Weezer’s Raditude: A Bit Light On The ‘Rad’ And The ‘Tude’

Over the past year or two, Rivers Cuomo appears to have gone through a final star-persona shift in his metamorphosis from nerd who almost got the girl to bottle-popping captain of the party bus. The transition is apparent on Weezer’s seventh album Raditude, an ode to the updated Cleaver-era teenage condition: unabashed lovesickness, chasing girls at shopping malls and the art of winning the girl, despite playing the perpetual nerdy underdog.

Very little new ground is covered in Weezerland this time around, except that the cool, dark swagger of last year’s Red Album has now been traded for club flirtations and comfortable strut. Is it a pleasant shift? Not necessarily, but as with all things Weezer, it’s not that simple.

The album’s title is the brainchild of actor and Cuomo buddy Rainn Wilson, who “has a super-rock persona,” according to Rivers. “When it came time to find a title for the Weezer album, I asked him what he thought the ultimate album title would be, and he said ‘Raditude.’” Ridiculous? Absolutely. In fact, many greeted the news with gritted teeth despite not having heard a note, knowing full well that gimmickry was very likely on the menu. They were right.

All the same, the Motown-pop heart of (If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To, works in Weezer world, and is certainly a more worthwhile hit than Buddy Holly or that goddamned sweater song. The same can’t really be said of misfired anthem attempt “The Girl Got Hot,” or the Dupri-and-Weezy-laced Bloodhound Gang throwaway Can’t Stop Partying” for that matter. Lines like “I got the real big posse with me, yeah, I’m deep/And if you lookin’ for me I’m in V.I.P” and “Screw rehab, I love my addiction/No sleep, no sleep, I’m always on a mission” are on the deep end of douchey, and while they’re supposed to be that way, it doesn’t strike the funny bone.

Rivers Cuomo has always had a knack for the heartstrummers, and Raditude is no exception. Put Me Back Together wades in the same lovesick tides that Jimmy Eat World has made a career out of, and I Don’t Want To Let You Go is sadly endearing, for all its amateurish lyricism.

The Eastern token in Love Is The Answer is an interesting curveball, but doesn’t do much to keep things interesting. Alternately, you can expect Let It All Hang Out to infiltrate FM radio anytime now, and In The Mall is just as strong a contender, regardless of the poodle-skirt sentimentality of it all – or perhaps because of it. Cuomo’s gift has always been for nostalgia assaults that border on ridiculous without full commitment, just uncool enough to be cool.

The guitars on Get Me Some are chock full of balls, and the solo utterly shreds. Riff for riff, the track is the strongest of the Deluxe Edition bonus tracks, but the to-hell-with-you attitude and relentlessly catchy vibe of Run Over By A Truck aint no slouch either.

The Red Album’s nostalgia trip was more on the mark, but Raditude has its redeeming moments. Unfortunately, it tries too hard to ride the current tide and adds too many unnecessary ornaments to hide tracks that don’t entirely rise to the Weezer standard. Whatever that may be.