5/7
Release date: 10/27/2017
With a name like Pacific Daydream, this album was destined to raise eyebrows with critics, even before it was made available. With little marketing done to advertise the release, hardly anybody was expecting it. Even I was a little skeptical of the new pop sound I had been told of.
Yet, not a single song on the album ended up being particularly bad. Certain tracks are obviously more memorable than others, but I could definitely see this being the type of CD that I find in the bargain bin at Best Buy and keep in my car for times when nothing good is on the radio (other than 99.1 of course).
The album begins with the song “Mexican Fender,” a great single that actually sets a positive tone for the rest of the album. It’s fun, it’s not too serious, and it easily gets the point across that this record is meant to be completely different from anything they’ve made in the past.
The song, “QB Blitz” reminded me a lot of their older stuff, and it was pretty good, but one of the most memorable songs to me, was “Feels Like Summer.” The best way I can describe the track is that it sounded like 21 Pilots, and bear with me; I am NOT a fan of that particular genre, but I felt like they covered it pretty well. I have to give credit where credit is due, and it’s a really solid song.
There are ten songs on the album, and by the seventh, I was curious to see how the album would conclude. I couldn’t help but feel like there were probably a decent amount of B-sides that had been cut. They had more than likely decided to stick with the top ten, and stop while they were ahead. This was actually pretty smart on their part; after all, they experimented with a new genre, and actually managed to succeed.
In the summer of 2016, Weezer went on tour with Panic! at the Disco, and it clearly rubbed off on the track, “La Mancha Screwjob.” An acoustic Latin flare was accompanied by a bouncy pop undertone on this unique cut, that I was almost expecting Brendon Urie to jump in on (which would have actually been awesome). But alas, a surprisingly contemporary take on their otherwise, Hurley-like style of acoustic guitar ended the album on a high note.
There's no evidence yet that they'll continue with this style of music, and I think that it would be wise of them to avoid doing so. Next steps? They should quietly release a B-Sides album for this one, and if they do, it'll be a good indicator of where things are headed for them.
It can be difficult for many people to believe that the 47-year-old, Rivers Cuomo still has it in him, but hey, he pulled it off. My guess is that this album is going to be the new Pinkerton; it's about to get completely shit on. Just give it fifteen years. Listeners will eventually warm up to it.
