"Weezer - Pacific Daydream" Severely Overhated

 

    I'm going to be honest. I used to make fun of this album too. As a young teenager with a burgeoning music taste and a strong desire to have hipster credibility, I saw everyone making fun of this album, and specifically the song Feels Like Summer, and felt compelled to do the same. Of course, that doesn't mean I refused to listen to it. Back then, and even now I do listen to quite a bit of Weezer, and even I had my moments of listening to it, almost like a guilty pleasure, like the two weeks where I worked a summer job and just listened to 5SOS on repeat. But now, all grown up, craving the fleeting moments of summer more and more, I must admit that I unabashedly enjoy this album. I don't think I'll go as far to try and fight people over it, but I won't be afraid to say I really enjoy this album. Perhaps everything just rolled right in it's favour, it has the nostalgia factor going for it, and the summer one too, and frankly I am a pretty big Weezer fan, so it was really only a matter of time. So without further ado, my track-by-track review.

Pacific Daydream

Mexican Fender - 85/100 Probably one of my favourite tracks on this album. Does it benefit from me listening to it in the summer as a teenager? Absolutely but these are my opinions so who cares.

Beach Boys - 85/100 Look is it the cleanest flow for a chorus? No, but it's Weezer, and the nerdy sometimes odd lyrics and delivery are part of their charm. Frankly, I'm pretty hooked on the whole summer thing right now, and as long as it's catchy I'm willing to listen to it.

Feels Like Summer 50/100 I am summer's strongest warrior. While even now I must be honest and say that this song does have a lot of the worst parts of 2010's pop, it is not the worst offender I've ever seen, and it's enough for me to almost turn a blind eye to it.

Happy Hour - 80/100 I'm not just rating this album highly because I'm some Weeer stan, I think they have some dreadful albums, but I am a sucker for the atmosphere of summer. As I grow older I just find myself chasing it more and more, and this album just helps scratch that itch for me, even if the Weezer's White album does it better.

Weekend Woman - 85/100 You might describe this album as saccharine or sappy, and you'd probably be right. But I have a sweet tooth, and I've always been a sappy person, so these songs were always looked at in a pretty cute light for me.

QB Blitz - 80/100 As someone who doesn't anything about American Football (the sport not the band). The constant reference to a quarterback means absolutely nothing to me, but I understand the rest of the lyrics enough to enjoy this song.

Sweet Mary - 80/100 Maybe I've simply become too pop-pulled. But I love the songs on this album. For context I'm listening to this just outside enjoying the sun on a walk, and it's great.

Get Right - 60/100 Alright time to be real I think this album ends on a pretty cruddy note, and this song is the start of it. Like it's fine, but it's also just too lowkey.

La Mancha Screwjob - 40/100 I don't know how much more generic pop music can sound.

Any Friend of Diane's - 45/100 Believe it or not this is the only song from this album I've seen live. I don't know why Weezer chose this to be the song they play at concerts, but they do. I also think it's basically the other end of the Beach Boys pendulum, where it it's catchy enough to me so it just sounds clunky, making the weezerisms feel pretty ugly.

Final Score: 80/100

    Uhhh, I like this album. I know I basically keep on saying it but this album is pretty widely ridiculed, even though I think there are much worse Weezer albums. There's nothing wrong with enjoying something that's a little corny, I mean it's Weezer I'd argue its expected. I mean it is just a pop album, but I'd be lying if it doesn't do a pretty solid job of replicating that summer itch you just have sometimes when it's sunny and you want to go outside. Is that so wrong of me to crave? Perhaps I'm just happier now as an adult and can appreciate this album. Perhaps this is all entirely being carried by nostalgia. Who knows? All I know is that I'll enjoy this album for as long as I can.

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