Weezer’s a band that’s been around for a while. And I’m sure we all know a Weezer song or two. And they’ve just released their newest album which is elegantly titled “Raditude”.

The first track (and only single so far) “(If You’re Wondering If I Want You Too) I Want You Too” is standard Weezer fare which is definitely not a bad thing. It has a very nostalgic feel to it which is nice. I can definitely see why it was chosen as the lead single because it’s very definitely a Weezer song. It sounds what you think of when you think of Weezer. It also Weezer’s trademark self-deprecating humor sprinkled liberally here and there.

The second track, “I’m Your Daddy”, isn’t bad either. It’s got a very dance-y feel to it. Hell, the opening chords made me think for a second that I’d was listening to a Michael Jackson song.

“The Girl Got Hot” is an anthem, or at least it sounds like one. It’s basically Weezer’s version of “Rock Show” by Blink-182. Or that’s what it reminds me of since both songs are about a guy going to a rock show and falling for a girl they meet there. Good song (both of them).

Track numbero vier aka “Can’t Stop Partying” is so far my favorite song on the album. The chorus is addictive and it’ll have you singing along on the first listen. Since I keep comparing each song on this album to another song that already exists then I guess I’ll do it here too. So yeah “Can’t Stop Partying” is basically TWO Weezer songs in one. By that I mean it seems to combine the themes of “We Are All On Drugs” and “Beverly Hills”. Both awesome songs on their own and I think “Can’t Stop Partying” tops both of them. However there is one little snag. There’s a guest singer on the track which is weird for a Weezer track and I think it’s a first for them. Either way the guest is none other than Lil Wayne. Yeah. That’s right. This guy interrupts more songs than Kanye does acceptance speeches at award shows. His appearance his isn’t too bad, it’s just out of place. Which is how I felt about his guest spot on a Robin Thicke track last year. He always says “fucking” once which just seems really out of place on a Weezer song. But on the plus side he doesn’t actually bring the song down that much and he even duets with Rivers for a bit which actually sounds cool. So yeah. Also, I think THIS song should’ve been the lead single. But I’m not in charge of that stuff.

“Put Me Back Together” is decent. It starts out slow and sounds like something from the indie scene but then it crescendos into a Weezer song. It’s not spectacular but it’s one of those songs that’ll I’ll probably be listening to non-stop in a couple months.

“Trippin’ Down the Freeway” is okay. It’s definitely a filler track. Not much else to say about it.

“Love is the Answer” is gonna be a polarizing track. I can already tell. It’s very George Harrison-y in the sense that it’s very Hindu inspired with sitars and whatnot. Think of a cross between “Within You Without You” by the Beatles and “The Hindu Times” by Oasis. And that’s generally where “Love is the Answer” falls. It’s also got a very hippie vibe to it and some of the lyrics are sung in Indian (or whatever it is they call the language). Like I said it’s definitely gonna be a polarizing track because it’s the least Weezer-y track on the CD. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. And I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it yet.

“Let It All Hang Out”, the 8th track on the album for those of you who can’t count, starts out with loud screeching guitars. Beyond that it’s your standard rockin’ out affair. I’d say it’s good song to add to your iPod or Zune or what have you if you need a song to cruise around to.

“In the Mall” is along the same lines as “Let It All Hang Out” sans screeching guitars.

“I Don’t Want to Let You Go” is different from the rest of the album by being rather low key. Which is good. It kinda reminds me of “Heart Songs” from their last album which was my favorite song from that album. It’s a good end to a good end album.

…oh wait, there’s a SECOND CD.

“Get Me Some” is decent. Not much else to say.

“Run Over by a Truck” starts out with a piano and a reference to “Song of the South”. Yes, that Song of the South. But it’s the usual reference. It’s not bad. Pretty humorous in spots. Very Weezer-y plus a piano intro.

“The Prettiest Girl in the World” begins with a short spoken intro about the titular girl then segues into a Weezer song. Standard stuff.

Last but not least is “The Underdogs”. It’s very reminiscent of “Say It Ain’t So” or at least that’s how it seems to me. It’s probably the best song on the second CD.

So yeah. That’s Raditude. I think it might be slightly better than the Red Album (their previous). Is it as good or better than their other stuff? That’s pretty subjective I guess. Personally I think “Can’t Stop Partying” and “The Underdogs” for sure compare to anything else that they’ve done. I don’t think anyone will hate this album unless they hate Weezer in general but then that would go without saying.
In short I highly recommend it.

Also, I should point out that this is my first actual review of a CD and I wrote it ala Jeph Jacques meaning that I listened to the CD as I wrote the review so most of the opinions in this post are genuine first impressions (except for “Can’t Stop Partying”). Anyway. Laterz.

So a friend of mine, someone I know pretty well, suggested to me in the most subtle of ways that I search out and look up this fine fellow known as “Childish Gambino”. I was taken aback slightly for I did not know who he was. This name, this “Gambino”, was foreign to my noble ears. But, said my friend, he is not so foreign. In fact, he continued, you are already well acquainted with him for he is on of those men of men who travel under the banner of Derrickcomedy. He’s the black dude.

Also, he raps. His rapper name is Childish Gambino.

Ahhh, I said after finishing of my glass of water, now that makes more sense.
Indeed, said he, now go look him and his dope beats up.
So I did.

Now I know not everyone is into rap. It’s not a universal appeal. But good music is good music regardless of genre. I myself have outgrow the notions of genre. It’s much more fun to just listen to music when there’s no pretext to associate with it. You can form your own opinions! *audible gasp!*
Childish Gambino is by far one of the best rappers I’ve heard in a long time. His songs are in the vein of Afroman in that they don’t take themselves too seriously. However, Gambino doesn’t rap about smoking pot all day. His songs are more or less odes to his badassness (with tongue-in-cheek) and hundreds upon billions of pop culture references. He even namedrops the Animaniacs at one point (with a clever bit of word play to go along with it).
So if you like rap then check him out. If you don’t like rap then check him out anyway you uncultured simian. What have you got to lose?

Also, all of his stuff is free and online. You can download individual songs and whole albums (I think he has two and I highly recommend “Poindexter”) but I think you have to use Internet Explorer to do so. Anyways, you can find you his site right here. Oh wait. Sorry. I meant here.

So Oasis is breaking up. For real this time. For those of you not in the know Oasis was a hugely popular group in the early to mid-90s that kinda slid off under the radar in America but has remained well-known in Britain. They are essentially the 90s equivalent to The Beatles (their words, not mine). But what does this mean to you?

Well, nothing if you don’t listen to them.

But if you do listen to them or at least liked them at some point then it might be somewhat relevant to the musical side of your life. Now before I get into the actual breakup I feel like a recap of their career is needed (for padding, if nothing else).

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