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Fresh off their “Hootenannies” tour in support of their third self-titled album, often referred to as “The Red Album”, Weezer kept that spirit strong by quickly putting pen to paper and releasing “Raditude”. What the band captured best was the spirit and drive discovered on that tour, a tour that often had the band inviting fans (sometimes hundreds) on stage to learn and play Weezer songs similar in vein to old folksy sing-a-longs made famous in the simpler and more open age of the ‘60s. That became the inspiration for the entire “Raditude” album, and indeed became their new “attitude” if you will. Cuomo himself has dubbed “Raditude” as feeling “like the greatest realization of my musical goals”. And if that’s what it is, holy cow what a goal it was. Finding the true standard of Weezer’s gift of infectious melody song after song while keeping things loose and unwittingly surprising, “Raditude” features such surprise gems as “Can’t Stop Partying” with rappers Lil’ Wayne and Jermaine Dupri and “I’m Your Daddy”’s intriguing electro glides. Sleekly produced, the album is once again rich in Cuomo’s intelligent but playful songwriting; Rivers himself knows he can’t take himself nearly as serious as some of his critics and cult-like fans insist he is. It is funny to see to what degree Weezer is willing to bend towards, just to tease everyone that thinks this group is only capable of writing a simple harmonious pop song that you’ll forget as soon as the next one hits rotation. The first single and beginning of the album is the illustrious and gigantic “(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To” (watch the video here). Featuring a MoTown glitzy rhythm, handclaps, three-part harmonies, and lyrics like “The Slayer t-shirt fit the scene just right”, it tells the tale of young love growing old together – interestingly perfectly befitting an old original Weezer fan following the group since “The Blue Album” was the first installment of the mighty self-titled Weezer muses.
