From the pounding, primal assault of the opening track,
"Tired of Sex,"
it's clear from the outset that
Pinkerton
is a different record than the sunny, heavy
guitar pop
of
Weezer
's eponymous debut. The first noticeable difference is the darker, messier sound -- the guitars rage and squeal, the beats are brutal and visceral, the vocals are mixed to the front, filled with overlapping, off-the-cuff backing vocals. In short, it sounds like the work of a live band, which makes it all the more ironic that
, at its core, is a
singer/songwriter
record, representing
Rivers Cuomo
's bid for respectability. Since he hasn't changed
's blend of
power pop
and
heavy metal
(only the closing song,
"Butterfly,"
is performed acoustically), many critics and much of the band's casual fans didn't notice
Cuomo
's significant growth as a songwriter. Loosely structured as a concept album based on
Madame Butterfly
, each song works as an individual entity, driven by powerful, melodic hooks, a self-deprecating sense of humor (
"Pink Triangle"
is about a crush on a lesbian), and a touching vulnerability (
"Across the Sea,"
"Why Bother?"
).
can still turn out catchy, offbeat singles --
"The Good Life"
has a chorus that is more memorable than
"Buddy Holly,"
"El Scorcho"
twists
Pavement
's junk-culture references in on itself,
"Falling for You"
is the most propulsive thing they've yet recorded -- but the band's endearing geekiness isn't as cutesy as before, which means the album wasn't as successful on the charts. But it's the better album, full of crunching
with a surprisingly strong emotional undercurrent that becomes all the more resonant with each play. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine