some great tunes (Death and Destruction, Take Control, Possibilities, Space Rock, Slave, December). Even the universally despised "Make Believe" had "Hold Me" and "Peace", two of my favorite Weezer songs ever, placed directly in the middle of an otherwise terrible Rick Ruben produced fuck up of an album. What followed were the "Red" album and "Raditude", both containing one decent song respectively and the Red album clearly showed how horrible Weezer can be when all the band decides to chip in an write a song. Sorry but that is not Weezer. Weezer IS Rivers Cuomo in all his fucked up genius never thought he could write a bad song but turns out he can and does but its still ok sometimes glory. For me, Weezer is his vocal melodies over his guitar melody. But following this then we're led by his tortured midlife crisis into the cringe inducing Raditude. Cant stop Partying lost all of its assumed "irony" when it was converted to a polished song. like the first 5 songs on Red, these Raditude songs seemed mailed in and bland.

Enter the New Record "Hurley". Much hype over the cover though there is really not much to it. They liked his smile and decided to put it on the cover. But its funny how the art and look of the album can influence the feel it gives. Imagine Pinkerton without the eerie and beautiful Japanese painting for the cover. It was like the album fit the art perfectly and when i think of those songs, i think of the haunting beauty behind the dark and gloomy cover. Though Hurley actually recovers some and has some songs that will not leave my head, i dont think im going to be thinking about Jorge Garcia every time i listen to it.

"Hang On" is the best song on the album and sounds like a bizzarro b side from the green album sessions. Dont be fooled. This is not the return to be Blue album because there will never be one, yet there are some moments of melodies that are similar to those earlier songs, most notably in the last minute of "Unspoken" which seems to blend some of the make believe demo accoustic sounds with a classic early 90s nirvana-esque climax. "Smart Girls" is also really catchy and would be one of my favorites, but suffers from being way too over produced. I really don't like how Pat Wilson has seemingly been replaced by a drum machine on many of the songs.

WEEZER has changed from the band i once loved. Pat Wilson plays guitar now? and There is some fool I don't know or care about on drums, and Rivers is no longer playing guitar and doing bad boy band posturing while Brian Bell gets high and still cant sing. At one point I declared in amazement that Cuomo could never write a bad song. I was eventually proven wrong. But there will always be those little moments of divine weezer inspiration that i cannot deny.

So Many Things To Do! So Little Time!!!! Shows, Friends, Comics, Sacramento?

Again, I have been neglecting my little darling of a blog here, but I feel spread pretty thin these days, like butter over too much bread as my Pops used to say. Its surprising with so little actually happening in Arcata these days that my scheds would be so filled to the proverbial brim as to not allow me to vent and gripe to this computer screen at least once every 24 hours. But this should not be something to complain about. I like doing things. Im good at them.

Martha, sorceress, succubus and general conjurer of Doom, and I went up into the arid shale and clay mountains of Siskiyou county last weekend to visit Joe and Kelly, OG friends who met one another a mere 10 give or take months ago, and now have a ferocious baby due on Sept. 26th. They live inside two converted buses, Connected by a modern bathroom and conjoined in an L-Shape on a 40 acre plot nestled in the hills just past the tiny town of Orleans. A puppy, a kitten, lots of poison oak, guns, bullets, the Salmon River, lots of food and baby talk, a freaked out Joe and a very pregnant Kelly. Good times were had by all. I even forced Joe to watch Grandma's Boy, while i wasn't even there! This resulted in a phone call specifically to tell me of how much he loathed the movie and how displeased he was that i suggest he view it.

Went and saw INCEPTION the other day...much to debate and complain about. Full Review to come.

Just finished THE WALKING DEAD vol. 12!!!!! Amazingly tense and slow paced. Very Stepford Wives at parts. Full Review to come!!!!

Plus the new AMC series THE WALKING DEAD!!! Is there any chance it wont totally suck?!!! Cannot wait to find out on Halloween for the Premier!!! Crappy or not this now takes Lost's place and joins the new eps of Futurama as the new weekly TV parties.

Ive been on the radio seemingly endlessly for the past few weeks, covering shifts for djs out of town, training brand newbie Dj My Buddy Dave for his new show, Diabetic Coma on Tuesdays, and trying to make it through my own train wreck of a radio show, Sandwiches Time, Saturdays 9 to 11 or whenever im beamed back aboard the mother ship for the night. But Again, cant complain as i absolutely love the radio. Its one of the few reasons that i am still currently in this cursed foggy vortex that is Arcata. And I have so much debt to repay to all the djs who constantly cover my show as im doing my stupid traveling adventures. Thanks gwuuys!

Guida, an Italian punk/crust band played at the local all ages venue, E squared. These fine people had played at my house a year or so before. Everyone was a little awkward and nervous and none of the band spoke English and our attempts at Italian were embarrassing at best. Then they caught a glimpse of a friend's Twin Peaks back patch and we somehow managed to break the language barrier to nerd out about our favorite show. The ice was broken and a great show was had by all. This time, it was great to see them play to a large crowd of young enthusiastic kids in what i realised was a flipping amazing venue. An all ages, volunteer run show space, where you can bring and drink your own beer inside, E squared is tucked away in the dark industrial district of west Eureka and still has to battle with the local cops, who cruise by after a noise complaint every so often. So with the FireHouse evicted and the Aloha House currently on hiatus, and more and more shows lined up at E squared, Guess ill have to be going to Eureka more often these days. The Shanty does have 3.50 Bloody Mary's on Sundays...

God Help Me im sending out my resume again and looking for jobs. Man, i hate the term "job hunting". and "networking". This is an all-around very displeasing and disheartening experience. Lets stop talking about this.

So im heading down to Sacramento today for my first dentist appointment in 6 years. Think about that one. I feel good about this though, no matter how much they yell at me, it has to end sometime and afterward my teeth will have a chance of surviving...

More Later. Now the 5 hour drive.