Weezer
Maladroit
On Sale Now
For $13.75

Rivers Cuomo is the brains behind Weezer. Although a bit twisted, scattered, self-loathing and alienated, Cuomo's songwriting has earned him and his band a slot in many critics and fans hearts. On Maladroit, the quartet's most recent release, Cuomo and the guys (including new bassist Scott Shriner) rock the rock and talk the talk through thirteen scorching tunes.

You'll have to ask the suits to get the whole story but somehow Weezer ended up funding the sessions for this disc themselves. As soon as the songs were finished they uploaded the tunes to the net. Of course the label freaked but Weezer fans were smiling all the way to their modems.

The sound of Weezer has always been a bit enigmatic. Tracks like "Death and Destruction" pull the fuzz into mid-tempo melancholy while "American Gigolo," the single, "Dope Nose," and "Slob" crank the rock beats. Then songs like the funk pop gem "Burnt Jamb" and the over-the-top romp "Possibilities" lighten the gravity before kicking back into a number of other heavy tracks.

Cuomo is all about the mood swings but the singer takes it to the next level on "Love Explosion." With all the paranoia he can muster Cuomo sings, "Take a listen around you/ All the people that crowd around in your house/ They've been wanting to kill you in your sleep."

Along with seven rather unusual video clips for your PC, Maladroit's sonic magic and mayhem is sure to please Weezer fans old and new. So take a ride on the Weezer train. Crank it up. Stay up late. Drink too much coffee. And you'll be all ready to rock with Weezer.

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