Weezer - OK Human

Release Date: January 29th, 2021
Genre: Orchestral pop

I gave this a listen back in January because not a lot was going on at the moment. Weezer is an interesting band because the consensus seems to be that their first 2 albums are classics, but the rest don't exist. Even when I was into alternative rock, I never was on a Weezer kick. Sure, I can respect "say it aint so," but for the most part, when I think of Weezer, I think of goofy, nerdy boys that sing about pork and beans.

Review: So I can't reference their last 10 albums so I'm not sure what the Weezer formula is, but opening with "All My Favorite Songs," I thought it sounded like a Weezer song with subpar melodies and words that rhymes found in any middle schooler's first poetry class. Like I get it, people like things that are bad for them, but I just found the song to sound like shit, yet I can still tolerate it, so I don't know what to rate it. To my surprise, I really like the way "Aloo Gobi"starts with some cellos, lyrics are whatever, but this was when I started to understand that this entire album is going to have an orchestra.

"Grapes of Wrath" sounds like shit too, but the gibberish is kind of endearing. I think "Numbers" and "Playing My Piano" are suppose to be a deep song, but I found them to be a bit corny. Somehow, the album took a turn for me where I stopped listening to each song as individuals, but viewed as part of an album.  "Mirror Image" and "Screens" are short filler songs, then "Bird with a Broken Wing" sounds like it could stand by itself. It's on the ballad side of things, but I like it a lot more than "Numbers" or "Playing my Piano." "Dead Roses" is alright, then finally to my favorite track, "Here Comes the Rain." I like the piano in it and the chorus feels very bright.

Tracklist/Scorecard:
1. All My Favorite Songs 3/10
2. Aloo Gobi 7/10
3. Grapes of Wrath 5/10
4. Numbers 5/10
5. Playing My Piano 4/10
6. Mirror Image 7/10
7. Screens 7/10
8. Bird with a Broken Wing 8/10
9. Dead Roses 7/10
10. Everything Happens For a Reason n/a
11. Here Comes the Rain 9/10
12. La Brea Tar Pits 8/10

Summary: Weezer has so many albums, it's almost a meme how none of them matter except for their first two. Some of these songs really suck because I found the lyrics to be simple, but when I pretended that I was listening to a Beach Boys album, I found the 2nd half to be a smoother ride. The string arrangements does give the album a different flavor than just your typical pop rock album.

Key Tracks: Aloo Gobi, Bird with a Broken Wing, Here Comes the Rain
Rating: 6/10