Hurley

Weezer | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 14, 2010)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Epitaph
• ASIN: B003Y01JE4
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #24,686 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

2010 release from Rivers Cuomo and Co. Produced by Cuomo and Shawn Everett, "Hurley" is a high-energy Rock album that wastes no time with the first single "Memories," an impassioned look at nostalgia with fast tempo, buzzing guitar riffs and killer hooky chorus.Fueled by a new-found sense of independence, "Hurley" finds the band making some of the most powerful and adventuresome music of their storied career. Known for their quirky album artwork, Weezer have done it yet again. The cover features a simple, yet astonishing close-up of actor Jorge Garcia, which fans of the Lost series will no-doubt find as perplexing as it is fascinating.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

83 of 92 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A little better than Raditude. . ., September 14, 2010

By 

greenrogue (Huntsville, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hurley (Audio CD)

Listen, I'm a really big Weezer fan. And no matter what they put out, I will keep listening. I agree with what I've heard a lot of people say: Raditude was definitely my least favorite Weezer album. But unfortunately, I don't feel that Hurley is much better. Are there some good songs on this album? You bet. I really dug "Ruling Me," "Smart Girls," and "Time Flies" (which has sort of a rough, scratchy, old LP sound to it that is very cool). But aside from those few, I often felt like I was listening to the same song over and over again.

I hate those people that point back to the 90's and say "This is what Weezer used to sound like and now they suck." No, they don't. Bands will naturally change and evolve over time, but it may not always be for the better. It seems like with The Red Album, there was a shift in tone where the lyrics became more goofy and simplistic (although there was still a lot of musical experimentation on Red that I really liked). It's not as though some of their songs weren't goofy before, (that's always been part of the band's charm) but now they just seem intent on creating simple "party" music with repetitive, pop-punk rhythms. That was the foundation of Raditude, and much of that sound carries over to Hurley.

When I listen to these last two albums, I have to ask myself, "Would I really like this music at all if I didn't already like Weezer?" I'm not sure. At least on this album, it feels like there are a few touches of the "old" Weezer in there. So I guess it's a step in the right direction. But I would love to hear some of the passion and flair that graced their earlier albums return. Like I said before, I am a huge fan and I will keep listening no matter what. I'm fine with the band evolving, I just don't necessarily enjoy the place they're at right now musically.

31 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Serious Look at an Increasingly Goofy Band, September 17, 2010

By 

Dr. Rock (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hurley (Audio CD)

When weighing anything Weezer has recorded in the last decade against such classics as their eponymous blue album or Pinkerton, you're more than likely going to be very disappointed. Rivers stopped writing serious lyrics long ago, and since then has seemingly been on a quest to sell out as much as possible (Weezer Snuggie, album title controversy, etc.) while simultaneously pumping out some of the most generic pop/rock songs ever made. Their last two albums in particular were forgettable endeavors that often sounded like theme music for a Nickelodeon show. In recent times, they are commonly considered wash-ups with cringe-worthy lyrics. Say it ain't so.

Going into the album, I expected the worst because Rivers has a propensity to let his longtime fans down these days. All that aside, I'm rating this album based on its own merits. The first thing you notice is the cover. Their album covers were never very serious, but this is certainly their most ridiculous cover yet.

Memories - This song hints that maybe somewhere buried under the garbage, the old Weezer is somewhere to be found. The chorus lyrics will make you want to listen to classic Weezer. (6/10)

Ruling Me - Reminds me of the green album. It has nice back-up vocals reminiscent of Red Hot Chili Peppers. It's probably one of the catchiest, most Weezery songs on the album. (9/10)

Trainwrecks - This sounds like an Aldous Snow song on the Get Him to the Greek soundtrack. Catchy melody but mediocre lyrics about topical things like forgetting to check blogs, kicking ass, etc. (7/10)

Unspoken - Rivers puts on the voice of a toddler that truly irritates me. Aside from that, the song is pretty good until it goes into the "rock out" section. (6/10)

Where's My Sex - Songs like this make me wonder why I still bother giving Weezer a chance to redeem themselves. The lyrics are embarrassing to the point where I question whether Rivers really attended Harvard. This song represents everything I hate about Nü-Weezer. (0/10)

Run Away - Rivers makes up for the disaster on the previous track. I really enjoy the chord progression used in this song. The back-up vocals are nice, and the lyrics are simple but poignant. I consider this the key track of Hurley. (10/10)

Hang On - This song is alright. It would probably make nice driving music. The layering is what makes it passable. (6/10)

Smart Girls - At first, I thought this would be a cover of the Brian Wilson song. It might as well be; it's just as misguided. This song would be better as an instrumental. I'm sure it will be the credit music for the next Cameron Diaz romcom. (4/10)

Brave New World - This song is very forgettable. I keep thinking he's going to say "This is the dawning of the... age of Aquarius." (3/10)

Time Flies - I like what they were trying to do here with the lo-fi barroom romp closer. Do I think it worked? I'm not really sure. (5/10)

Overall, this album reminds me of the band Lit. Yes, Lit. (The world has mostly forgotten about this band and I'm actually surprised that I remember them.) This isn't really a good thing. I hate to say it but I think Weezer might be finished for me.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 3 1/2 Stars, September 26, 2010

By 

A. M. Lewis "Blueberry Ale" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hurley (Audio CD)

Here we go again, another Weezer album and another divide amongst their "fans". Nothing else needs to be said about Blue and Pinkerton, they're 16 and 14 years old and Weezer will never make them again. That being said, here is "Hurley", the follow up to the critically reamed "Raditude", and once again people are saying that it sounds like old school Weezer. The only thing I can say to that, is that the auto-tune to River's voice seems to be gone, which is definitely reminiscent of the 90's. Other than that, I don't really hear it. The first single, "Memories" is kind of odd to me, because I'm shocked that people really dig it. Sure, it's an ode to the good old days, but it certainly doesn't sound like the good old days. It's just kind of... cheesy. "Ruling Me" breaks in and it is certainly a far superior song to "Memories" (my ocular nerve went pop zoom!). The rest of the tracks are pretty good ("Unspoken", "Train Wrecks" etc.), save for "Where's My Sex" and "Smart Girls", which I truly believe are two of the worst Weezer songs I've ever heard (up there with the Bollywood song from Raditude). My major problem with this album however, is that there are MULTIPLE opportunities for sweet guitar solos to kick in. You can actually feel them coming... but then they don't. I mean, there is literally one guitar solo that I can count on the whole record. If they were overly done on Green, they are completely lacking on Hurley. It's actually kind of frustrating to wait for the guitars to kick in, and then not get them (kind of like blue balls to the ears). So, ultimately, Weezer remains consistent in that they continue to put out albums that have a few really great songs on them, but overall don't really make a huge impact. That's not a bad thing, considering the rate they put them out at now (River's stated in Rolling Stone that he's already got the next album recorded and is starting on the one after that!), but let's not pretend that it's something it's not.