Weezer: 21st Century Masters
Weezer! Didn’t I say more than enough about them in my three-part album guide? Pretty much. But the happy ending to that journey through the discography was a realization that - while I remain a ‘90s supremacist - the mix of artistic ambition and commercial anxiety driving Weezerdomo Rivers Cuomo remains understandably thrilling for more sympathetic (or less discriminating) fans. That took a lot of work, though. Is there an easier way for a fellow Pinker-Tony to reach a similar stance without diving deep into the Rivers’ murk? Considering how awful their singles get (see my Alternative Radio Gods: The Sh!tb0x playlist for proof), I wouldn't trust a streamer to guide you.
Instead, consider my latest 21st Century Masters playlist: 16 songs from the 16 Weezer “albums” released in the last twenty-odd years (the SZNZ releases were retroactively bumped from EPs to LPs by the band). I’ve included two songs from my favorite albums of the era, The White Album and Van Weezer, at the expense of stinkbombs The Black Album and SZNZ: Spring. Anyone who’d balk at this choice doesn’t need a playlist, so much as court-mandated therapy.
Maybe The Black Album is just too dark for me. Judge for yourself.
I’ve organized the tracks so that they’d make a solid CD experience, but also a dubious 2LP (or 4 EP) experience. Four singles, followed by four deep cuts, then four more singles, and a climatic four-song concept finale. I think Cuomo would approve, or at least add the data to a spreadsheet. While I’m including YouTube links (and the usual Spotify mea culpa), I am not making a video playlist. 21st century Weezer is far easier to hear than look at.
Weezer: 21st Century Masters
“Four The Kids”
1. “California Kids” (The White Album, 2016)
2. “(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To” (Raditude, 2009)
3. “Pork And Beans” (The Red Album, 2008)
4. “Happy Hour” (Pacific Daydream, 2017)
“Four The Heads”
5. “Get Off On The Pain” (SZNZ: Autumn, 2022)
6. “Numbers” (OK Human, 2021)
7. “Sheila Can Do It” (Van Weezer, 2021)
8. “The Deep And Dreamless Sleep” (SZNZ: Winter, 2022)
“Four The Radio”
9. “Memories” (Hurley, 2010)
10. “Perfect Situation” (Make Believe, 2005)
11. “Take On Me” (The Teal Album, 2019)
12. “We Might As Well Be Strangers (feat. Wednesday)” (The Gold Album, 2026)
“Four The Endless Ending”
13. “Beginning Of The End” (Van Weezer, 2021)
14. “Foolish Father” (Everything Will Be Alright In The End, 2014)
15. “Thank You And Goodnight” (SZNZ: Summer, 2022)
16. “Endless Bummer” (The White Album, 2016)
Oh, it's like you're back in high school watching this. Right, Gen Xers?
Total tangent, but have you ever noticed how the narrator in “Take On Me” says he’s leaving “in a day or two” until the final chorus, when he says “in a day” instead? Why this belated commitment to an ETD? Maybe the songwriter thought straightening out a weird lyrical hook would be a canny bit of tension release. But if you look at it narratively, the potential implications are rather icky. Is he telling her its now or never? Has he successfully been taken on, and no longer has has a reason to hang around? The preceding line is “you’re shying away, I’ll be coming for you anyway,” so he might even be looking to escape consequences. Or maybe the song takes place around midnight, and he’s just acknowledging the window has tightened since he began pleading. Sorry, if I’m making it too deep.
Pt. 1, Pt. 2 and Pt. 3 of my Weezer album guide remain readable if you haven't. If you have an opinion or something, you can reach me at anthonyisright at gmail dot com.
