Weezer

By all logic, Weezer's musical pileups should end up in a drawer somewhere. Rivers Cuomo
-- the maladjusted, misanthropic mind behind the band -- scribbles muddled diatribes about
life and love's utter futility, and splatters the lyrics against a wall of classic-rock quotations.
He then adds more disorder via vocal parts that suggest a crazed postal worker doing a
Beatles tribute. But somehow, Cuomo turns the jumble into chart-topping chedd... More >

Down from 48 percent to 35 at amiannoying.com, not because they're less annoying but because they're less successful. Annoying they remain, and not, annoying webmaster, because they gigged as Goat Punishment or--who cares?--lost their bass player to the Rentals. They're annoying because Rivers Cuomo is the punk Tom Scholz--a solitary genius in love with big and precise. In Boston's arena-rock, this made sense even though it was annoying. In Weezer's arena-punk (slightly more arena on this outing, and less annoying as a result), it totally misses the point, which from the Ramones to the Libertines has been to achieve concision and economy while just barely remaining erect. Onstage, that is. How Cuomo has comported himself in other areas of endeavor I haven't a clue. (Grade: B-)