Weezer - Hurley

Weezer are back with their 8th studio album and 1st album to be released on independant record label, Epitaph Records. I have earlier reviewed the first track off Hurley “Memories” which you can read here.  This new LP features the Jackass crew on backing vocals for Memories (in light of Jackass 3D’s eventual release) and also features actor Michael Cera on mandolin and backing vocals on “Hang on” too.

Anyway, before I go on with the pros and noes, I must get this stated AS FACT first. The album name “Hurley” is not because Weezer were being sponsored by some clothing brand or whatever, “Hurley” was decided after frontman Rivers Cuomo had a certain infamous picture with Jorge Garcia, who is an actor, who plays (and get this) HURLEY FROM LOST. wow.



First of all, Hurley sounds like a more fresher, lighter version of the Green Album, which is a good sign, because the Green Album was, unfortunately, regarded as Weezer’s last great album.

However, the sound on Hurley is fantastic. This album features the return of the guitar as a main focus, aswell as bringing riffs back out of the closet for Weezer’s new sound. This sound is really a big punch-to-your-face and a big ear-popping noise that makes YOU listen to it, rather than Weezer begging to be heard, which I think was lost from Weezer’s last 2 albums. This could also be the reason why nobody really enjoyed the more experimental yet cautious route of Red Album and the keyboard and autotune influence that inspired Weezer’s previous album, Raditude.

Another reason why I like Hurley so much is that it gives me (aswell as the rest of Weezer’s huge fanbase) the hope that Weezer are now back to their (almost) best once again, and that they will be able to not produce anything as horrible as Raditude or Make Believe ever.again. However, something that will keep me remembing how long have been Weezer around (apart from Blue Album + Pinkerton) is that the use of “girls reject me” to write lyrics is being used once again in some songs, and is beginning to become stale I think.

Another reason why I like Hurley is that it sounds so fresh, as if Weezer are a new band once again, and that’s how I will perceive Weezer to be until their next album is produced. That said, Hurley is Weezer’s 3rd album in 3 years, and they have said that they want to produce their 9th studio album for release in 2011, I think that Weezer really need to take a break eventually otherwise they’ll produce something more mind-numbing than Raditude, if they managed to take a break for a few years after Hurley, they would be able to create much better songs and continue making great albums.

A final like is that Rivers Cuomo’s voice is fantastic on this LP, I really do feel as if he is back at his best in terms of vocals. There was some doubt over his voice because of Raditude, with it even breaking slightly during “Turn Me Round”. But I can safely say that it is really good on Hurley.

A single dislike for me is that All My Friends Are Insects was left off the standard edition of the new LP, this song is so catchy and cute that it makes me resonably happy whenever I hear it, that said though, I urge everybody to buy the deluxe edition of Hurley. The deluxe edition contains not only the song mentioned above, but also a wonderful cover of Coldplay(urgh)’s “Viva La Vida” and also a very Pinkerton-light acoustic song “I Want To Be Something”.

Overall, I feel that Hurley is up there with Weezer’s favourite records, I think that (obviously) it sits undereath Pinkerton + Blue Album, but it is slightly better than the Green Album. I am now awaiting for their new album to come out and hope for something that sounds similar to this new LP too. I rate Hurley a strong 7/borderline 8 out of 10, fantastic record that definately needs purchasing.