Everything Will Be Alright in the End [LP]

by Weezer

Overview

Two songs into Everything Will Be Alright in the End, Rivers Cuomo sings "we belong in the rock world," a repudiation of the big beat experimentation of Raditude, a 2009 record that found Weezer working with such pop producers as Dr. Luke and Butch Walker. Weezer fans eager for Pinkerton, Pt. 2 are often quick to bristle at Cuomo's experimentations, so when the guitarist sings that they're "rockin' out like it's '94," he's not only not lying -- they went so far as to once again hire Ric Ocasek, the producer of the group's debut, to helm this ninth studio album -- but he's reassuring his audience that he's left all those pounding dance beats behind. The weird thing is, Weezer already shook off the ghost of Raditude via 2010's quickly released indie Hurley, so the emphasis on the group returning to rock feels a little odd, but Everything Will Be Alright in the End does trump its immediate predecessor by being bigger, bolder, slicker, and stickier than Hurley. Some of this is indeed due to the presence of Ocasek. His exacting production, anchored as much in pummeling arena rock as new wave pop, polishes and preserves Cuomo's quirks, but it's also true that Rivers has decided to indulge in his eccentricities once again. Take away the woolly mammoth-sized guitars and "Back to the Shack," with its overt references to "In the Garage," and Everything Will Be Alright in the End doesn't feel especially like early Weezer, not with the dexterous syncopation of "I've Had It Up to Here" providing a midpoint palate-cleanser and a neo-prog rock suite concluding the proceedings. By having the record follow these twisty detours, Cuomo provides a counterpoint to the classicist pop Weezer pursue elsewhere, but even such succinct, sculpted pop as "The British Are Coming," "Ain't Got Nobody," "Cleopatra," and "Go Away" (the latter a duet with Best Coast's Bethany Cosentino) never feels like a desperate scramble back home. Rather, a feeling of acceptance underpins Everything Will Be Alright in the End: there's a sense that Weezer made another record of massive, hooky rock not only because that's what the fans want but because they know it's what they do best. [Everything Will Be Alright in the End was also released on LP.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	10/07/2014
Label:	Island / Republic
UPC:	0602537990771
Rank:	5855

Tracks

1. Ain't Got Nobody
2. Back to the Shack
3. Eulogy for a Rock Band
4. Lonely Girl
5. I've Had it Up to Here
6. The British Are Coming
7. Da Vinci
8. Go Away
9. Cleopatra
10. Foolish Father
11. The Waste Land/Anonymous/Return to Ithaka

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Weezer   Primary Artist
Kyoko Cuomo   Choir/Chorus
Ariel Barber   Choir/Chorus
Denise Bentulan   Fonts
Daniel Brummel   Piano,Prophet Synthesizer
Patrick Stickles   Guitar
Bethany Cosentino   Vocals
Kelsey Worley   Choir/Chorus
W.A.W. Parker   Choir/Chorus
Zach Kanner   Choir/Chorus
Zach Puchtel   Choir/Chorus

Technical Credits

Bethany Cosentino   Composer
Vanessa Wormer   Assistant Engineer
Brian Gallino   Photography
Scott Kinsey   Art Direction
Anna Mears   Publicity
Ted Jensen   Mastering
Ryen Slegr   Composer
Daniel Brummel   Composer
Tom Lord-Alge   Mixing
Josh Alexander   Composer
Brian Bell   Group Member
Patrick Wilson   Group Member
Rivers Cuomo   Composer,Group Member
Chris McMahon   Cover Painting
Ric Ocasek   Producer
Shawn Everett   Engineer,Additional Production
Jacob Kasher   Composer
Patrick Stickles   Composer
Samuel Bell   Engineer
Alex Williams   Assistant Engineer
Scott Shriner   Group Member
Justin Hawkins   Composer
Jake Fogelnest   DJ
Rich Mazzetta   Studio Technician
Sarah C. Kim   Assistant
Maureen Kenny   A&R
Johannes Gamble   Paintings
Doug Forsdick   Studio Technician
James Toth   Research
Bobb Bruno   Guitar Arrangements
Jen Appel   Publicity
Chris Owens   Assistant Engineer
Diego Torroija   Photography
Eddie Rendini   Assistant Engineer
Joe Laffoley   Assistant
Meredith Stieam   Editorial
Rem Massingill   Studio Technician
Richard Downie   Research,Photography
Simon Vozick-Levinson   Writer