buzz Factor:

The Blue Album: 9/10

Pinkerton: 10/10

The Green Album: 7/10

Maladroit: 6/10

Make Believe: 5/10

The Red Album: 5/10

Raditude: 2/10

Hurley: 4/10

Everything Will Be Alright in the End: 7/10

This article is the first in the “Will They Rise Again?” series running on readbuzz.com The buzz music staff has discussed and debated artists who have peaked but show the potential to release a comeback album that places them back on the map in modern music. This week’s artist in focus is Weezer, an American rock band best known for its debut Blue album and its continuous wacky antics led by frontman Rivers Cuomo. Buzz staff writer Elias J. Tracy offers his defense of the band’s future:

Typically when people discuss their love for Weezer, it’s almost always with the distinct caveat that their love pertains to only two albums, The Blue Album and Pinkerton, perhaps with a slight amendment allowing for songs like “Island in the Sun” and “Perfect Situation” to be considered as well. This mentality has developed for good reason; frontman Rivers Cuomo and company had consistently betrayed the fans who bolstered the band’s earlier works with a series of releases starting with The Green Album and culminating in the infamous duo of Raditude and Hurley. Save for the occasional kernel of promise, it had seemed as if Weezer’s demise was imminent — then 2010 happened.

Cuomo had finally reconciled himself with his past success, going on “The Memories Tour,” which had Weezer playing the entirety of both The Blue Album and Pinkerton in consecutive nights. With this reconciliation, Weezer had taken a step back in the right direction, but the group’s next album would truly signify whether or not they were making a comeback.

Weezer’s 2014 record Everything Will Be Alright in the End is just promising enough to keep hope alive for longtime Weezer fans. Cuomo has never lost his knack for crafting catchy hooks; however, the density at which they appear in their latest release is a return to form to Weezer’s heyday. Songs like “The British are Coming,” “Da Vinci,” and “Anonymous” will stick with listeners after just one play, and other tracks will do the same in just a couple more. Although there are reclamations of Weezer’s past charm, one distinct feature is lacking: sincerity. Cuomo’s lyrics are contrived, seemingly pandering to former listeners by either being overly goofy, or forcefully confessional. No one can be sure if Weezer will ever make a full-blown comeback, but if the closing track of the latest album’s (“Return to Ithaca”) ostensible reprisal of the “Only in Dreams” build-up is any indicator, it very well could happen.