SINGLE: Weezer - Pork and Beans

I’m going to put it like this: if you don’t like Weezer, something is wrong with you. Deeply, irrevocably and downright wrong.

Weezer are a strange lot, by my standards at least. Lead guitarist and singer Rivers Cuomo is quite the oddball, and they are the only group I can name of who have more than two self-titled albums (a third is to be released in June). First appearing in 1994 with The Blue Album and masterful songwriting of Say it Ain’t So and Buddy Holly, they've had many successes over the years with their unique sound. Hash Pipe, Island in the Sun and Beverley Hills are prime examples and have all been radio hits, whilst retaining the integrity of actually being fantastic songs.

Now in 2008, brand new facial hair and interesting hats are the new look as The Red Album looms – as mentioned before – and fans have had the chance to stream first single Pork and Beans over at www.weezer.com. First impressions? Superb. A simple yet unusual acoustic guitar line underlies the verse (a major seventh I believe), littered with strange noises, piano stabs and harmonies. Rivers completes the package with his trademark emotional-yet-uninterested monotone strain, speaking of things of some relevance and no relevance, all strung together with the theme of the big bad music business… or something along those lines. I’m not going to debate.

Chorus, big time: ‘I’ma do the things that I want to do, I ain’t got a thing to prove to you’ is less enigmatic, and gladly so. The double-tracked guitars thrash out a rollicking I-V-vi-IV progression, and on later choruses arrive some awesome vocal harmonies. The only nag I have is the length of the middle eight: it’s just way too short. It's got an unexpected key change, great chords; all you’re waiting for now is a massive solo or additional section to come after the euprhoric ‘I don’t care’s. But alas: it fires straight back into a final chorus. It still works fine - some extra development is all I would say it needs. Although having said that, the instrumentation is dazzling, the original ideas it includes sound excellent and above all – you can sing your absolute bollocks off when it comes to it. I’m looking forward to seeing this live sometime.

Overall – 9 / 10

p.s. Vote in the damn poll. Please.