Weezer
Maladroit
2002, I wasn't all that into Maladroit when it dropped. Which is kind of surprising in hindsight. I loved The Green Album. And I was following the making of Maladroit - a totally fascinating period where Weezer was demoing new tracks and sharing them on their website and getting real-time fan feedback. Strangely, I wasn't a member of their forum but a couple of my friends were and they'd share all these new songs with me. I'm still bummed that "Sandwiches Time" was never released. Anyway, the resulting album initially turned me off. Remember how Rivers said his favorite rock group was Kiss? Well it shows a bit here. This is Weezer attempting to get heavier and riffier and I didn't like it back then. But five years after it was released I had this total epiphany after giving it another shot. And in 2007, I started to love Maladroit. This is a strange album. It's still got those Weezer pop hooks under there, but they're buried under some pretty ugly stuff. This is Scott Shriner's first album as bass player and I don't know if he had a lot of influence or what, but for an album coming so hot off the heals of the Green Album, it's hardly just a sequel. Opener "American Gigalo" is harsh and weird with those off kilter jugging guitars. It actually reminds me a bit of the tone of In Utero or something. Even much of the pop like "Dope Nose" or "Slob" or "Fall Together" is much harsher sounding than the majority of the band's output. And maybe that's why I like this album so damn much. It has some serious personality. Even if I think the Green Album sounds more prototypical Weezer, this one is far more unique. There are some flashes of the Weezer of old however. "Burndt Jamb" is so friggin' upbeat and happy, and "Keep Fishin'" could have easily fit on the Green Album with that massive pop hook. "Death And Destruction" is the sore thumb for me. It's just too damn mellow to feel comfortable here. I don't hate it but it feels like it belongs on a different album. Ultimately I don't think that Maladroit is an album that most folks even really think about much, but given my adoration of Weezer I guess it's no surprise that one of their more eccentric albums would speak so much to me.