Comments on: Mental Slipping!

By: Atwater Village Newbie

Atwater Village Newbie — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 02:07:56 +0000

Rivers came across “quite unaffected and clear-headed,” you say? More hyper-corrective and douchebaggy, I’d say. “Who” vs. “that,” I mean, “who” gives a shit about “that” anyway?

By: Michael Chagnon

Michael Chagnon — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 15:24:54 +0000

I’ve been a fan of Weezer ever since the blue album was released. While I occasionally indulge in Cuomo’s latest efforts, I find myself going back to Weezer’s first two albums more frequently. There is a timeless quality to them that the newer albums don’t have. I agree with the comment by Evan Hill in that Cuomo relies upon his music theory rather than being truly inspired.

By: Matthew Perpetua

Matthew Perpetua — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 02:14:56 +0000

I dunno, those first two albums sound very formalist to me!

But you know, you ask me, I think a lot of his writing on the Red Album is a LOT more brave and vulnerable than just singing about being into girls, which is fairly mundane.

By: Aaron Mayfield-Sunshine

Aaron Mayfield-Sunshine — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 00:17:03 +0000

I have a theory about Rivers, that after the reception that Pinkerton got, he was never going to be that vulnerable again, and retreated to his current formalism.

By: dhs

dhs — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 20:36:45 +0000

His “oh goodness!” at 24:49 is priceless.

By: Matthew Perpetua

Matthew Perpetua — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 20:13:07 +0000

Merritt is a very good comparison, in part because I think for both, the songwriting process is quite tied in with their intellect, and so it’s more cerebral than visceral. I think Frank Black is very much the same way. Songwriters with this sort of talent tend to lean a lot on irony and wit, which is fine by me, but it can certainly become something of a rabbit hole.

By: Evan Hill

Evan Hill — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 19:00:34 +0000

Good post.

Rivers remains one of the best song craftsmen working. There’s a solid foundation to all his songs, even in latter-day Weezer. It’s unfortunate, though, that he hasn’t been able to rise above his craft in recent years to make something that rings emotionally true.

This issue of craft v. art (or whatever you wanna call it) haunts these craftsmen like Rivers or Stephin Merritt who can churn out catchy melody after catchy melody. Sometimes they’ll make a song that’ll just kicks you in the gut, it’s so good, but often they’ll just rest on their superior craftsmanship to get them by. Not that there’s anything wrong with a song that’s ‘just’ well-crafted. But it leaves the listener a little let down when you know the writer it capable of so much more.