Weezer – Ok Human (Vinyl)

So 2020 was going to be the year ofVan Weezer the big riffs rock albumWeezermade as an homage to the metal bands they loved growing up until, thanks to the global pandemic, it suddenly wasnt.

The entire time, however,WeezerfrontmanRivers Cuomowas busy at the piano, writing a very different album that referenced another vital musical touchstone of his youth:The Beach BoysPet Sounds. Throughout the summer of Covid-19, he and the band along with a 38 piece orchestra chipped away at masked recording sessions until the record was complete. The result is an album calledOK Human a cheeky nod toRadioheadstechnophobic future-tripOK Computer, but sounding nothing at all like that record.

Taking the listener bit by bit through parts ofCuomosevery day, its a Technicolor symphonic spree that meditates on how over-and-under-connected we all are, particularly in a year where we can see each other with greater ease, but actually cant physically be near each other at all.OK Humanis also packed to the brim with some of the best, most personal songs Cuomo has written in the last decade, all of which shine brighter and bolder with splashes of string and horn arrangements courtesy of album producerJake Sinclairand arrangerRob Mathes.

Its hard to imagine any other band who came up in the alt haze of the 90s creating a simply perfect orchestral pop album, but that is exactly what Weezers done;OK Humanis a testament to the excellent, enduring melodiesCuomohas written sinceWeezersinception, and the ones he continues to write today.

Tracklist
All My Favorite Songs
Aloo Gobi
Grapes Of Wrath
Numbers
Playing My Piano
Mirror Image
Screens
Bird With A Broken Wing
Dead Roses
Everything Happens For A Reason
Here Comes The Rain
La Brea Tar Pits