mixtape maestro (2.0)

And so begins another round of “Why can’t Rivers & Co. be as good as they were way-back-when?”.

With the premiere of the new Weezer cut “Memories” this past weekend, you can already hear the minds of millions of former fan boys and girls churning trying to come up with some semi-witty-but-mostly-cruel retort to the band’s heart-on-sleeve hook yearn to go back in time to their carefree younger days when, amongst other things, “Audioslave was still Rage”.

But even if the single, the lead-off joint to the band’s Epitaph debut (and Lost shout-outing) Hurley, isn’t the return to “Blue Album”/ Pinkerton greatness longtime followers are still (somewhat foolishly) awaiting, it’s also not the worst Weezer tune ever, grasping an agreeable, “fun times with friends” air in it’s heavy power-pop pummel and singalong-worthy chorus.

Catch a stream below (via Hypetrak) and mark your calendars for Hurley‘s arrival on September 14th.

Weezer – Memories

There’s no better way to kick off the beginnings of better weather (and the arrival of spring break!!!!) than to have the good-times guitar strummings of Weezer’s “Island In The Sun” expertly merged with the locker-door slams and debaucherous dialogue of J-Kwon’s 2004 lone hit, “Tipsy”.

When listening to this excellent mash-up, the latest great achievement from the The White Panda crew, you can damn near hear jumbo sized sleeves of red plastic cups being ripped into all across the country.

“Tipsy In The Sun”:

DL: “Tipsy In The Sun (Weezer vs. J-Kwon Mash-Up)” (alt)

…And, just to keep this whole “Island”-meets-hip hop vibe going, enjoy D.C./ Maryland/ Virginia-based quartet The Five One‘s 2009 music blog-circuit fave “L.A. Girl”, which uses the same Weezer track (as well as lyrics…ahem, borrowed from Kanye West’s “Robocop”) as foundation for a tribute to spoiled lil’ Cali babes.

Currently featured, amongst a few other great remixes/ cover songs, on The Five One’s newest mixtape, Road To SXSW.

“L.A. Girl”:

DL: The Five One “L.A. Girl” (alt)

On this “remix” version to “Can’t Stop Partying”, Weezer’s Raditude-housed attempt at getting some rhythmic radio love, one Grammy-winning rapper is traded for another has Chamillionaire bumps Lil’ Wayne out of the frame to showcase how much of a “rock star” he is.

Which is, whatever, especially considering that Cham doesn’t really offer anything here lyrically that your 10-year-old little brother couldn’t have penned himself. With a verse built on tired references to threesomes, bra dismantling and Patrón-sipping, Cham sounds like he’s giving a lesson in Party Rap 101. If Flo Rida or, hell, LMFAO had made the decision to barge onto this track, we probably would’ve gotten at least one clever line…and they don’t even have shiny Grammy’s to call their own.

DL: “Can’t Stop Partying (Remix)” (alt)

Weezer will likely forever more incite heated commentary from listeners on whichever album era it was when the band/ Rivers Cuomo officially “jumped the shark”, but you still have to kinda give it up for the boys for continuing to press on in the face of ever-present “why won’t they just retire?” balking, even if it’s a bit tough to disagree with that sentiment.

At least new single “If You’re Wondering If I Want You To (I Want You To)”, the lead cut from the band’s Raditude, is fun enough to temporarily distract you from pondering over the confusing entity Weezer has become over the years. It’s happy-go-lucky, “Walking On Sunshine”-like power-pop plodding making for a delightful three minute toe-tapper, “Wondering” also benefits from River’s umpteenth lyrical well-dipping into the gawky bliss of young love, it’s “boy loves girl” theme entertainingly speckled with references to “Slayer T-shirts”, viewings of Titanic, trips to Best Buy and meat loaf dinner with her parents (“I dug you so much/ I took one for the team”, Cuomo, a World’s Sexiest Vegetarian nominee, sings).

The same surprisingly likable results also emerge from the recently leaked, highly anticipated Weezer/ Weezy collabo “Can’t Stop Partying”, a brow-raising number co-written by Jermaine Dupri (!?!) that was originally heard in oddly somber acoustic demo form on Rivers’ compilation sequel Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo.

Yeah, Cuomo still sounds mega-silly vocalizing some mocking rap star fantasy that has him downing Patron and E tablets while kicking it with his “deep posse” in the hottest clubs’ VIP sections (even if it can looked at as some sort of extension of “Buddy Holly”‘s awkward “what’s with these homies dissin’ my girl?” urban-speak), but we’d be foolish in denying the guilty pleasure glee that’s stirred up in “Partying”‘s newfound glossy pop production polish (perfect for Top 40 spinning betwixt similar goof-pop entries by 3Oh3! and Cobra Starship) and Lil’ Wayne goblin-grinning his way through lines like “Party like tomorrow is my funeral/ Gotta stop mixing alcohol with pharmaceuticals”.

Raditude drops November 3rd.

DL: “Can’t Stop Partying” (alt)

Never one to sit idly by, Rivers Cuomo has already begun planning out Weezer’s next era (or a possible solo album?) with the leaking of this very interesting demo, a simple man and his guitar tune concerning the life cycle of a pig.

With the bespectacled icon, you know you’re always going to get something sweet and melodic even if the subject matter harbors a depressed darkness and while everything starts off happy here, the inevitable party pooper, death, turns this into a tragic story of life’s ominous conclusion. “When I was a baby/ I was so happy/ I played with my friends in the mud”, Cuomo croons over a simple acoustic melody, introducing us to a cute little character who we follow through childhood, teen love and marriage. Cuomo’s use of the English language has always been to-the-point effective and the way he describes the piglet’s first glance of the love of his life is a poignant moment we all can relate to (“Tina was her name/ She was my cutie pie/ Forgot about the things that I used to like/ I spent all of my time following her around/ My friends all made the whiplash sound”).

Then the realization that existence is not immortal shifts “Pig” into heartbreaking closure. “No/ I’ve got to die”, he sings in matter-of-fact fashion, oddly accepting of his fate even amidst the throes of fulfilled happiness. While the character doesn’t seem to mind becoming somebody’s breakfast at Ihop, it’s hard not to get all watery-eyed as he thanks “Farmer Pete” for “bringing me scraps I could eat” and always carrying a smile on his face.

A lovely song basking in the excellence of Cuomo’s pen and classic pop songcraft, “Pig” proves that marriage hasn’t slowed Rivers’ creative passion at all and the next studio release will hopefully be announced soon.