first written 1425est 2025.08.26
Weezer used to be a big part of my life and made up approximately 100% of my musical diet. Not unlike taste acquired as a teen it slowly trickled out of my life and by 2019ish it vanished almost entirely. My nosy room, still buzzes reminding me every moment. Each glance to my left reveals my dedicated shelf of Weezer a subtle reminder of how fickle a dedication can be. Featured prominently is my "the lion and the witch" 538 of 3000 print run Vinyl which I still treasure very much.
My dedication to Weezer evaporated after the release of the much awaited black album. Released 2019, I had waited so long, coveting the few singles released before its release. Each of those tracks was fantastic, and I watch the music video for High As A Kite fairly routinely. The album had leaked early from a European music streaming service, but I refused to listen to it as I had pre ordered the smoky vinyl and was intent on listening to it upon it's arrival via the USPS. I actually did not wait until I could hold the Vinyl. I remember the day I first heard it. I had a shitty day at school, and it was raining. By the time I located and entered my mom's car I was drenched. So I reached out my hand and listened to the black album. I was feeling lifted up by the songs I had become familiar with, but after the fifth track Piece of Cake my heart sank. I labor with a track by track review, but it was clear that Weezer lead with their best tracks not just by track list but with the singles they released. It was so bad and by the time I got home I don't think I had even finished the last track but I just pulled out my earbuds and layed face down in my bed.
One time only a year before, someone I loved so much and I miss even more had burned a CD containing the contents of the infamous to my in group Weezer christmas album. Infamous for its tackiness and frankly frivolous existence. They gave it to me before our shared English class.
I ripped it out of their hand and put it in my mouth and destroyed it with my teeth. In the aftermath they tried to assemble it again using the bits that had scattered on the floor. After jigsawing them together they couldn't finish it as a small slanted trapezoid shaped piece was missing. It was assumed that I had ingested it. I don't really remember if I did. But I ruminate on this experience with high frequency. I can't quite explain the shame, besides that fact that it's just the behavior of lunatic. I think I just didn't know how to say thank you.
My disposition hasn't really evolved on Weezer either, unlike some ex Rick and Morty fans I haven't regressed to being like it was never good. And I also refuse to stoop to the level of ex Simpsons fans and claim that Weezer mysterious stopped being good after I stopped listening to it. In fact OK Human a record that released to little context and well after I had tuned out is I what I believe sincerely to be Weezer at their best.
I had first been introduced to Weezer by then TF2 youtuber FUNKe who'd prominently used some weezer songs in his videos, borrowed symbols from Pinkerton, and made TF2 styled parody of a Weezer song.
In my car I keep my CD acquired sometime in 2017 of The Return of the Rentals. A CD I had exclusively because the relation to Matt Sharpe and his carrying on of the same sound in early Weezer. I liked some of the later The Rentals, but none of them got farther than on my Spotify playlist.
It's strange to me that something I made my prominent concern could suddenly just stop being cared about. I haven't weared my Weezer clothes since the turn of the decade.
I don't really know what else to say at the moment so I'll end on a my personal ranking the Weezer albums.
