Musician’s Notebook

I’ve been meaning to make a review off the latest Weezer self titled album which is mainly known as “The Red Album”.  Just the way Weezer works by releasing an album while going through the colors of the rainbow. All the rock geeks are super excited as Weezer explodes with this latest record of theirs. I must say I was a bit skeptical about this album after listening to their prior release. I was amazed to say the least that they really put their sound through some experimentations compared to their prior releases with uses of drum machines, but still keeping the Weezer sound we all love to hear.  What got me absolutely excited about this album was hearing similarities from “The Blue Album” and their new approach. 

 So here I’ll go reviewing the album track by track:

Track 1:  Troublemaker

I rolled my eyes at first thinking maybe this would be a possible disappointment associating my experiences with the last album. Listening to the lyrics sounding as if it were written by some rebellious teenager. When you listen closely though, it sounds as if it were meant to be some college part rock song type of deal. The disappointment I thought I was going to have quickly left me. As a matter of fact, it’s good to hear rock music that makes you want to have fun, party, and act positive as opposed to the wrist slicing stuff that’s out on the radio these days.

Track 2: The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)

This song starts out with a piano and some police siren. The way the drum comes was a great reminiscences to the way some of their other songs started in the past but with a different new twist. Just like the song states, it’s pretty much a hymn, having the other members join in for some vocal fun. It’s a great pretty lengthy song for a Weezer song. 

Track 3: Pork And Beans

This is the single from the album and damn its hot on the Billboard charts. This song’s chorus has a very similar resemblance to Weezer’s very popular song, “Buddy Holly” In fact, I would call it the “2008 Buddy Holly”. The lyrics are very clever on this one mentioning the grammy award winning producer, “Timbaland”.

Track 4: Heart Songs

This song has a similar feel to “Only In Dreams” maybe not so much on the bassline, but the feel in general. I would say its a very soothing song with again some very clever lyrics. One song I won’t give too much away from, so listen for yourself. Overall, amazing song. 

Track 5: Everybody Get Dangerous

If you thought the first track was rebellious then this one might as be consider the gangsta rap song of Weezer. The lyrics have a humorous twist about doing property damage and just being wreck less and young.  This is where I think the album begins to head towards that different 2008 direction of theres even though it reminds of a typical a popular three chord song from Nirvana that we all know very well. 

Track 6: Dreamin’

This song reminds me of another song from “The Blue Album” but I can’t put my finger in which one. It reminds me of a Beach Boy song too. It’s very catchy and listenable not much I can really say other than it being a great song and another to judge for yourself.

Track 7: Thought I Knew

This is the song that has some drum machines in it.  It doesn’t sound like it’s being sung by Rivers Cuomo though. It’s an okay song and I honestly have to say its the one of the least impressive song in the album. I wasn’t fascinated with anything , but I won’t say it was a bad song neither. 

Track 8:  Cold Dark World

This is where Weezer really goes out of their spectrum from their usual stuff. The vocal style is even different the lyrics are pretty edgy, but it’s actually not a bad song.   It’s when albums like this get released that would normally disappoint me when they go around direction and it sounds bad , but in this case I’ll relieve everyone of their worries and say you can sit back and possibly enjoy this song.

Track 9:  Automatic 

Lots of piano and some synth-like sounds being used in this track. This song I found to be okay. It wasn’t anything out of this world, but I respect their use of instruments in this one. Especially with some of the effects they used. I don’t think I heard Weezer in this state neither. I wouldn’t put it down, but it’s not 100% my cup of tea, but who knows it might be yours.

Track 10: The Angel And the One

Another great ballad by Weezer and their way to end their album (that’s if you don’t have the deluxe edition). It’s their lengthiest track on the album and one I would recommend to listen to if you’re just minutes away from sleep. 

Overall:

Growing up in the 90s and listening to The Blue Album and Pinkerton album was one of my greatest auditory experiences in the past. Listening to this album reminded me of those times. The reason why I decide to actually compare such albums is because Weezer’s popularity was really high at those times and when I ask someone what their favorite Weezer albums are, it always goes back to Pinkerton and The Blue Album. Of course, there’s never going to be another “The Blue Album” in its 100% material and we don’t want to except that, but this is my way of saying Weezer fans from the early 90s would love this album even with its new direction. I consider it a excellent album and those early Weezer fans should scoop it out. Also, don’t forget there’s a deluxe edition with more tracks attached I think one or more are covers, but if you want to extend your “Red Album” experience, it’s available. 

I’ve been meaning to make a review off the latest Weezer self titled album which is mainly known as “The Red Album”.  Just the way Weezer works by releasing an album while going through the colors of the rainbow. All the rock geeks are super excited as Weezer explodes with this latest record of theirs. I must say I was a bit skeptical about this album after listening to their prior release. I was amazed to say the least that they really put their sound through some experimentations compared to their prior releases with uses of drum machines, but still keeping the Weezer sound we all love to hear.  What got me absolutely excited about this album was hearing similarities from “The Blue Album” and their new approach. 

 So here I’ll go reviewing the album track by track:

Track 1:  Troublemaker

I rolled my eyes at first thinking maybe this would be a possible disappointment associating my experiences with the last album. Listening to the lyrics sounding as if it were written by some rebellious teenager. When you listen closely though, it sounds as if it were meant to be some college part rock song type of deal. The disappointment I thought I was going to have quickly left me. As a matter of fact, it’s good to hear rock music that makes you want to have fun, party, and act positive as opposed to the wrist slicing stuff that’s out on the radio these days.

Track 2: The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)

This song starts out with a piano and some police siren. The way the drum comes was a great reminiscences to the way some of their other songs started in the past but with a different new twist. Just like the song states, it’s pretty much a hymn, having the other members join in for some vocal fun. It’s a great pretty lengthy song for a Weezer song. 

Track 3: Pork And Beans

This is the single from the album and damn its hot on the Billboard charts. This song’s chorus has a very similar resemblance to Weezer’s very popular song, “Buddy Holly” In fact, I would call it the “2008 Buddy Holly”. The lyrics are very clever on this one mentioning the grammy award winning producer, “Timbaland”.

Track 4: Heart Songs

This song has a similar feel to “Only In Dreams” maybe not so much on the bassline, but the feel in general. I would say its a very soothing song with again some very clever lyrics. One song I won’t give too much away from, so listen for yourself. Overall, amazing song. 

Track 5: Everybody Get Dangerous

If you thought the first track was rebellious then this one might as be consider the gangsta rap song of Weezer. The lyrics have a humorous twist about doing property damage and just being wreck less and young.  This is where I think the album begins to head towards that different 2008 direction of theres even though it reminds of a typical a popular three chord song from Nirvana that we all know very well. 

Track 6: Dreamin’

This song reminds me of another song from “The Blue Album” but I can’t put my finger in which one. It reminds me of a Beach Boy song too. It’s very catchy and listenable not much I can really say other than it being a great song and another to judge for yourself.

Track 7: Thought I Knew

This is the song that has some drum machines in it.  It doesn’t sound like it’s being sung by Rivers Cuomo though. It’s an okay song and I honestly have to say its the one of the least impressive song in the album. I wasn’t fascinated with anything , but I won’t say it was a bad song neither. 

Track 8:  Cold Dark World

This is where Weezer really goes out of their spectrum from their usual stuff. The vocal style is even different the lyrics are pretty edgy, but it’s actually not a bad song.   It’s when albums like this get released that would normally disappoint me when they go around direction and it sounds bad , but in this case I’ll relieve everyone of their worries and say you can sit back and possibly enjoy this song.

Track 9:  Automatic 

Lots of piano and some synth-like sounds being used in this track. This song I found to be okay. It wasn’t anything out of this world, but I respect their use of instruments in this one. Especially with some of the effects they used. I don’t think I heard Weezer in this state neither. I wouldn’t put it down, but it’s not 100% my cup of tea, but who knows it might be yours.

Track 10: The Angel And the One

Another great ballad by Weezer and their way to end their album (that’s if you don’t have the deluxe edition). It’s their lengthiest track on the album and one I would recommend to listen to if you’re just minutes away from sleep. 

Overall:

Growing up in the 90s and listening to The Blue Album and Pinkerton album was one of my greatest auditory experiences in the past. Listening to this album reminded me of those times. The reason why I decide to actually compare such albums is because Weezer’s popularity was really high at those times and when I ask someone what their favorite Weezer albums are, it always goes back to Pinkerton and The Blue Album. Of course, there’s never going to be another “The Blue Album” in its 100% material and we don’t want to except that, but this is my way of saying Weezer fans from the early 90s would love this album even with its new direction. I consider it a excellent album and those early Weezer fans should scoop it out.

I’ve been meaning to make a review off the latest Weezer self titled album which is mainly known as “The Red Album”. Just the way Weezer works by releasing an album while going through the colors of the rainbow. All the rock geeks are super excited as Weezer explodes with this latest record of theirs. I must say I was a bit skeptical about this album after listening to their prior release. I was amazed to say the least that they really put their sound through some experimentations compared to their prior releases with uses of drum machines, but still keeping the Weezer sound we all love to hear. What got me absolutely excited about this album was hearing similarities from “The Blue Album” and their new approach.

So here I’ll go reviewing the album track by track:

Track 1: Troublemaker

I rolled my eyes at first thinking maybe this would be a possible disappointment associating my experiences with the last album. Listening to the lyrics sounding as if it were written by some rebellious teenager. When you listen closely though, it sounds as if it were meant to be some college part rock song type of deal. The disappointment I thought I was going to have quickly left me. As a matter of fact, it’s good to hear rock music that makes you want to have fun, party, and act positive as opposed to the wrist slicing stuff that’s out on the radio these days.

Track 2: The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)

This song starts out with a piano and some police siren. The way the drum comes was a great reminiscences to the way some of their other songs started in the past but with a different new twist. Just like the song states, it’s pretty much a hymn, having the other members join in for some vocal fun. It’s a great pretty lengthy song for a Weezer song.

Track 3: Pork And Beans

This is the single from the album and damn its hot on the Billboard charts. This song’s chorus has a very similar resemblance to Weezer’s very popular song, “Buddy Holly” In fact, I would call it the “2008 Buddy Holly”. The lyrics are very clever on this one mentioning the grammy award winning producer, “Timbaland”.

Track 4: Heart Songs

This song has a similar feel to “Only In Dreams” maybe not so much on the bassline, but the feel in general. I would say its a very soothing song with again some very clever lyrics. One song I won’t give too much away from, so listen for yourself. Overall, amazing song.

Track 5: Everybody Get Dangerous

If you thought the first track was rebellious then this one might as be consider the gangsta rap song of Weezer. The lyrics have a humorous twist about doing property damage and just being wreck less and young. This is where I think the album begins to head towards that different 2008 direction of theres even though it reminds of a typical a popular three chord song from Nirvana that we all know very well.

Track 6: Dreamin’

This song reminds me of another song from “The Blue Album” but I can’t put my finger in which one. It reminds me of a Beach Boy song too. It’s very catchy and listenable not much I can really say other than it being a great song and another to judge for yourself.

Track 7: Thought I Knew

This is the song that has some drum machines in it. It doesn’t sound like it’s being sung by Rivers Cuomo though. It’s an okay song and I honestly have to say its the one of the least impressive song in the album. I wasn’t fascinated with anything , but I won’t say it was a bad song neither.

Track 8: Cold Dark World

This is where Weezer really goes out of their spectrum from their usual stuff. The vocal style is even different the lyrics are pretty edgy, but it’s actually not a bad song. It’s when albums like this get released that would normally disappoint me when they go around direction and it sounds bad , but in this case I’ll relieve everyone of their worries and say you can sit back and possibly enjoy this song.

Track 9: Automatic

Lots of piano and some synth-like sounds being used in this track. This song I found to be okay. It wasn’t anything out of this world, but I respect their use of instruments in this one. Especially with some of the effects they used. I don’t think I heard Weezer in this state neither. I wouldn’t put it down, but it’s not 100% my cup of tea, but who knows it might be yours.

Track 10: The Angel And the One

Another great ballad by Weezer and their way to end their album (that’s if you don’t have the deluxe edition). It’s their lengthiest track on the album and one I would recommend to listen to if you’re just minutes away from sleep.

Overall:

Growing up in the 90s and listening to The Blue Album and Pinkerton album was one of my greatest auditory experiences in the past. Listening to this album reminded me of those times. The reason why I decide to actually compare such albums is because Weezer’s popularity was really high at those times and when I ask someone what their favorite Weezer albums are, it always goes back to Pinkerton and The Blue Album. Of course, there’s never going to be another “The Blue Album” in its 100% material and we don’t want to except that, but this is my way of saying Weezer fans from the early 90s would love this album even with its new direction. I consider it a excellent album and those early Weezer fans should scoop it out.

For a very long time we have used the source of the internet for information. As time processed we found ourselves indulged with all kinds of information. Some of us aren’t readers (and I won’t assume it’s t he people reading this article) and sometimes we can see pictures and arrows pointing one way or another, but how effective is the information if we don ‘t see it move. We have come to a point in time where we can even get college degrees online and even though it might still be expensive, it sure beats getting up to go through traffic and being hasty because of our day jobs holding us back a few minutes from being early.

That’s why in this article I want to discuss the benefits of YOUTUBE. YouTube has become a ever growing source of information for many things including music. The site is being populated by everyone around the world and has become one of the biggest viewed sites ever. My advice to a lot of you who spend time on their MySpace mostly and are aspiring to become a musician should really touch basis with YOUTUBE instead. I can say this mostly goes for all the novices out there because you will find the most basic lessons on any instrument you’re wanting to learn. Best of all you can also send comments with more questions and your email will notify you of their answer to your question.

I’m not saying that more extensive education for music is always on YOUTUBE, but the majority of things you will learn in YOUTUBE will be taught by many people in many different ways. So if you don’t get it from one person you can go to the next while avoiding your “guidance counselor” to schedule you in when he or she is not busy. With just a mouse click away you can find more information. This goes beyond just learning an instrument, but you can learn cover songs, you can learn about the business of music, watch an interview of your role model which might give you tips or simply just inspire you to become what you want to become.

I think a great success story comes from my very own guitarist in my band. When I first entered the band he didn’t know much about theory and only used certain types of scales to put into his compositions. Although, his technical styles were great in terms of speed, endurance, and accuracy of his own instrument, he made a decision to learn more. Every lesson he learned to improve his guitar playing greatly enhanced his compositions as well. Within just three months or less, my guitarist became a newly evolved guitarist and composer.

I recommend everyone to take their time to go on YouTube and learn something, even if its not musically related!

During class the other day I found a technique to break any form of writers block when writing from a title. I will reveal the technique as I found it to be very useful to cure that disease we sometimes have of writers block. This technique is very similar to a word association game but it’s all within the title. What you have to do is get your title (which you should all know, should be placed in the chorus of course.) So I’m going to arrange this in a simple step form to make it completely easy for you.

1. Come up with a title.

2. Get each syllable of the title and make a list of words that rhyme with each syllable.

(NOTE: Be sure that you research the different kinds of rhymes like perfect rhymes and family rhymes. Also, refer to your online rhyme dictionary by doing a google search and getting a list of rhyming words a whole lot faster than your outdated rhyming textbook.)

3. Review each word under each syllable and be sure to plug them in the end of each line and using a proper rhyme scheme where you’re not being too cliche (or as most people like to say, “kindergarten rhymes”). Not only does it help you use clever rhyme schemes but it also exercises your sense of wording in a sentence.

You see it’s very simple! Just three steps and you can already magnify a song! Have fun with this you’ll often think that your title revolve entirely on just a limited set of ideas, but this technique I just showed you will completely destroy that. You can even try to do more than one version of the song and maybe even use all the versions and just change the title to something else. Enjoy my friends this is what we call a lyric template!