THE fourth self-titled Weezer LP – already christened 'The White Album' by fans in the tradition of its eponymous forebearers sporting 'Blue', 'Green' and 'Red' covers – finds the Rivers Cuomo-fronted indie rocking power poppers taking a 'back to basics' approach to their catchy/crunchy craft.
They even enlisted the help of Weezer superfan Jake Sinclair (who once had his own tribute band, the excellently named Wannabeezer) to produce the album in order to ensure/insure this purity of vision.
The results aren't half bad either: while White can't quite match their top dollar best effort, Pinkerton, it can still hold its melody-driven head up high as a solid effort that does indeed play to the long running band's strengths.
There's no real 'instant classic' to match the likes of Undone, Say it Ain't So, Hash Pipe or even Pork and Beans or the unfairly maligned Beverly Hills, but new tunes like King of The World, Thank God For Girls, Do You Wanna Get High? and California Kids definitely offer an appealingly LA sun-bleached take (this is the band's 'beach album', according to Cuomo) on the 'classic' Weezer guitar pop sound.
Roll on the Black Album (no, really – it's out next year).
:: Weezer is released today.
