old 97s - blame it on gravity review

I more than owe it to Old 97s to dedicate a post to the review of their new album. As someone who grew up with these guys in his back yard, it's sometimes hard for me to understand that people who aren't Dallas locals still know and love these guys as much as I do...but there are still so many people unaware of their greatness...so for fans and non-fans alike, let's take a look at Blame It On Gravity, the brand new record from Dallas' own, Old 97s:

For those who may have never listened to Old 97s, allow me to explain the three levels that most of their songs fall into for me. I can honestly say that starting with Too Far To Care I don't believe there's a song I will skip. Even the weakest songs on the album are easily enjoyable and worth listening to. These level one songs include Borrowed Bride, Alone So Far, King of all the World, Streets of Where I'm From, to name a few. These songs are sometimes even favorites, just because they're so simple and still so good. From there we move to songs that step it up a notch. Level two is often reached thanks to Rhett's use of words, twisting stories around nice melodies and clever choruses. Past examples of level two Old 97s songs would have to include Niteclub, Rollerskate Skinny (inspired by one Winona Ryder...who I love way more than Rhett ever could), Busted Afternoon, Won't be Home, and plenty of others. Another guest in level two is bass player and king of heartbreak, Murry Hammond. Most of Murry's songs fall here for me, as I can't think of one that I don't love hearing. However, a couple of his songs creep on up into level three. Level three is reserved for the best, and for me, this band is at its best in songs like Timebomb, 4 Leaf Clover, Barrier Reef, Just Like California, and the list goes on. Also, Murry's Valentine as well as one of his Blame it on Gravity songs are definite level three-ers.

So now that you've got a few songs to listen to if you've never heard these guys before, I'll give you the run down on this new album.

Say what you want about Drag it Up, like it or love it, Blame it on Gravity does not follow in its footsteps. Drag it Up featured songs that were written by various members at various times in their lives, which--when assembled, sounded like a sampling of the different eras of Old 97s songs, however it never really conveyed that complete album feel. This album does a much better job of reminding me, as a fan, of the best moments of past albums while still being a new and fresh offering.

It should be noted that a casual Old 97s listener hears songs for what they are, while the rabid Old 97s fan has to also imagine how these songs will sound live, as the Old 97s are known for their excellent live shows which are always full of energy, as evidenced by the name of their live album Alive and Wired. If you are this type of listener, this album cannot disappoint you, as I can say that Salim Nourallah helped record this album with this quality in mind. Every single song on this album can be just as good (if not better) live.

So what of the actual songs? The album features a few new level three members for me, including Here's to the Halcyon, The One, Dance With Me, Early Morning and Murry's The Color of a Lonely Heart is Blue was a slam dunk into level three. Most of the album fits into level two for me though, as this album is full of addictive songs. It's hard to convey how each individual member of this band is so important to the sound of the band as a whole. It's this exact reason that although Rhett's solo offerings feel a bit lackluster to an Old 97s feeling. Rhett needs Ken squealing his way through some solos, he needs Murry's old soul to sing behind him, and he needs his drums pounding through some of the best "train disaster songs" to come along this generation. I think Rhett knows it, and The One is a great way to remind us that these are still 4 goofy guys who have a lot of fun doing what they are doing. This album is a joy to listen to, and I can't wait to hear these songs live for many years to come!

get your weezer red album track by track analysis right here.

so, it has happened once again. life swept through and knocked me off course. but i am strong and valiant, and i have just enough time to post what i've been wanting to get to all week. rather than bore you with details of dead week, finals, grades, and of course my getting sick in the midst of it all, i shall enlighten you with what i think of the 8 currently leaked songs from weezer's upcoming red album.

let me preface this by saying that it is hard for me to judge an incomplete work. however, we have the first 8 songs of the album, so we are at least able to see how it starts, and where it goes from there...anyway, tracks also have to stand on their own a little, so let's get to that.

track one - "troublemaker"
my first instinct is to not absolutely love this song, but it seems to embody something very "weezer-esque" and that is this insane ability to make songs that aren't very great, but yet they are very listenable. the verse is steady, you shake your head, tap your foot, whatever and of course the chorus provides just the right amount of lift. i'm not saying the song is bad, i'm just saying it's nothing amazing.

track two - "the greatest man who ever lived"
wow. i could probably write a dissertation on this song, so a short review is probably going to leave something important out. let's be clear though, i can't imagine a longtime weezer fan finding a way to dislike this song. it seems to sample bits and pieces of their entire career, mixes in the sounds of a war hymn, an amazing falsetto segment, and even a little rap that doesn't sound that bad. did anyone else hear the obvious They Might Be Giants sound too? to me the best part of this song is that it really seems to solve some of weezer's unsolved mysteries. it's weird to put an album's punchline at track 2, but who cares where it is. to sum it up, it's probably not a joke. rivers just might think he's the greatest man who ever lived...and if you're a weezer fan, you are all he needs to prove his point.

track three - "pork and beans"
well in a bit of rick rubin genius, the first single from the red album is of course ridiculously overproduced and a bit cheesy. i find it particularly interesting that rivers says "timbaland knows the way to reach the top of the chart. maybe if i work with him i can perfect the art" when it seems to me that working with rick rubin was a similar tactic. overall, other than the terrible compression on the chorus (the chorus doesn't lift...i think it actually loses some amplitude) and the general "wackiness" of the production, i don't dislike much about the song itself. it's kinda cheesy, sure, but it's weezer.

track four - "heart songs"
possibly my favorite of the leaked songs. one, because it's not often that you get such a clear look at the artists that influenced someone throughout their entire lives and two, because i think it's just a good song. once again, the production fucks it up a little with the overactive hi-hats and other drum machine garbage...but the build is really cool both musically and lyrically. i even like the rasp that shows up in rivers' voice when describing the impact of hearing nirvana's nevermind for the first time. it's a well thought out song, and i know i'll be singing along with it for years.

track five - "everybody get dangerous"
it's almost as if rivers felt like he got too personal on heart songs and needed to be a little kooky again to keep his cred. I dunno, I have a feeling most people will love or hate this song. i don't really like the first half of the song, but once you get to the part about kids asking their parents if they can smash up the place with some new ninja swords a smile crosses my face, and almost all negative thoughts on this song float out the door. unfortunately the chorus comes back and i remember how much i didn't like the first part of the song. i dont know, maybe it will grow on me with time.

track six - "dreamin"
if this song doesn't remind you why you ever liked weezer, i don't know what could. this song could have easily appeared on any previous weezer album, it's just a great, fun song. even the silly little bridge in the middle of the song with the birds chirping and all that business, it's all great. plus anyone who knows me will vouch for my complete and total obsession with GOOD builds in songs. weezer is no stranger to this concept and they proved that they were not amateurs with the second half of this song.

track seven - "thought i knew"
until the time of writing this blog i was never able to get through more than maybe a quarter of this song. it's not that it's completely terrible or anything, it's just territory weezer has never really ventured into (and maybe matt sharp wished they had back in the day) as rivers is really the only voice you ever hear on lead vocals. if anything, this track shows why. nothing distinguishes this song as weezer, and that's not just because of brian being on vocals. other bands manage to split lead vocal duties and still show who they are, but weezer is not one of those bands.

track eight - "cold dark world"
make this the second track i've never been able to listen to entirely until now...mainly because i have to. there's pretty much no part of this song where i thought that i might actually like it at all. seriously? angel girl in a cold dark world? i don't understand what was seen as good about this song...at least in the past i have used the excuse "maybe if this song didn't have weezer's name attached, i would like it...because it's good...it just doesn't sound like them." (see entire maladroit album) anyway, this song just plain sucks to me...it may be worse than ozma's bad dogs...yeah, i went there.


so there you have it. exactly what i think of the first 8 songs on weezer's album. apparently there will be two more songs on the "regular" edition and 6 more songs in the "deluxe version" you will inevitably download. the album drops june 3rd. i think. buy it?