Pinkerton

Performer: Weezer
Producer: Weezer
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Weezer: Rivers Cuomo (vocals, guitar); Brian Bell (guitar, vocals); Matt Sharp (bass, vocals); Patrick Wilson (drums). Engineers include: Jack Joseph Puig. Recorded at Electric Lady Studios, New York, New York; Fort Apache Studios, Boston, Massachusetts; Rumbo Recorders, Canoga Park, California; Sound City and Hollywood Sound Recorders, Los Angeles, California in September 1995, January & June 1996. After wooing teenage girls across America with its infectious debut record, Weezer appears to be getting more serious with this follow-up. PINKERTON still features immensely catchy tunes and the band's trademark crunchy guitars, but Weezer is now exuding more mature emotions within its songs. The lads have eschewed their preppy bowl cuts for a more lanky style, and they've written songs about being jaded and depressed ("Tired Of Sex" and "Why Bother"). Their full guitar sound is no longer an innocent roar; there is a new, burning quality to it. But Weezer hasn't completely deserted its sugary tendencies--"Falling For You" and "Across The Sea" (about a teenage fan in Japan) are songs to melt hearts with. Personnel: Rivers Cuomo, Brian Bell (vocals, guitar); Matt Sharp (vocals); Patrick Wilson (drums). Audio Mixer: Jack Joseph Puig. Recording information: Elec (09/1995-06/1996); Fort Apache Studios, Boston, MA (09/1995-06/1996); Hollywood Sound Recorders, Los Angeles, CA (09/1995-06/1996); Rumbo Recorders, Canoga Park, CA (09/1995-06/1996); Sound City, Los Angeles, CA (09/1995-06/1996). Photographer: Spike Jonze. After wooing teenage girls across America with its infectious debut record, Weezer appears to be getting more serious with this follow-up. PINKERTON still features immensely catchy tunes and the band's trademark crunchy guitars, but Weezer is now exuding more mature emotions within its songs. The lads have eschewed their preppy bowl cuts for a more lanky style, and they've written songs about being jaded and depressed ("Tired Of Sex" and "Why Bother"). Their full guitar sound is no longer an innocent roar; there is a new, burning quality to it. But Weezer hasn't completely deserted its sugary tendencies--"Falling For You" and "Across The Sea" (about a teenage fan in Japan) are songs to melt hearts with.

Rolling Stone (10/31/96, pp.65-66) - 3 Stars - Good - "...Melodies bounce with vigor; in the lyrics, help is just a sunshiny day away....There is still plenty of Weezer's signature dorkiness....But what you get is true to the sun-'n'-fun aesthetic of great jangly pop..." Spin (11/96, pp.120-121) - 7 - Worthy - "...ripping out an endearing cross between post-punk gnarl, Cars pop and the Cheap Trick that's nourished generations, the result is a gawkily new wave AOR with all the phallic assurance torn away..." Entertainment Weekly (9/27/96, p.78) - "...PINKERTON should please all those indie-rock purists who like their pop sloppy and raw, but it'll disappoint anyone who prefers a candy coating on the bubblegum." - Rating: B Entertainment Weekly (p.185) - 5 stars out of 5 - "The self-produced album sounds as raw as Cuomo's lyrics, without any of the sheen that Ric Ocasek provided on the band's debut....What makes PINKERTON more than a blog entry is Cuomo's unfailing gift for power pop." Q (11/96, p.138) - 4 Stars (out of 5) - "...On every tale of romance, delivered in perfect verse/chorus formula, you can see Jennifer Aniston giving it some attitude in the kitchen..." Melody Maker (10/5/96, p.52) - "...Weezer might rollick, Weezer might write thumpingly irresistible choruses 'til the mad cows come home, but you wouldn't be alone in supposing Weezer make being young sound like f***ing weary hard work....My advice is to ignore the lyrics entirely..." NME (Magazine) (9/28/96, p.57) - 7 (out of 10) - "...By the time the affecting acoustic lament `Butterfly' wafts in like Big Star at a wildlife protection meeting, PINKERTON starts feeling like a truly moving album. No, really..."

Weezer's 1994 debut yielded the band two big hit singles in "Buddy Holly" and "Undone - The Sweater Song," whose quirky appeal gave the initial impression that the group was some kind of novelty act. Despite the wiseacre veneer though, Weezer went on to successfully combine bracing, punk-poppy alternative rock with a deep sense of irony that often made it impossible to tell whether the band was rocking out or "rocking out." This conceptual tension endeared Weezer to indie aesthetes, while the band's charging riffs and pummeling rhythms endeared them to a larger audience.

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