Weezer, RADITUDE

Weezer is back with Raditude -- and this time they're girl crazy! Their latest album pours on the volume and energy but loses a little quirkiness in the process.

Raditude opens with the rockin' nostalgic track "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To" which is so full of high school romance it could have been on The Academy Is... album Fast Times at Barrington High. Then it's time to go clubbing with "I'm Your Daddy" and "The Girl Got Hot." It's only natural that the next song is "Can't Stop Partying" which celebrated partying while making it sound like an addiction. There are songs of romance ("Love is the Answer"), malls, ("In the Mall") and unwinding after a hard week ("Let It All Hang Out.") The deluxe version has four bonus songs.

Weezer has a sly and subversive sense of humor in a lot of that music, and it's largely absent on Raditude. There are a few occasions where wry comments make it into the songs here -- such as when the loud "Let It All Hang Out" thinks going wild involves vitamin water -- but most of the songs are pretty straightforward. Even so, the songs on Raditude are pretty catchy and they know their way around an electric guitar. Raditude may not be Weezer's best, but it is a fun album.

Overall grade: B

Reviewed by James Lynch