Music

"The White Album" - Weezer [Official Full Album Stream + Zumic Review]

Brad Bershad

by Brad Bershad

Published April 1, 2016

Alternative rock band Weezer have released their tenth studio album, a self-titled LP known as the White Album, via Atlantic Records.

The LP features ten songs covering 34 minutes, and was produced by Jake Sinclair. Band members on the recording include Rivers Cuomo (guitar, vocals, keyboards), Brian Bell (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Scott Shriner (bass, keyboards, backing vocals), and Patrick Wilson (drums, percussion).

Band leader Rivers Cuomo spoke with Pitchfork about the inspiration behind the album:

The inspiration behind the songs were my experiences hanging around the Westside of Los Angeles, which has been our home since Weezer began. Hanging out with people in Venice and Santa Monica, the beach, the Hare Krishnas, the Sikh on roller blades with the guitar, girls on Tinder within a 4 mile radius, seeing other bands, the kids from La Sera. I would just tweet out "does anybody wanna hang?" and then I'd get together with people who responded and talk about life. I love California. I wanted the album to make you feel like you were there with us SoCal weirdos even if you're in Milwaukee in December.

The Beach Boys connection is also a big part of this album's sound. In the same interview with Pitchfork, Cuomo said:

Obviously my favorite band has always been the Beach Boys, and what I love about them most are the melodies and the chord progressions. I guess the harmonies too. And the orchestration. Can't forget about the lyrics. So basically everything. I wanted to get that kind of vibe: beautiful tunes and sweet lyrics. I also love the dark side of the beach – Venice after dark, hearing at the Del Monte Speakeasy about how the gangsters used to drag the bodies through the catacombs and leave them under the pier.

The White Album is everything we love about Weezer. Chunky guitar riffs, dark melodic hooks, hard-hitting grooves, quirky storytelling, and Rivers Cuomo's unique talent as a singer-songwriter. Having said that, most fans will likely agree that this 2016 LP falls short of Weezer's best work on albums like the Blue Album, Pinkerton, and the Green Album.

The band have always walked the line between alternative rock and radio-friendly pop, and overall they're very successful making that combination work on the White Album. There are enough good moments here that we decided it was worthy of 4.5 stars.

Songs we like are "California Kids," "L.A. Girlz," "Do You Wanna Get High?," "King Of The World," and "Thank God For Girls," and "Endless Bummer."

The White Album is currently available on Amazon. You can also stream the full album above.

The band will be playing album release concerts in England and the Netherlands this month, then will join up with Panic! At The Disco for a summer tour beginning in June.

For Weezer's latest music, news, and tour dates, check out their Zumic artist page.

Weezer (White Album) cover art
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