Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers 0
Weezer frontman releases album of homespun demos ranging from 1990 to today.
It’s no secret to music fans, particularly those that have a special affinity for indie-sounding pop rock, that Rivers Cuomo is something of a songwriting genius. Never before has that been more apparent than it is upon listening to his new solo album, “Alone: The Home Recordings”.
Cuomo rocking a Weezer song onstage with what appears to be a bitchen’ Flying V.
“Alone” is essentially a collection of songs that Cuomo has been recording at home for nearly twenty years now. Some of the songs eventually became Weezer songs that everyone is familiar with today, like “Buddy Holly”, but most of these have never been heard by any but the most diehard fans. Which is a shame, because rarely have I had the pleasure of hearing someone that possesses such a solid understanding of what makes a great pop song, without resorting to what is commonly referred to as “selling out”. Thankfully, this oversight has been corrected by the release of this collection of unfinished demo songs (probably recorded on archaic equipment, too) that nevertheless are better than most of the highly polished turds we’ve been subjected to by major record companies for years now.
I hate to be forced to say such nice things about a guy that seems like such a smart-ass little prick, starting and stopping a platinum-selling band on a whim so he can graduate from Harvard (whoop-dee-doo), or paint his windows and walls black and sit around doing drugs for three years straight, or get into a cockamamie hobby like Vipassana meditation or abstention from sex. But the songs speak for themselves, and they are each and every one like little sonic crack rocks that I keep picking up over and over again. Cuomo keeps things interesting by sounding vaguely like “Kiss” (Blast Off!) one minute, then Brian Wilson (Longtime Sunshine) the next, followed by a song that would have fit right in on the “Easy Rider” soundtrack (Wanda You’re My Only Love), with a modern R&B song (This is the Way) thrown in for good measure. There’s even an “Ice Cube” cover (The Bomb) on this album. I shit you not.
Graduating from Harvard with honors whilst taking a break form rock stardom.
I strongly recommend that you pick up a copy of this album, especially because of the linear notes that detail Cuomo’s inspiration for each of the songs contained therein. I wouldn’t hesitate to give “Alone: The Home Recordings” 5 out of 5 stars. And this is coming from someone who never really gave much of a crap about Weezer, even. If I were forced to pick an early favorite for download, in case anyone wants to see for their self, I’d have to say maybe “Lover in the Snow” or “Little Diane” (which, to be fair, is a cover, albeit an excellent one of an artist you’re probably not familiar with anyway). But honestly, in this case, you should really just buy the whole album.
