Customer Reviews

Return of the Rentals

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This isn't an album that will be remembered years down the line, and it won't become your personal anthem, but "Return of the Rentals" is really worth a listen. Let's just say it's a little indie/synth-pop piece that will always have a special place in my record collection.

"Return..." is the archetype of geek-rock, with emotive songs that quietly lament computer crashes, and occasionally old girlfriends. Even if you can't personally relate to Matt Sharp's difficulties, you'll at least feel sorry for him by the end of the album. In gneral, the lyrics are intelligently simple and fun. The production here is notably low-key: the guitars sound fuzzed-out rather than loud or harsh, and they are generally low in the mix. The drums are often purposefully sloppy and jovially haphazard, bringing to mind Dylan's classic "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35."

I'm a sucker for albums that play well all the way through, and the Rentals deliver in this category as well. There's really no filler here; I could try to tell you which are the "standout" tracks, but that would be a big waste of time. In short, this works really well as an album, not just a collection of singles. You might recognize "Friends of P," which got moderate radio play in the mid-nineties.

Like I said, "Return of the Rentals" isn't some kind of operatic, overproduced opus, but it's quite an intelligent piece of music. Putting "Return..." on your stereo feels like hanging out with your friends on a Sunday afternoon.

This album is a pop gem--it still sounds as fresh, fun and catchy as ever. Sharp manages to mix strings and Moogs and sugar-coated girl-boy harmonies with indie rock instrumentation without a hint of irony or trendiness. The songs are catchy--but off-center enough that you never get tired of them. Sharp is a very talented man--a punk with a classic pop heart. Return of the Rentals rivals anything Weezer ever did, and stands as an important musical contribution of the 90's.

In the history of music, there are bands destined for greatness. "Important" bands, with that capital "I." They will create albums that are critically unassailable. They may be all but ignored in their own time, but their influence will permeate throughout musical subcultures and emerge as the driving force behind a new movement that will alter the cultural landscape decades later. People all around you will then claim that they have *always* been fans of these Important bands, and just didn't want to talk about it because they assumed that everybody knew it.

The Rentals aren't one of those bands.

Whew! Pressure's off. Time to have fun.

Which is exactly what they do. In spades. Nothing here is earth-shattering or particularly original. But that's not the point. It's a blast. Great choruses, harmonies, funny lyrics about nothing in particular. The bubblegum of our time. But that's not a bad thing.

The Rentals aren't going to be remembered as more than a side-act to Weezer. And perhaps that's for the best. Every generation has its "Blue Album," the one that everybody thinks is a masterpiece and everybody had a personal experience with back in high school. But there's also lots of little, obscure bands out there churning out perfectly good, fun music that will stick in your head for a bit, inspire vague feelings of nostalgia when heard a few years later, and may turn up on a 90s compilation put together by Rhino Records in ten years or so. Until then, enjoy this disc. That's what it's there for.

-HW

I really do like this cd, but in comparison to my all-time favorite band Weezer, i just couldnt give it 5 stars. I was one of the many who was apt to comparing bands, since after reading the reviews on amazon, i was caught between those who said the Rentals were just like Weezer and those who angrily affirmed they were nothing like Weezer. Well the Rentals are certainly different than Weezer. Which is good in some ways and bad in others. The use of the moog is quirky fun, if not a little hard to get into at first. I hadn't heard anyone except the Beatles use a Moog. The smooth use of female voices is something really fun, and something that i forgot i missed in Weezer. However, when i first listened to the cd a couple of times, i was a little dissapointed with matt sharp's songwriting which is weaker in construction than Weezer's. And his pace is a little slower in some songs, without the Pinkerton-like thrash i love so much. And this is just a personal preference, but i just can't get into Matt Sharp's throaty, deeper voice like i can with my ever-unattainable dream, River Cuomo's, whiny, higher-pitched one. What i really love about the Rentals is the musicality. The fun, poppy rhythms of some songs like "Waiting" (SUCH A GOOD SONG) can get you off your feet while other songs like "Moving On" and "Brilliant Boy" just make you want to relax and absorb it. Basically, its just a fun, extremely listen-able album that's not life-changing in any way, but will suprisingly rarely leave your cd player. So if you're a hardcore weezer fans, don't trust the geeks who say the Rentals are a "weezerless weezer". its matt sharp's band and it's pretty rockin'.

I bought this album because I am a huge fan of weezer, and as we all know Matt Sharp, sadly left the band to form this one, this album , I believe came out way before its time, I'm glad I found this album at this point in my life.. Honestly I listen to it constantly since I recieved it, If you're a fan of the blue album and/or pinkerton, you should definately give this band a try.

Somewhere in the mid nineties Weezer released the seminal album Pinkerton, which is not quite as good as everyone says it is, but still really good. Then Weezer went on hiatus and bassist Matt Sharp left the band, now forget all that, that's all ancient history just like the 2000 election which I still strangely see bumper stickers for. But just like how those people refuse to peel their outdated bumper stickers off their cars people, like me, still recite these tidbits to the choir. Anyway when Sharp left I presume he took Cuomo's talent with him as this is leagues better than post-Pinkerton and if I may be so bold almost as good as that aforementioned album. Matt Sharp with the Rentals didn't choose to fill his band with a bunch of nerdy white male middle class Americans but actually chose to have a diverse band lineup that contained girls. That tidbit would be enough to make Cuomo blush and sweat in fear. On keyboards is Maya Rudolph of Saturday Night Live fame. Everything on this album is funnier (there's no jokes on this album, really) and way more fun that current SNL. As far as female keyboardists go, I'm aware of too, Maya is probably the best looking one. Besides giving the band higher aesthetical value, they deliver some great backing vocals to accompany the loaded synths all over this album. The Rentals have the cheesiest synthesizer lines this side of Atom and His Package but it works in creating that nice bubblegum value to these sets of songs. You're not going to find anything Pinkertonesque here, this is pure fun and catchy hooks. Sharp sings in a style that's pretty similar to his former group unlike the sneer he would develop in his followup Seven More Seconds, for better or worse. 'The Love I'm Searching For' really sets the pace for the whole album, some harmless pop here, some female backing vocals here, and some cheesy synth here. It all adds to one of the better power pop albums of the 90's and beyond. 'Friends With P' and 'Naive' are two good ol' sing alongs. If your looking for engrossing and moving lyrics you oughtta look elsewhere because everything on here is either simplistic and/or nonsensical (and not in the drug induced later Beatles way). If your big up on lyrics like 'if your friends with p, well then your friends with me' all backed up with the catchiest of melodies here you go.

Like many others, I remember back when this album first came out. Also like many others, I figured that the Rentals was just the result of Matt Sharp trying to step out of Weezer's shadow to be a rock star, and so I pretty much dismissed them.

Fast forward almost 15 years later, as I wade through the mountains of uninspired crap passing for music these days, I suddenly remembered Sharp and these guys again. Being though I'm a huge fan of synthesizers and I recalled their single being catchy, I decided to give them a try. Like another reviewer said, "I'm glad I found this album at this point in my life," because I don't think I would have appreciated it as much back in '95.

Listening to "Return...," you can really hear the distinct sound that Sharp contributed to Weezer's first two albums. His heavily distorted driving bass and Moog melodies define this album, making it sound like the Blue album's long lost cousin. Combine that with the dreamy female vocals and you've got a great combination.

Finally, I've got to disagree with another reviewer who wrote that this album won't be remembered in the future. I, for one, will be playing this disc for many years to come.

I like this CD a whole lot. The Rentals have a totally unique sound. Matt Sharp is awesome, and although I prefer early Weezer, The Rentals are a lot better than Weezer without him.

I prefer "Seven More Minutes" but this album is better on a first listen, and is a worthy addition to any CD collection. There are two songs I don't care too much for: "Waiting" and "Please Let that Be You" They are very corny to me, but every other song is very good. The album holds together tonally, and has a definite point of view.

The Rentals are a laconic, post new wavey band with knock kneed male vocals, made more powerful by angelic female harmonies(SNL cutiepie Maya Rudolph is one)...fuzzy gits, and synthesizer jive. Looking for "real" love? Frigged up? Matt Sharp understands..."I don't think/Ill find the love I want/the love Im searchin' for/in this machine-o...". This is not wasted money, youll come back to it many times.

After I've first heard the chorus, and it was probaly the same for you (or will be), I really said: "well, this is out of this world", and I was right, because the almost spoke lyrics of Matt Sharp are like sweet poems on very goodmusic, and it really shows all the genius of Sharp (when you think that he recorded it in only three days) but I was happy, when I first listen to the seven more minutes cd to see that he could go in a totally different way, and still be a genius.