Music Review

Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo (2008)

EW's GRADE
A-

Details Release Date: Nov 25, 2008; Lead Performance: Rivers Cuomo; Genre: Rock

 Rivers Flow: Rivers Cuomo gets a lift Rivers Cuomo
Image credit: Karl Koch
Rivers Flow: Rivers Cuomo gets a lift

Beneath Weezer's geeky, glimmering arena rock, Rivers Cuomo is one conflicted auteur. On part 2 of his answer to Pete Townshend's ''Scoop'' series of outtakes, he carries the listener through an alternative version of his career: a snippet of classical music, a portion of an aborted rock opera, a garage- rock reconstruction of the Beach Boys' five-part harmonies. In Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo's soul-baring liner notes, Cuomo pinpoints melodies as crucial outlets for depression, guilt, ecstasy. He even turns a seemingly facile collaboration with Jermaine Dupri (who knew?) into an autumnal catharsis — the best Weezer song you never heard. A–

Download This: Listen to a clip from the new album on imeem.com

Originally posted Nov 19, 2008 Published in issue #1023 Nov 28, 2008 Order article reprints

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