ALBUM REVIEWS
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ALBUM REVIEWS |
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Rivers Cuomo
ALONE (THE HOME RECORDINGS OF RIVERS CUOMO) GEFFEN 4.02.08 @www.vanguard-online.co.uk This is one hell of a collection of songs. Ranging from tracks written and performed in his bedroom in 1992 to a track that narrowly missed out being on Weezer’s latest album, there are some great songs, and some poor ones too. Taken with the context provided by Rivers’ thorough liner notes, though, “Alone” is a fascinating journey from aspiration, through struggling to cope with success to experimentation. The first track in earnest, “The World We Love So Much” is a cover of a Gregg Alexander track recorded using a nylon string guitar and a Tascam 688 and – despite the fluctuating sound quality – clearly shows the direction that the young artist wanted to move in. Later on are covers of “Little Diane” by Dion and the Belmonts (which was recorded with Rick Rubin and, given the vast difference in instruments used, is surprisingly close to the original) and “The Bomb” by Ice Cube, delivered in a Drum ‘N’ Bass style, with Rivers trying to speak/sing rather than rap. It has an endearing underground feeling, like a demo by a modern grime rapper, but I really can’t take it seriously. Likewise with “This Is The Way” – the most recent track to be recorded, which uses the instrumentation of a track by Mario. The lyrics are quite poor and predictable, but it could do well in the right mainstream circles – I just can’t see it being performed by the band. The bit right at the start, when he goes into rapper mode with his ‘This is the way baby’ made my toes curl. This track was cut from Weezer’s latest album, and I can sleep better knowing that. The cover notes describe just how bitter “Buddy Holly” – by far my favourite Weezer track – actually is. Knowing it addresses tension within the band really adds something to its delivery, even if it has been recorded on really basic equipment (Cuomo uses a Korg keyboard and a guitar with a basic flange, giving it a school talent show feel) at a much slower tempo than the final product. “Lemonade” is very Weezer, with fuzzy guitars and slow, measured vocals that would fit well on an album; while “Chess” – a track written to blow away writer’s block while recording “The Blue Album” – is so far from album-worthy it’s best to use it to show that everyone has off-days. “Longtime Sunshine” is a tale of longing for childhood: simple times, close families and routine. Based on a hippie song that Rivers’ parents used to sing to him and his brother at bedtime, it sounds surprisingly modern, like a track that the Magic Numbers or one of the many recent Northern Indie bands would record. “Crazy One” is intended to – and succeeds in being – in the ilk of The Beatles, although it sounds more like The Byrds. It’s another example of Rivers Cuomo moving a long way away from what he does best to keep himself sharp. “Wanda (You’re My Only Love)” was composed to accompany a movie and, centring on lost love, it feels a bit desperate and cold - unlike “Lover In The Snow”, ironically, which is bouncy and, despite its minimal sound, has a catchy riff and a memorable chorus refrain (“Come on come on come on I feel it”). “I Was Made For You” is another love song, painfully written from the heart, and is one of the few that feels like a proper album track. Excellently used as a closer. A slight sidenote is needed, as there are also a couple of tracks on the album that were taken from Cuomo’s planned rock musical “Songs From The Black Hole”, written around the time that Weezer started to get famous as a way of escaping from his dramatically changing life. “Blast Off”, which was intended as the opening track, has an essence of Bowie, (mostly due to the use of a vocorder) and it certainly achieves in incorporating operatic elements. “Dude, We’re Finally Landing”, on the other hand, is so daft it sounds more like a Christmas Carol than anything from a musical. Although I’m not a huge Weezer fan, I have a reasonable knowledge of their work, and I enjoyed this album for many different reasons. It’s fascinating to see the many levels that songwriting can take a person to, and great to hear tracks that you know in their more primitive forms. A must for all true fans, and recommended for music lovers with limited experience of the band. www.weezer.com |