Released: 2014
Genres: Power Pop, Alternative Rock
The Musiquarium’s Everything Will Be Alright in the End Review Score: 3.5/5
By 2014, many Weezer fans had given up on the band. Between 2005 and 2010 alone, the band had released five albums, none of which were particularly well-received by fans or critics; Raditude was the worst offender of the lot, although they all represented a problem with Rivers Cuomo’s musical direction and shallow pop songwriting. By bringing Ric Ocasek back into the fold, perhaps Rivers Cuomo would be able to revisit the magic of the Ric Ocasek-produced Weezer (Blue Album) or even Weezer (Green Album).
For the most part, Everything Will Be Alright in the End is a success and is easily the band’s best work since 2002’s Maladroit, with vintage-sounding Weezer tracks like Ain’t Got Nobody, Back to the Shack and Lonely Girl. The Ric Ocasek production is also much more colourful than whatever Rick Rubin was doing for Weezer on their past few releases.
Despite all it has going for it, Everything Will Be Alright in the End doesn’t quite recapture the magic that was present on their debut or Pinkerton, nor does it have an iconic single like Island in the Sun, Hash Pipe or Pork and Beans, but it at least has Weezer sounding like Weezer again.
For credit breakdowns and historic release details, view Weezer on Discogs.
Back to the 2014 Album Guide or the Weezer Reviews page.
Written by Brett Nippard