Review by L.H, published 05/07/21
6/10
An nostalga trip, and fun side project from one of America’s current popular bands
Weezer have always had their place in modern meme culture and River’s has reflected this with his fans on a grounded level. An example of this is with the single Pork and Beans, where the music video consists memes and trends of the time. This connection is how the album came to existence, starting off from one girl dedicating a Twitter account for the band to cover “Africa” by Toto (1982).
The band couldn’t go wrong covering the track as it was recognisably an instant 80’s classic, and did benefit them greatly with the single reaching the top of iTunes. Toto then responded through covering Weezer’s hit “Hash Pipe” (2001).
Following the release of the single, the full record is packed with a nostalgic feeling which also links back to the members growing up as teens throughout the 80’s themselves. Some examples of tracks covered include “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson (1988), “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” by Eurythmics (1983) and many more.
Most of the visible changes include shifts in key and a bigger emphasis on the use of synth. Some also feel more polished but is reasonable based on when the tracks were recorded. Drum grooves also stand out well through the performance of Pat Wilson. Some covers seem to be a home run while others feel like the generic “run of the mill” track. Rivers vocals work surprisingly well on a few songs, mostly on “Africa” by Toto (1982), “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” by Tears For Fears (1985) and with “Take On Me” by A-ha (1985), while he’s also able to pull off a pretty badass Ozzy Osbourne impression through “Paranoid” by Black Sabbath (1970).
Overall the album feels like one of their modern detours they have been having in recent years and is a nice small addition to the bands 25+ year discography. The record didn’t have to exist but I’m glad it does as some of the covers are enjoyable to listen to and match the band’s sound effectively. I would also recommend checking out the bands 2011 cover of “You Might Think” by The Cars (1984) and “Pork and Beans” by Weezer (2008).
BEST TRACKS: Africa, Everybody Wants To Rule The World & Take On Me
WORST TRACKS: Happy Together & Stand by Me
Music By L.H 