keepers 5
keeper avg .500
Based on the fact that I am an original fan and the law of inverse merit I'm guessing this album's sales disappointed its author, Rivers Cuomo. Rivers early this year: we’ve learned from experience to be a little concerned if we put out a song and the old school fans get excited by it.
Being a compilation album the tracks seem like throwbacks to better times, though their vintages aren't obvious. Lead-off track "Turning Up The Radio" seems to hearken back to the glory days of the blue album, with nostalgic lyrics rocked straightforwardly, while "I Don't Want Your Loving" and "Trampoline"**** are stripped-down 4-chord ditties reminiscent of the green album. The silly "Blowing My Stack" packs a lot of big rock posturing into 3:44 for all the angry white males (it feels good to be a jerk, I'm just a loser on his way to work) but I can't help but like it a little. "I'm A Robot"**** and "Autopilot"**** are better "white working stiff" songs, the latter nailing the tone especially well with the lines "When I wake at the break of the morning, I ingest my two fried eggs." "Losing My Mind"**** has the polish and grand scope of their Blink 182 clone songs from latter years but for once they have the good sense not to turn to the amps to 11 just because they can. "The Odd Couple" sounds relatively new (to someone long in the tooth) and comes off a bit condescending. "Everyone" is the odd metal track, similar to "Hashpipe" or "Take Control." Which leaves another one in the series Weezer's amusing but faithful covers of Top 40 superhits, Toni Braxton's "Unbreak My Heart"****, to close out the set.
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