Unreleased Weezer back-catalogue will not disappoint
Weezer are on the ball this year in time for Christmas - along with a Special Edition double CD Pinkerton Deluxe re-release this month, comes 'Death To False Metal' - 10 of the best tracks that never made it to release between 1993 to 2008, including creations from the so-called "Weezer Mystery Year" of 1998 (according to Weezerpedia).
'Death to False Metal' showcases Weezer's idiosyncratic musical style - classic pop hooks, that buzzing mesh of guitar fuzz, Cuomo's plaintive vocalisations - all add to that energy-injected, upbeat sound that makes Weezer so very special.
Simple melodies and rocked up emotion rip up 'Turn up the Radio' into a faithful sonic musical reproduction of the joy of musical geekdom. "Blowin My Stack" has to be the happiest angry song ever - with rattling cymbal and drums, ear tingling solo, light, downbeat breakdown and a moment of impressive yelling from Cuomo. Just to note - 'blowing my stack' just means getting angry - nothing more and nothing less, but knowing Weezer they probably love the hinted double entendre contained therein.
The boys metal it up with "Everyone" that harks back to the bands' heavier days of yore - a testosterone fuelled taste of sex, drugs and rock n roll - with another solitary brief glimpse of Cuomo's scream-vocal ability and some fantastic metal solos, before moving on to something a bit different - a (hopefully) sardonic stray into MTV territory with electro keys and metal-esque guitar on 'Auto Pilot.'
There's something about that distinctive mix up of fun, catchy melody and fresh energetic instrumentation with melancholic lyrics that make Weezer's sad tracks so devastatingly heartbreaking. Desolate and drunken "Losing My Mind" reflects the despair of searching for life in clubs and bars whilst 'I'm A Robot' reflects the soul destroying nature of an empty 9 to 5 and a broken American dream. Cuomo's plaintive vocals "I'm a robot I don't have any feeling in my heart" juxtaposed with some uncharacteristically commercial upbeat indie pop just tears you up, and similarly puppy-eyed vocals make for perhaps the best cover of Toni Braxton's 'Un-break My Heart' you are ever likely to hear.
On top of the 10 CD tracks there are extra bonus tunes to track down online because, also according to Weezerpedia "they all are pretty darn cool." Any fan couldn't argue with that.