CLASSIC SATURDAYS: Weezer- Weezer (Blue Album) (20 Years Later)
“MY NAME IS JONAS”
Those are the first words from one of the most definitive and memorable debuts of all time. There’s a lot of love for early 90s alt-rock, the rock that was tainted by the Major Label system but wasn’t quite tainted enough yet to allow for Third Eye Blind to become massive. Many bands (Specifically a lot of grunge acts) at the time liked to veil themselves a bit; sure, Grunge were pretty OK with telling people they were Angsty, but they never really had that forward and outward emotiveness that defined the decade of rock that proceeded it (The not-massive Pixies being notwithstanding). That’s partially why Weezer is such a striking album even to this day. The chugging guitars and in-your-face vocals that inundate this record aim to make a statement, and they sure do.
Now, of course there’s always Team Blue Album vs. Team Pinkerton. It makes a lot of sense, because the band exposed themselves to the world with two albums that are markedly different. While Pinkerton relishes in the personal introspective sexual escapades and failures of Cuomo, Blue Album aims to be a “straightforward” rock album to fill the big-rock-band void that Nirvana had just left behind. There’s a lot to love on both albums, which is why both albums are rightfully praised to this day.
I, however, squarely fall under Team Blue Album. Sure, the best Weezer song is nowhere to be found on this record (You’ll have to go to Pinkerton for that one, and you’ll have to wait two years before I tell you which track it is. Plus, a certain track on this album comes pretty damned close, as you’ll read). But what makes Blue Album such a near-perfect record is how well Weezer nails its aesthetic while also crafting incredible songs. Now, part of this preference probably has to deal with how long Weezer’s music has been part of my life. Unlike a lot of the stuff I review here, I distinctly remember Weezer being a part of my childhood (Even though the album predates me by a year); shouting along to Undone-The Sweater Song when it came on the radio was something I always looked forward to (The whole connection to the radio play is also why I connect to this album a bit more than Pinkerton). I only came across the album as a whole when I was about 13, and it definitely changed how I viewed the band. I had once thought these guys were just some fun loving pop-punkers. Haha!
Instrumentally, it’s one of the strongest alt rock albums of all time, and probably the best pop-punk albums of all time. The chugging guitars that drive songs like My Name Is Jonas would go on to define the band, striking power chords with an attitude that the band could barely ever muster again (Pinkerton came close). The guitar solos, another strong aspect of early Weezer, are also incredible, with classic solos being found on tracks like No One Else fleshing out the album. The onslaught of guitars, provided by Cuomo and Brian Bell, bring as much attitude and passive aggression to the album as Cuomo’s distinct yelping. The only reason Cuomo’s descent into yelling on Undone- The Sweater Song works is because of the absolutely insane guitar solo that explodes out of it. Plus, the solo at the end of Buddy Holly is one of my personal favorite guitar solos of all time.
Enough about the guitars though; Patrick Wilson is one of the greatest drummers of all time. While the In Utero-esque production that defined Pinkerton and it’s explosive percussionhad not yet been utilized, Blue Album still makes an incredibly song case for Wilson’s distinct skill on nearly every song. These songs were already concise and sharp pop-punk songs to begin with; once Wilson got to them, they became vicious statements that helped define and lead the apathetic youth that had just lost Nirvana. The crescendo at the end of the previously mentioned Undone is driven by some of the most intense drum pummeling ever heard on a song that isn’t decidedly Jazzy or Metal. There’s a punk energy to the way Wilson drums, especially on tracks like Surf Wax America, a song that lives and breathes off of the steady beat Wilson keeps. Even the quiet keyboard-and-cymbal interlude in the middle of the song is incredible, and it’s literally just a steady beat.
Aside from the instrumentation, though, it’s truly Rivers Cuomo that makes this record such a pure classic. Now, I wouldn’t call it Cuomo’s personal defining album (That, again, would be the heart-bleeding Pinkerton). Lyrically, Cuomo is more than serviceable enough here, offering memorable and fine words to fit into choruses that would echo in the halls of time for the next 20 years. Even though this album predates me, I’m sure poorly shouting the chorus to Say It Ain’t So is just as much fun as it was 20 years ago (Note: This is also a song that has some amazing guitar work). Cuomo has never been a very complicated lyricist verbiage-wise, but he can sure pack a ton of emotion and meaning to the simplest of sentences and declarations. The only falter on this album is the dopey chorus to In The Garage, which is still a fun enough song to not spoil the rest of the album. The romantic bliss of Holiday is absolutely infectious, and Cuomo’s straightforward delivery of the lyrics helps to convey this perfectly. It also doesn’t hurt that the backing vocals and bass line at the end of the song provided by Mikey Welsh are absolutely incredible (Mikey Welsh is truly what made 90s Weezer what it was and what post-Green Album Weezer what it isn’t).
And then there’s Only In Dreams, which is easily a contender for being one of the greatest album closers of all time. Epic in scale and sprawling to fascinating degrees of length, it’s a song that is ruled by its gradual crescendo. Cuomo delivers his most emotionally bare vocals here (at least until their next record), creating an endearing atmosphere that grows from sad subtlety to pure desperation. The coda of this song is one of the most powerful displays of emotion and instrumental finesse ever put to record. The way the bass line runs along with the song is incredible, and as it grows faster and faster, the guitar part tries to keep up. The drums are also there to join in, with everything dancing together in this beautiful rhythm that grows and grows and grows until none of them can take it any longer, with all of them bursting back into their original form, stronger than ever before. Everything just explodes into this magic and heartbreaking finale, one that still gets me to this day. When the song finally settles out into a tiny bit of acoustic guitar and bass, it feels like a storm has just passed. The only song that can dare rival such a skillful crescendo is LCD Soundsystem’s All My Friends (The comparisons also grow when you think about how connected they are to coveting something ultimately unattainable/ the fact they both make me cry grown man tears). The end of this song (in addition to River Cuomo’s frantic repetition of “Only in Dreams!”) is one of the most beautiful and emotionally powerful moments ever recorded to sound.
We can all whine and complain about the fact that Weezer never reached heights like these again (Hey, there are some fine tracks on Hurley and The Green Album), but why? The fact Cuomo never reached Pinkerton/Blue Album heights again is kind of what makes these two albums magical (That and Mikey Welsh. Welsh can make anything magical). The Blue Album is a piece of art that stands alone and stands the test of time against anything else anyone could muster at the time. It transcends Cuomo’s tendency to be a dick (something that defined Pinkerton, again bringing up contrasts) and becomes something else entirely. It’s an album that, despite helping defining an era, doesn’t seem to have aged one bit. There’s a reason they still Buddy Holly on the radio and no one bitches about it.
Summary: Blue Album is arguably Weezer’s best album, finding the perfect combination of heavy instrumentation and pure angst to make an album that both defines the 90s and transcends it. Also, Only In Dreams.
Choice Cuts: Only In Dreams, Holiday, My Name Is Jonas, Undone-The Sweater Song, Buddy Holly
Leftovers: In the Garage (Seriously, the only track that keeps his from being an A++)
A+
CLASSIC SATURDAYS: Nas- Illmatic (20 Years Later)
When discussing “The Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time”, there can be a lot of contenders. One of the biggest contenders of all time is Nas’ immortal and damn near perfect Illmatic. 20 years later, it’s still in the conversation and it’s still an album that rappers have yet to truly top. Released during a renaissance for Hip-Hop in the early-to-mid 90s, it stood out from the pack as something that could truly transcend the genre. But in the spectrum of transcendental Hip-Hop, it’s a fascinating subject. There are plenty of other candidates: 36 Chambers, Ready to Die, Madvillainy, Low End Theory, It Takes a Nation of Millions, MBDTF, Aquemini, Paul’s Boutique, Cold Vein, Blueprint. However, Hip-Hop is a genre where even the albums nearest to perfection have plenty of flaws. Low End Theory and Madvillainy are both a bit too long, there’s one or two just OK tracks on Aquemini and Paul’s Boutique, It Takes a Nation of Millions suffers from vaguely dated production, and MBDTF and Ready To Die are fantastic records plagued with two awkward sketches (One featuring Chris Rock yelling over a beautiful beat about pussy, the other is Biggie awkwardly fucking a girl on a washing machine). The only two Hip-Hop albums that are almost inhumanly perfect are 36 Chambers and Nas’ masterpiece, Illmatic.
What also separates Nas from the pack is that his album didn’t really do much to revolutionize the game. All those other albums innovated and twisted Hip-Hop into new places, sonically and lyrically. What Nas did wasn’t innovative, but it perfected his lane. Illmatic is the epitome of Boom Bap; it’s an album that so perfectly nails every beat and every lyric and every track that it’s almost uncomfortable to listen to. All those other albums overcome their flaws by taking those tiny problems and making them endearing. Some of those other albums are still damn near perfect, and their flaws have morphed to become integral parts of the album. Illmatic doesn’t have any of these flaws, it’s just front-to-back concision and skill. Notice that Jay-Z never came at Illmatic during that infamous Nas vs. Jay-Z beef? There’s a reason for that.
Nas collected an assortment of now-legends to produce his unwitting magnum opus: DJ Premier and Large Professor each produce 3 tracks, Pete Rock and Q-Tip appear, and L.E.S. also contributed his defining beat to Life’s a Bitch. The ominous piano plunking and dissonant beeping over NY State of Mind creates a near ghoulish mood that rivals anything from 36 Chambers, allowing Nas to debut with one of the most intimidating Hip-Hop tracks of all time. This then transitions to the silky and sexy soulful beat underneath Life’s a Bitch, which nicely contrasts the realness of the lyricism and hook supplied by an on-fire AZ (Who does a damn fine job as the album’s only vocal guest). The outro of the song also includes a stunning horn solo from Olu Dara, who is Nas’ father. There’s some amazing scratching on The World Is Yours, some great bells and horn samples on Halftime, a subtle soul vocal sample w/ organs on Memory Lane, a nice jazzy vibe on One Love, a silky and slow drum on One Time 4 Your Mind, a vintage mysterious sound on Represent, and an incredible vocal and sax sample on It Ain’t Hard to Tell. If this album was just instrumentals, it would easily have the potential to be a classic.
But what makes Illmatic one of the greatest Hip-Hop albums of all time, in addition to one of the greatest albums of any genre, is Nas himself. He opens NY State of Mind with the line “Straight out the fucking dungeons of rap/ Where fake niggas don’t make it back” with an almost sadistically satisfying snarl, leading into him absolutely ripping the track apart. Nas was young, and Illmatic made it immediately clear that Nas was someone to be reckoned with. Even if some of his street stories were clearly hyperbolic (As a kid, Nas was more of an observer of the streets around him than any actual sort of participant). It helps that Nas has a fiery and commanding flow all over the album, but this album hits an entirely new level with Nas’ incredible lyricism. There’s this line from NY State of Mind:
“It drops deep as it does in my breath/I never sleep, ’cause sleep is the cousin of death/Beyond the walls of intelligence, life is defined/I think of crime when I’m in a New York state of mind”
And then there’s these lines from The World Is Yours:
“While all the old folks pray to Jesus, soakin’ their sins in trays/Of holy water, odds against Nas are slaughter/Thinkin’ a word best describing my life/To name my daughter my strength/My son the star will be my resurrection/Born in correction, all the wrong shit I did, he’ll lead a right direction”
Illmatic stands out because of how hauntingly introspective Nas explores his inner city life. At every second, death is lurking around him, and he’s stuck in a place that’s damn near inescapable. New York isn’t only conveyed in the dirty boom bap sound, it’s conveyed through the extremely mortally-grounded lyricism that Nas maintains throughout the entire album. Nas does engage in some braggadocio here and there, but it’s always warranted and never truly a focus (Plus, he has some killer lines that absolutely allow him to say such things. Like, the entirety of Halftime). Nas’ street stories and introspection helped bring heavy lyricism back to Hip-Hop, opening the door for every politically conscious rapper ever to come after, as well as every extremely lyrical rapper that would follow (With all the extreme wordplay the opens itself up with repeat listens, particularly on tracks like Represent).
Illmatic is still an album that practically haunts Nas to this day. While Nas has released plenty of noteworthy Hip-Hop albums since (God’s Son is particularly good, and Stillmatic has plenty of fine tracks (Including the Jay-Z eviscerating Ether)), each album has lived in the shadow of an album so influential and so great that every Nas album since has been measured up to it. In Hip-Hop itself, it didn’t really revolutionize the sound. But it did change the dynamic of Hip-Hop in the 90s. The East Coast experienced a seismic shift with Illmatic, with Nas clearing the light-hearted vibes of A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul, blasting the door open to let Diddy and Biggie to step up to the plate (As well as opening the lane for Wu-Tang to take over). After the West Coast established its firm footing in Gangster rap, Illmatic brought the East Coast to the game late, but with no less of an impact. 20 years later, Illmatic still stands as an influential and essential Hip-Hop album, the epitome of one of the greatest eras in music ever.
Summary: Illmatic is truly a classic and defining example of New York Boom Bap; A lyrically fascinating, sonically heavy, and overall intense and brilliant Hip-Hop album that retains it’s uniqueness through how perfectly and deftly it handles its street subject matter.
Choice Cuts: N.Y. State of Mind, Life’s a Bitch, The World Is Yours, Halftime, It Ain’t Hard to Tell, Memory Lane (Sittin’ in da Park).
Leftovers: Ha!
A++
You can watch the video for It Ain’t Hard to Tell below. Illmatic is out now on Columbia records (You can grab the latest reissue here)
CLASSIC SATURDAYS: The Beach Boys- Pet Sounds
The best kind of music is the music that gets better the older it gets. Something that, as it ages, actually ripens. The Beach Boys are a lot like that. Now, I’m not old enough to have lived during their golden era during the late 50s and 60s. But they are a band that I’ve probably been exposed to for my entire life. When I was a little kid, I’d always enjoy when tracks like Good Vibrations came on the radio on long car rides, and I don’t think there will ever be a time where Run Run Rudolph is not completely stuck in my head (Which is kind of a bad thing, but I digress). However, as I’ve aged a bit, and explored their discography, my appreciation for Brian Wilson’s sunshiny pop group has grown immensely. The main factor? Their classic 1966 album, Pet Sounds.
There aren’t a lot of truly amazing albums that are pure pop. I mean, sure there were some albums from Prince and Michael Jackson in the 80s that could qualify, but those albums are rooted more in R&B than in pop music. Pet Sounds is pure pop music, and it’s the greatest pure pop music ever created. There are wild musical ideas strewn throughout the whole album that give this album both an intense sense of innovation and a weirdly veiled sense of painful nostalgia. I mean, I’ve never heard bicycle horns sound as meaningful as they do on You Still Believe In Me. And just two tracks later, we get some gorgeous strings on Don’t Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder). And the trashcan percussion on I’m Waiting For the Day creates a playful energy that absolutely heightens the track.
The thing that I’ve loved about Pet Sounds from when I first heard it was that it sounds both fun and immensely emotional at the same time. Sure, there’s a lot of fun to be had in the pitch-perfect harmonies and bouncy flavor of the album. But each song carries lyrics and vocals that carry an emotional resonance that’s hard to hear on even the saddest singer-songwriter albums of today. Take the absolutely perfect album opener, Wouldn’t It Be Nice. Sure, the playful instrumentals that open it and the background “Ba ba ba bas” make it sound fun. But Brian Wilson’s words are so yearning that they’re just as powerful as they must have been back in 66. And then there’s God Only Knows, which is one of my favorite songs lyrically of all time. It’s a perfectly written song. And the lyrics and the weird instrumentation (The horse clop percussion and jingle bells) mesh together in a gloriously infectious concoction that’s just as catchy today as it was when it was first released.
The execution itself is also pretty spot-on, too. While the lyrics are great on their own merit, Wilson’s delivery of them takes the words to a whole new level. The keyboards and woodwinds and guitars on the record are all performed with stunning vitality and accuracy. What makes a lot of these tracks astounding is that they have a lot going on, but they don’t sound unorganized or messy. It’s a vibrant album brings some wildly interesting instrumentation to fruition in a way that doesn’t seem contrived or forced. Everything feels oddly natural, despite a lot of the sounds and ideas being pretty experimental (for the time).
This is pop song-craft at its finest. I’ve never hesitated to say that Brian Wilson is a true genius. By mixing perfect lyricism with some truly wild sounds (I Know There’s An Answer is probably one of the most sonically thrilling tracks of the 1960s), Pet Sounds manages to create a benchmark for how to make a truly great pop record. Which, transitively, also shows how to make a truly great record, period. The fact that Wouldn’t It Be Nice, , God Only Knows, and Sloop John B still sound like perfect pop sounds attests to just how phenomonal this record is.
Summary: Pet Sounds is basically a perfect pop record, with wildly vibrant instrumentation, wonderful songwriting, and brilliant songcraft.
Choice Cuts: Pretty much every track
Leftovers: Maybe I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times
5/5
Stream God Only Knows below. Pet Sounds is obviously out now on Capitol.
Vantage Point Music 