“That was quite a shock for me to discover that ,” he said. In reality, Cuomo was as earnest as they came. Thanks to his pocket-protector look and songs like the debut album’s “No One Else” - with lyrics that creepily admit to wanting “a girl who will laugh for no one else” - Weezer was initially pegged by many as a product of mid-'90s irony. But in his enthusiasm he might’ve ended up tipping over into caricature.Īt least it was his doing. “There’s something problematic about the speaker’s position - it’s a little cartoon-ish.” The idea, he went on, was to demonstrate where Weezer was looking on the new record. “I actually have a troubled relationship with that song,” said Cuomo, 44, recently at a park near his home in Santa Monica. “Kick in the door, more hard-core,” Cuomo goes on, “Rocking out like it’s ’94.” A statement of intent? Well, maybe. It’s the band’s first since “Hurley” and comes with comeback-ready talking points, including a return to a major label and a reunion with producer Ric Ocasek of the Cars, who also oversaw the Blue Album.Īnd then there’s “Back to the Shack,” a stomping guitar jam in which Cuomo sings that he had to “go and make a few mistakes” - an apparent reference to the sleek pop tunes of 2009’s polarizing “Raditude,” which featured input from Top 40 veterans like Dr. One of several out-of-the-way shows the group played this summer, Weezer’s trip to Del Mar was part of the run-up to the release of its strong new album, “Everything Will Be Alright in the End,” due Oct. “Hello, humans.” Then he led Weezer through its latest single, “Back to the Shack.” The humans cheered. “Hello, horses,” Cuomo said between songs. Only that’s not at all how it went down: Onstage before a concrete parking lot ringed with corn dog vendors, Weezer - with guitarist Brian Bell, bassist Scott Shriner and drummer Pat Wilson - sounded like a band in top form, rocking a crowd filled with people whose track tickets had gotten them into the concert for free. So when Cuomo and his bandmates performed on a soggy evening last month at the Del Mar Racetrack, the gig might’ve seemed like a stop near the end of the road. “Hurley,” released on an indie label in 2010, sold 133,000 copies - about 1/30th the number “Weezer” did. Then he quit and came back again, which generated more radio hits, before Cuomo aimed for greater heights and eventually alienated his audience with an album nobody liked. Then Cuomo freaked out, quit the band, came back and made a record that flopped. It’s a sick beat.Twenty years ago, Weezer was one of the biggest bands in Los Angeles, a deeply quirky alternative-rock quartet riding high on the success of its self-titled 1994 debut.Īlso known as the Blue Album, the triple-platinum “Weezer” presented a group - and a frontman, Rivers Cuomo - capable of turning anxiety and insecurity into fuzzy power-pop radio hits like “Buddy Holly” and “Undone - the Sweater Song.” The basic idea was Nirvana for nerds, and it worked. ?Ĭheck out Taylor’s new song and music video below. There’s this music inside my mind saying it’s going to be alright. So for all the applications submitted and the interviews that didn’t work out I’m just going to shake it off and keep looking forward. No matter what you are going through, rumors, mean people, or starting over in a new city just keep moving and everything will be alright. There is a line in Taylor’s new song that goes “But I keep cruising can’t stop, won’t stop moving. It’s like I got this music in my mind, saying it’s gonna be alright.” It’s my favorite line of all time. While it can be frustrating looking for a job and waiting for those better opportunities to show themselves, I have to keep pushing forward and shake off all the disappointments. I have listened to this song probably about 50 times now and even though her inspiration came from shaking off rumors and not letting them get to you I find myself connecting to this song in a different way.Īs you know I have recently moved to Charlotte in hopes of better opportunities (It’s already been a month! Wow). The new song “Shake It Off” is about how people (the media) can say all this stuff about you (Taylor) which may not be true but in the end it’s how you react to it that matters, so you just have to shake it off. If you have been living under a rock for the past couple days let me fill you in: Taylor Swift released her first single “Shake It Off,” on Monday, from her upcoming fifth album 1989. Yes, I am a Swiftie and you can imagine how excited I am for her new album.