Weezer - Death to False Metal Review

Having only just released their latest album Hurley earlier this year, it is an odd decision on Weezer's part to then put out the Deluxe Edition of Pinkerton and this, Death to False Metal - A collection of outtakes from the band's fifteen year tenure with DGC records. Given the disparity between the time periods these songs were originally written and recorded, it is a wonder that the collection does not sound disjointed at all, and given that it is a collection of songs that never made it onto an official release - A-side or B-side - there is a surprising number of highlights on offer here.

Death to False Metal opens up with Turning Up the Radio, A classic sounding blast of Weezer pop, which began life as a collaboration with Rivers Cuomo and various Weezer fans the world over via Youtube. It is a great, solid song which certainly beats a lot of the more recent Weezer material, which has suffered by going out of its way to be overly commercial. Blowin' My Stack is a similarly strong song, embracing all that is great about Weezer when they are on form.

Elsewhere, the collection embraces Weezer's slower side with Losing My Mind, a dark and simplistic track that would not have sounded out of place on Pinkerton. The albums closing rendition of Un-break My Heart is also worth the asking price alone. It is big and silly, with a huge guitar solo and some startling falsetto vocals from Rivers.

Unfortunately, there are a number of duds contained herein. Auto-Pilot is an overly simple electronic number that never really goes anywhere and seems to just plod along on its own content in its mediocrity. Odd Couple is another below par song, with lacklustre lyrics like 'I've got a PC, you've got a Mac'. The song structure is overly-similar to Auto-Pilot which probably explains why both songs kind of let the album down....full text In the past couple of years, Weezer have been heard at work putting out brand new material and keeping their fans very, very happy. Their latest release is due to be a rarities album entitled “Death To False Metal” along with a 2 disc re-issue of their classic Pinkerton album.

Death To False Metal could just be dismissed as just another new Weezer album and unlike many “rarities” albums, this is full of songs unheard by anyone before. Recorded over the span of Weezer’s career it shows the band at their prime. Some of the songs have the classic feel whilst some of them have the more modern Weezer sound. Whatever you prefer, there’s something on this album for everybody.

Turning Up The Radio opens the album with a grungey, 90s Weezer riff and dives in to a catchy rock song that will have you singing as loud as you can by the 3rd listen. The song was a result of a project run by frontman Rivers Cuomo who got help from the band’s fans to help write and record the song. Recorded in 2008, it didn’t make the final cut of their 2008 self-titled album. The reason behind the songs not making the cut of any of the albums was, according to Cuomo, “Some just weren’t right for the albums we were recording at the time—just a bit ahead of their time or too ‘rock’.”...full text Only weeks after releasing their eighth studio album, Hurley, Weezer return with a new collection of tracks, this time an ensemble of reworked rarities. Originally titled Odds & Ends (no doubt a reference to The Who), the band opted for the more tongue-in-cheek moniker, Death to False Metal. Unlike Rivers Cuomo’s successful Alone releases, however, this effort sounds and feels like an actual album. But that’s the point, at least according to Cuomo, who says, “Together, they are the album that should logically follow Hurley.” Makes sense. Given that most of these tracks were pulled for not sounding Weezer enough, that argument means absolutely zilch at this point in their career, where their albums have included tracks like the rap-rock catastrophe “Can’t Stop Partying” or the Uncle Cracker-esque “Thought I Knew”. Yikes.

So, what do we have here? Let’s just say, Odds & Ends would have been a more telling title. It’s sort of a mess. There are tons of modern rock riffage, courtesy of Brian Bell, and some of the lyrics might make you a bit squeamish (e.g. “Blowin’ My Stack”). However, you’re used to that by now, especially if you stuck around after hearing “We Are All on Drugs”. But don’t get too hung up on the details. These are songs that didn’t make the cut, after all. Some are quite delectable, though. Maladroit-era tune “I Don’t Want Your Loving” should soothe some of the more recent wounds, working off some chummy distortion and a traditional melody that makes you wonder why you haven’t heard the song yet. Cuomo’s oddball “Let’s Write a Sawng” project he spearheaded via YouTube comes to fruition in “Turning Up the Radio”, resulting in a dynamite track that recalls Thin Lizzy. It’s catchy and will likely swim in your playlist for awhile.

If “Losing My Mind” sounds familiar, you know your Weezer history. This one originally dates back to 1999, when Cuomo started tracking songs for their second self-titled release, 2001’s Weezer (Green Album). Albeit slow, the tune works, even if it starts to feel a bit preachy and those violins could have been excised. What most fans will replay again and again, however, will be “Trampoline”. It’s raw, it’s bewildering, and Cuomo sounds enthused. Again, as is the case with plenty of the effort’s songs here, the reworked overdubs sort of jab at you. The additional harmonies, most specifically, stick out like a sore thumb. Still, recorded during the group’s extended hiatus post-Pinkerton, plenty of folks should enjoy it for its throwback features....full text