Weezer's sixth full-length, The Red Album, is a record that fits into an odd and average spot on their wildly inconsistent discography. While nowhere near as cringe-inducing as 2005's Make Believe, The Red Album is sadly not the return to form long-time fans have been expecting.
Gone are the glory days of their '94 Blue Album debut and '96 emo-cornerstone Pinkerton. Any hope that their old-school sound could be recaptured have essentially been squashed. It is unlikely the nerdish power-pop charm and earnest sincerity of their first releases will ever be recovered.
This is because The Red Album is vastly inconsistent and almost as conflicting as the output of their last five records. Between the poppy, pleasing numbers are long meandering tracks that shy away from their strengths.
