It's not easy being Weez.
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Album:Alone: The Home Recordings Of Rivers Cuomo 1992-2007
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Rivers CuomoAlone: The Home Recordings Of Rivers CuomoGeffen8 out of 10Your alarm goes off. It's 8:30 in the morning, and you hit the snooze button a few times. If you're Joe Schmoe, you might wake up and decide to make yourself a cup of coffee. If you're Rivers Cuomo, you might wake up and decide to release an album. Who is Rivers Cuomo? Some think he was the quiet kid in the back of the classroom who never made eye contact with you. Others believe he's the guy at the party sitting in a corner, fiddling with a guitar. As a a die-hard Weezer fan, for me he was the embodiment of rock, hiding behind plastic frames, blaring in my car stereo. He was the reason I told my mom I would wash her car for the next years if she took me to my first Weezer show when I was 12. He's the reason I'm still washing her car now.To the average person, Rivers Cuomo is the lead singer of the pivotal alternative mainstay Weezer. He's the creative force behind hits such as "Undone (the Sweater Song)," "Hashpipe" and "Beverly Hills." To his fans, he's the recluse who penned the 34 minutes of melodious genius that is Pinkerton. He has been there and seen it all, whether it be sailing the stormy seas of fame, dealing with the counter-current of heartache and loneliness, or sitting back and riding the wave of success, and its apparent from album to album. And yeah, he's even made the Fonz dance.Rivers Cuomo has made being a rock star look like a chore, and a breakup look like an art form. Whether it be Weezer (Blue) album, Pinkerton, Weezer (Green), Maladroit, or Make Believe, fans have had the pieces to a puzzle that's been incomplete until now. On December 18th, Alone: the Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo, was released, marking a stir in the sleeping giant of Weezer. It's an album that begs to be diagnosed rather than reviewed. If you’re aquainted with Weezer, I'd encourage you to give this album a listen, although I wouldn't recommend this to a stranger wanting a crash course in Weezer. The 18 previously unreleased demos made me feel as though I was reading a high school diary rather than listening to a record. The tracks, compiled from 1984 to 2007, range from rehearsals with Rivers's first band, Fury, to cuts from the elusive Songs from the Black Hole, an album that the group has yet to finish.Upon first getting the album, I opened the booklet only to be greeted by a underwear-clad Rivers Cuomo of 14, sitting on his bed playing guitar. With the support the explanatory linear notes narrated by Cuomo himself, this was the first of many glimpses into the private life of the front-man. Diagnosis: this guy has voted himself off the island, and that's the way he likes it. Whether it be the opening track "Ooh" or the kitschy "Chess," this greatest non-hits collection, casts a light onto the shadowy depths of Rivers' many personas. Each demo ranges from heavy guitar tones featured on Pinkerton to catchy licks akin to the “Green” album to random free-stylings that parallel the Beastie Boys. Don't be surprised if you find yourself in front of your mirror air-guitaring to "Crazy One" or karaoking to "Superfriend"...the car at the stop light next to you won't mind.Alone showcases Cuomo's ability to write great pop songs but leaves the listener wondering whether he is really non-coplanar or just trying to put on a good show. Like a great actor, Cuomo assigns different characters, such as Juan and Donde in "Blast Off," to different facets of his personality. Lyrics such as "What the hell am I doing/ Thinking with my willy" may come off as immature, but should not be taken at face value. Instead, they should be discussed with a shrink. My confession: I kind of wish this album was titled Songs from the Black Hole. Not that "Buddy Holly" and "I Wish had an Axe Guitar" don't cut it - I'm just that kind of Weezer fan.What is the sum of all of Alone’s arithmetic calculations? Can he already hear the cash registers? Is he in the mood to air out his laundry? Or does he just feel like giving you the other half of his sandwich. Either way, if you’ve ever considered yourself a Weezer fan, you should take him up on the offer. So turn off “Happy Days,” tune in, and clap your hands: Rivers Cuomo has got it, and it's contagious.
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