Speaking of Homie, Rivers Cuomo introduced “Think About” from the same show they played “Hot Tub” by comparing the opening riff to the Sesame Street theme song. The audience laughed, Fred Eltringham counted off the song, and indeed the opening chord progression bore a striking resemblance — but it wouldn’t be the last time Weezer fans would hear the similarity.
In fact, I find the beginning to “Keep Fishin’” so much like that of “Think About,” that I have to wonder if it is not some extremely thorough rewrite of that Homie original (the two do not share a COR number so perhaps that’s a bit far-fetched…but either way, Cuomo was definitely repeating the riff, consciously or not). There’s a bit of a temporal gap there: “Think About” was written in 1994 (right after “Clarinet Waltz” and right before Pinkerton’s “No Other One” — two songs radically different from “Think About”) then finally played live in 1997; “Keep Fishin’” did not begin to signify until 2001, released finally in 2002 on Maladroit.
The album version we have is a pretty good piece of power pop, and one of the brighter spots of Weezer’s fourth record. It’s one of the clearest band efforts the group had released since at least Pinkerton — Pat Wilson’s rolling drum intro establishes the song’s upbeat personality, and Brian Bell’s backup echoes on the verses might very well be the clearest showcasing of his voice on Weezer album to date (hm, on second thought, he takes the lead for a line or two on the bridge to “El Scorcho”…but, excepting that). In fact, the band’s performance is pretty great on the whole, with the pretty, poppy doo-ahh backups on the chorus, a solo that (while brief) provides the relief that Cuomo wouldn’t be adhering to the vocal melody mimic formula of The Green Album any longer. Plus, the nearly spoken-word telephone-static backups that enter at around 2:12 are certainly a Weezer anomaly — nothing else quite like it in the repertoire.
I have *nineteen* versions of this song, which is, frankly, too much. But, allow me to attempt a quick synposis…
Three of those versions are officially issued. Aside from the album version, there is the “radio remix” that Geffen commissioned when the song was released as Maladroit’s 2nd single, which was actually re-recorded with a click track and is, in my opinion, the definitive version. It bypasses Wilson’s drum intro for some quick acoustic chords, a tasty explosion of electric pop guitars, and a bass that’s actually audible (revealing that Scott Shriner is doing some pretty impressive work). The outro is also reworked, nixing those somewhat-annoying spoken word backups for a neat little interplay between Rivers and Brian — which combine for a refrain of, “Waste my days (and get a job).” A much cooler, catchier way to express the sentiment than Cuomo’s lazy “I can’t work a job, like any other slob” lyric on “Troublemaker” six years later.
There’s also the Franklin Mint remix that was issued as the b-side to the US retail CD-single for the song, which is basically drummer Wilson rebuilding the song up as a piece of muzak in MIDI format. It is, in a word, pointless.
The other clutch of “Keep Fishin’” variants we have are from the exhaustively-documented Maladroit sessions, as offered for MP3 download on Weezer.com as they unfolded (and before Geffen realized what was happening and ended Weezer’s generous days for good). The very earliest we have is from the DC Demos of 5/27/01, when the band’s bass duties were still carried by Mikey Welsh. It’s a sloggier, slower version that is otherwise unremarkable. By that December’s Extended Hyper Midget Tour, Shriner had replaced Welsh; we have two takes from successive nights of that month, which were “shred-worthy” in Cuomo’s opinion, but truthfully pretty disposable.
From here, we have _thirteen_ versions from the Maladroit sessions dating from Decemer 20th ’01 to the following February 13th. Considering I don’t want to spend the next 40 minutes listening to nearly indistinguishable takes of “Keep Fishin’,” I’ll instead leave that task to some psychotic commenter, or perhaps A6 Forums’ own Running Monk when he finally tackles the song in his ongoing dissertation, “What The Fuck’s The Difference?!? (In the Maladroit Demos).”
77 Comments
Funnily enough, the album version of the song was issued as the b-side to a single of the radio version…making “Keep Fishin’” the only Weezer album recording to wind up as a b-side on a Weezer single. Loopholes! : P
Also, I like this song, but I don’t love it. Rediscovering the radio edit sure does help, though.
Definitely. One of my favorites off Maladroit, no doubt. The radio mix is probably one of the catchiest Weezer songs to date.
i actually have never really thought that much of this track, and i’m a big maladroit supporter. it’s not bad or anything, but i don’t find it to be that special. i guess i feel that way because i don’t really have an urge to sing along with it, while most Droit songs, that i like, i do. except for the “oh girl when i’m in love with you…” bridge which i think is pretty cool.
the single version is better, imo. better vocals and i dig that acoustic intro.
there’s also two live versions in the weerez Extended Hyper Midget Tour folder that i belive are soundboards. They’re both labeled 7-30-02, so they can’t be part of that tour and they’re not the same performance, so i’ve never been able to figure out where they actually came from. anyone else know? the longer of the two has a fucking kick ass alternate fill before the final bridge.
i have a total of 21 versions of this on my computer. the 1 DC Demo, 2 Hyper Midget Tours, 14 from the Maladroit sessions, 2 mystery soundboards, and the album and single versions.
oh, and thanks for mentioning my thread. your songblog is the reason i decided to start working on it again.
oh, i forgot to include links to the two soundboards i was talking about.
http://weerez.com/media/displayimage.php?album=231&pos=6
http://weerez.com/media/displayimage.php?album=231&pos=7
The drum introduction to this song always makes me think of American Hi-Fi’s song the Art of Losing. The two intros are quite distinct, but both have the same goofy, trip-to-the-shore-with-chums feel that immediately makes me take kindly to the song, but at the same time disregard it as a work of any true depth.
One could easily frown upon the mentality of judging a song solely by its first four seconds, but in this case I think it’s fair to say that the rest of the song doesn’t push the limits much farther than those first few moments. I doubt that too many people will argue with me when I say that this song isn’t much more than a generic pop track carried by a band that knows how to play one. To be fair, however, I’ve only heard the version straight off of Maladroit, so there might be something in the other versions that I’m missing.
I’m kind of curious as to which song has the most versions out there. I’d say if it wasn’t Keep Fishin’, it would be one of the Maladroit songs (Dope Nose, maybe?).
The single version definitely sounds the best, and whenever another version pops up, I’m always taken aback.
One final thing (for now)–the video to this song was the most “feel good” this band had been. It would have been hard for any modern rock band to perform alongside the Muppets, but somehow Weezer was able to pull it off.
I’ve disliked this one from the onset. The DC demo bored me an subsequent versions haven’t improved the situation. It really highlights several of the things I find irritating about much of Nu-Weezer’s output:
- Choppy melody that was clearly the first thing Cuomo came up with.
- Brian and Scott’s aimless attempts at BGV’s
- Meandering guitar solo squeezed in for no apparent reason.
- Generic chord progression.
- Unimaginative detached lyrics
- Formulaic arrangement
It’s been defended as a “fun brainless pop tune”, but I could name a hundred bands that do “fun pop” in a far better fashion, and I’d rather listen to them hear a once-great band lower themselves to this kind of material.
Running Monk: glad to hear I re-inspired you!
H: The other versions don’t particularly change the “generic pop tune” bent to the song, but definitely scope the radio single version on youtube sometime — it does the generic pop tune angle even better.
Gumbytom: I can’t believe I forgot to mention the video. Glaring oversight on my part! Very feel-good, indeed. It’s cute as all hell, but I really can’t blame my friend for thinking Weezer is “children’s music” after stuff like this and BvH being his main (if not only) exposure to the band.
Art: Your bullet points on “Nu-Weezer” are pretty apt, unfortunately — especially the lowering of the standards. If “Keep Fishin’” was where they started and “Across the Sea” is where they wound up, then great, but to know that this came 6 years later is just a little depressing. Although I will say, in this case, I think “Brian and Scott’s aimless attempts at BGVs” actually work out pretty nicely. Except the album version’s telephone sing-speak thing that Brian does at the end, I could pass on that.
Also, in this video, Rivers resembles, at best, Stephen Colbert; at worst, any random TV news anchor.
I quite like the 2008 live outro revision for this one — the “doo, doobie doo, doobie doo-wah”, ’50s style vocal arrangement is pretty great. Add that to the single version of this song and it would’ve been that much better.
Also funny — just heard the 2002/2/17 bootleg in Albany, NY, and just as the band finishes “The Good Life” to uproarious applause (a damn good version of TGL, actually), Cuomo says, “Alright, now you give us one. This one’s called ‘Keep Fishin’.” Funny that he felt like he had to negotiate with his fans.
Alone 2 dropped today — warms my heart to read in the liner notes, “A thousand Keep Fishins does not equal one Say It Ain’t So.” Damn straight Cuomo!
So, a FLAC file of this track was posted by a generous soul on A6 today, prompting me to listen to it again…
My opinion has not changed.
I will say that the switch between the shuffle rhythm and the straight feel of chorus/bridge/whateverthehellitis was fairly forward-thinking for the era, and I can appreciate Pat’s noble attempt to inject some real energy into it.
But I can’t get past Brian’s backing vocals. I consider the verse bits: “the. world. be-hind”… “and. get. a. job”… Just awkward and annoying and a bad idea to begin with. I’m not sure exactly why they grate on me so much, but they do.
Just out of curiousity, what do you guys think about this song when brian did lead vocals? in my opinion it made it worse…
Do you mean Scott? Or did Brian really take a crack at lead vox on this song and I’ve just never heard it?
on the make believe tour brian did lead vocals on keep fishin yeah
Ugh, I’m thinking of “Dope Nose.” Maladroit blurring together…
Anyone have a bootleg of that? Picturing Brian over this song, I can’t really hear it working…
I may have mentioned this elsewhere on the blog before, but Pat absolutely KILLS on this song (the album version moreso than the single version).
After listening to Maladroit straight through for the first time in years (what is wrong with me…), I have to say his drumming on these underwhelming bunch of tunes is unfortunately his finest collective effort on a =w= record to date — which is tough for me to say since his work on Pinkerton is brilliant as well. The album’s riffy/jammy style (or lack thereof) allows Pat to explore new territory on a record and to obliterate the hell out of most of these tracks.
His drumming on “Keep Fishin’” is a HUGE hook that keeps pulling me back to a song I would otherwise neglect. From the powerful transitions to and from the shuffle beat-foundation of the song, to the intricacies of every fill, and especially to the attacking of the crash symbols at the end of the song paired with the syncopated WHOMPING of every piece of drum equipment around him — his drum work on this song is perfection.
Screw Freese and dinking around on guitar, get back on drums where you belong, Pattycakes!
Looking back on old comments, Pat’s drumming usually isn’t a hot topic among the band’s catalog for the most part. While we’re waiting on a new post, I’m interested as to hear what are some of you guys’ favorite drum moments in the =w= canon? I know “Only In Dreams” probably ranks near the top for most of us.
Pat’s drums are indeed a real highlight of this song (and much of Maladroit), but there’s no way Pinkerton isn’t his best work. And no, it’s not just the quality of the songs clouding my judgment. “Across the Sea?” “Getchoo?” He’s what elevates those songs into those climactic upper echelons of rock’n'roll Valhalla.
I love Pat’s drumming in Undone. He’s hilarious in the music video. But it’s not like it’s particularly impressive. That’s where Pinkerton comes in.
Pinkerton has the best sounding drums out of any album IMO. It sounds raw, but a big step above the kitchen tapes. I’m not a drummer, but I do know that the beats and fills of both Tired of Sex and Getchoo will get me all amped up and ready for more of one of the best albums ever, every time, without fail.
I really like the drums in this song too, and agree that the drumming on Maladroit brings interest to songs that wouldn’t otherwise deserve it.
I have always considered Pat’s drumming as an important part of the “perfect Weezer sound”, as much as Rivers’ solos and Brian’s backing vocals (regardless of whether you think the parts are written by Rivers or Pat). When he’s doing straight-up no-frills drum tracks it just doesn’t feel right to me. This is one of the things that make a lot of the SS2K songs so appealing – while a lot of the songs aren’t great, and the drumming is kinda sloppy, Pat’s performances (in particular) have an intensity and a sense of spontaneity which seems to be AWOL from some periods of the band’s history.
I think the loud, sloppy drum sound on Pinkerton in particular fits the songs amazingly well, and most of my favourite Pat moments come from that era (“Across the Sea” & “YGYLTMS” spring to my mind immediately). Every song on that album has a great fill or drumming moment where I think “yeah!” to myself and wish that I was a halfway-decent drummer.
It’s almost hard for me to argue in Maladroit’s favor for obvious reasons. The Pinkerton sound, drums and all, is leagues better than Maladroit’s — not to mention the tracks he is backing in that album are untouchable.
That said, I definitely think his versatility and technique as a drummer shine more on Maladroit than on any other album.
His drumming on Maladroit is incredible. He plows through it with a tone that displays skill and strength, and I think that was the whole “image” or sound Weezer was going for with that album. Pat’s drumming is one of the reasons December is a great track for me. But up until Ratitude came out, the last songs off all their albums were some of my favorites.
That’s funny, I think all of the album closers are fantastic except “December” (Rad definitely included). “December” is just kind of a crummy song to begin with, and the performance on the album isn’t ideal.
If you ask me.
I agree completely with the notion that Pat’s drumming is an essential component to the “weezer sound.” That’s one big reason why I hate seeimg on guitar at live shows.
Aside from that, I love December as a closer, and I’ve never considered it “crummy.” It could have been recorded better, but so could 90% of their post 2K catalog.
Technically speaking, Maladroit might be his best work, but the SOUND of the Pinkerton drums blow it away. Both the drums and the bass sound amazing on that album.
There is NOTHING on Maladroit like that insane fill at the end of the bridge of “Getchoo,” and then the big roll going into the outro build. Shit’s incredible.
Hi, long time lurker, first time poster, here. Great blog-site by the way Soy, much enjoy it.Any how, down to business: I agree with many of the folks above as Pinkerton (Maladroit and Blue as close seconds) being Pat’s greatest drumming work, as it and he inspired my own drumming to go into full swing about 5 or so years ago. The greatness lies not only in where Soy defines “Rock and Roll Valhalla” with such spectacular moments and fills, in particular, that fast one coming right off the solo in “Why Bother”, but my love for his drum work also lies in some of the more subtle parts he plays (such as that barley noticeable but oh-so-important sst-sst-SSSSS on the hi-hat at the end of Across the Sea’s first half of the bridge). It was these types of nuances that led me to believe that not all drummers have to sound like they’re imitating a machine gun (for lack of a better comparison in today’s music) to be great, and that subtle, simplistic drumming (with displays of awesomeness scattered throughout) that is molded around what sounds best for the song itself, and not for stroking the drummer’s ego can often make what would be may be only a “good” song at best, GREAT.
“but my love for his drum work also lies in some of the more subtle parts he plays (such as that barley noticeable but oh-so-important sst-sst-SSSSS on the hi-hat at the end of Across the Sea’s first half of the bridge).”
So true. That little transitional flair is essential.
Nice post CrazySticks. I completely agree – although they enjoy a lot of the credit due to their prominence, it’s not just the fills that make the Pinkerton drumming great. I was a little surprised that when I read “sst-sst-SSSSS” I instantly knew EXACTLY what bit you were talking about. I love that bit too – it’s nothing but 3 hits of a hi-hat but in context it totally makes that moment.
I agree with all of you that the Pinkerton drums SOUND is superior to any Weezer record, and Pat’s drumming on that album without a doubt is more memorable than on any Weezer record to date. He is not only backing one of the greatest albums of all time — he is PROPELLING one of the greatest rock albums of all time to such a status, like Soy worded more elegantly. All of the aforementioned drum moments you guys have described on Pinkerton are without a doubt unforgettable moments of the album. Most of us struggle to recall even one memorable drum moment on Maladroit without using the album as a cheat sheet for good reason, but I can vividly recall in my head each Pinkerton moment described in the above comments without having to relisten to the songs. I totally get that because there are few memorable moments to be had in Maladroit.
I wholeheartedly confide in CrazyStick’s statement that Pinkerton is the album of all Weezer albums that would hook one into drumming. Before I started picking up the drums nearly a decade ago, the album made me want to do it all — from Matt’s aggressively-thumping bass line on “Tired of Sex,” to Rivers’ slide-guitar solo in “The Good Life” and the dueling guitar solos of Rivers and Brian on “Pink Triangle,” and especially Pat’s murdering fills and intricacies in “Why Bother” and “Getchoo” (to name a few). When I started learning drums, Pat’s drumming on this album was one of the first things I wanted to emulate, and trying to do so allowed me to place his craftsmanship on an even higher pedestal. I know for a fact Pinkerton is an album that would convert any non-musician to musician status in a heartbeat, and Maladroit as a package just doesn’t carry the same gravitas.
However, I can say with confidence that from a technical standpoint, Pat’s collective attention to detail and versatility on every song of Maladroit is unprecedented by any collection of songs on a Weezer record to date, and it can be easily overlooked by the lackluster songs he is backing. I am not arguing that his drums or his attention to detail are lacking whatsoever on Pinkerton. Pat absolutely mauls every nook and cranny of Pinkerton, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I am also not implying that you guys are overlooking Pat’s brilliant drumming on Maladroit, as I am assuming that most of you DO see his brilliance in his drumming, even on an album like Maladroit.
Listening to Maladroit by tuning out all the instruments but drums is definitely a worthwhile experience to be had for all drummers and non-drummers alike as is listening to Pinkerton in the same respect. With consideration to the drum moments I mentioned above in the album version of “Keep Fishin’” there are so many other wonderful drum intricacies and moments throughout every song of this album. Unfortunately for my argument’s sake, describing most of these moments is the equivalent of describing the beautiful coloring and textures of an octopus – it is almost hard to acknowledge or to convey enthusiastically the beauty of something when it is surrounded by atrociousness. Also unfortunately for my argument’s sake, I used a horribly-contrived metaphor that I came up with in 30 seconds due to time constraints. =]
Pat’s drums are definitely a highlight of Maladroit. It’s very tight, muscular, and pretty creative (at least for dead-simple rock songs) — but even then, I like the Pinkerton style of drumming better. Rough and raucous, swinging for the fences, not afraid of anything. Maladroit might be what Pat wants to put on his resume for the Drum Academy, but his moves on Pinkerton are…well, something else.
That said, I completely know what you mean. Next time I listen to Maladroit (gimme a sec…), I’ll be sure to pay closer attention to Pat’s drumming though.
I actually think that Maladroit has some essential drum moments; particularly he gets a lot of spots to shine on songs intro (Keep Fishin, Burndt, DnD (which I finally listened to and is brilliant), American, etc.), and he really does get a lot of technical work in and around these tracks.
That being said, Keep Fishin is probably his best moment on the album, as he kinda keeps the whole thing together (actually, I find that about American Gigolo too; without Pats drumming, the whole thing turns into a bunch of choruses that dont really fit together).
Imagine my disappointment when this wasn’t a long, fascinating conversation about my favorite Maladroit song.
Well…it kinda is, Danup. Chime in about Keep Fishin’s drumming parts!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMmrGUXXXB8
Is it just me, or does this sound exactly like what Rivers has been working towards these past few albums? Personally, I have to say I like this song.
Actually, I just realized that whatever link I put up will probably be deleted. Check out “Magic” by B.o.B and Rivers Cuomo
I don’t like “Magic.” But unfortunately, yes, it is where Cuomo’s been stabbing at ever since Geffen told him to write some hits for the Red Album. Hopefully this is the sound of him getting it out of his system and not of him perfecting the formula of what he wants the next Weezer album to be.
And I don’t know, Danup. If you want to get a fascinating discussion of “Keep Fishin’” going, no one better to get it started than you! I can’t think of much more to say when it comes to this song…It’s just kind of there. I don’t mind it, but I don’t ever seek it out either.
That said, I think it’s great that quality discussions like the one we’ve been having pop up on this site all the time, even as I haven’t updated it in close to a season now. You guys are all wonderful.
What you’ve made is great soy. It’s the best place I know to talk about Weezer and really take time to think about the music before judging its worth upon first listen (like one would on Weezer.com or the official forum). It’s also really easy to approach this site as it’s not password protected, like some kind of incestuous Weezer nazi club *cough*.
Anyway, Keep Fishin’s never a skipper for me. It reminds me of the Muppets.
Thanks, man. Summer is just around the corner and I hope that that’ll give me enough time to continue. It’s been a while.
And if you ask me, the password is the least of ATW’s problems…
I just wanted to say: I still think this is an absolutely brilliant song. It’s like Green with more energy and a better solo. Had Maladroit been an album of stuff like this, it would easily be Weezers 3rd best.
Agreed, OOS, especially if we’re talking the radio version that cuts out a little of the fat and ads the nifty acoustic guitar riff.
great song but this cover http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6NHPrYcJpo almost ruined it for me. stop trying to be cute and learn to check if you’re in tune with the rest of the band before going on stage
Radio edit of this song is great and kills the album version. It amazes me that so many versions of Mala-era songs exist, yet the band seemed to put all the worst versions on the actual album… crazy.
Is there any other instances of the demo version being noticeably better then the album take? I mean, the album versions certainly arent perfect, but other then Keep Fishin’, they’re close in quality to all the other versions we’ve got.
I’d say that the original live SS2K version of Slob is quite a bit better than the album version and the instrumental D&D is argueably better as well. I guess it’s more of a case of better songs being omitted and not so much better versions.
I like the BBC demo version of “December” more than the album version, although there’s not a huge difference. I agree with you about “Slob”, there’s an interesting vibe to that live take that never translated in the studio.
The original live SS2k is WAAAAAY better than its album counterpart, as well as the instrumental D&D.
Also, I’m kind of missing All Things Weezer. What the heck is wrong with the board?
I definitely like the 27/5/01 DC demo of “Burndt Jamb” more than the album version. It’s got the “doo-doo-doo-doo” instead of lyrics, which has about as much meaning as the final lyrics anyway.
The renditions of “American Gigolo” and “Take Control” from that session are pretty interesting too, though I certainly wouldn’t go so far as to say they are “better”.
I liked the “Slave” demos more as well. Something about the demos had a kind of painful, helpless feel that I don’t think translated to the album version, which was slightly faster and poppier.
I’m hearing rumors weezer is signing up with Epitaph for the next album. Can anyone confirm this?
Is the DC demo of American Gigolo the one that sounds drastically different and nothing like the album version? I find that version very interesting but I am not sure if I prefer it over the album version or not… it’s definitely more quirky, if nothing else.
Direct from Rivers’ Twitter feed:
“Hey, Weezer is happy to announce our signing to @epitaphrecs and release of new album “Hurley” on September 14.”
Uh….. 1,000 points for anyone who saw any piece of that coming.
D’oh, I should have said “seen that coming a year ago”. Ah well, Soy you can just delete that comment. And this one.
Yes, ThomYorke, Weezer is now with Epitaph. Though no one really knows the details of the arrangement in relation to the Hurley exclusivity deal.
Yeah, Ludicrosity, the DC demo of AG is the goofy-sounding one. I don’t mind listening to occasionally for novelty value, but all-in-all it’s still not really that good.
english is not my first language, what is Hurley besides a character on lost?
Some store… don’t live in the states either so I don’t know what they sell… wanna say clothing but I am probably wrong on that.
Okay, according to wikipedia it’s a clothing brand that was bought by Nike a few years ago… they sponsor bands Blink-182 and Avenged Sevenfold… nothing about their own stores though.
Earlier conversation: the home demo of “Broken Arrows” is one of my favorite Rivers things, and it absolutely slays the band version that came about later during the Mala sessions.
Milo: No such luck.
Hurley: Yeah, and a Rolling Stone article just came out talking about how it’s going to largely be ’60s style pop with big crunch guitars. Sounds like what we’ve wanted from Rivers forever — he even compares his song “Smart Girls” to “Back in the U.S.S.R.” in that it’s clearly a cheesy Beach Boys-type thing not written by the Beach Boys — but there are still plenty of caveats (“the band worked with a fleet of songwriters”), and a truly dumb-assed quote about how “Smart Girls” was inspired by Rivers’ Twitter chica horniness. Proceed with caution, as ever…
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/17386/188927
I would squeal like a school girl if this album actually sounds like 5-star quality “60′s style pop with big crunch guitars,” but this band has given me ZERO reason recently to actually get my hopes up on the likelihood of them achieving that.
As you said, Soy, we shall proceed with extreme caution and crossed fingers. It does not bode well they named their album after a fucking clothing brand.
Please Weezer, I beg you…pull it off this time!
I didn’t really mind Rivers’ quote about hot girls on Twitter. I thought it was kinda funny. Isn’t it natural for a guy to notice when hot girls are talking to you, even if you’re 40 and on the internet?
Anyway, up ’til now I’ve always remained optimistic over a new release from a band I like, even if their last work sucked. This time, I can’t get very worked up over the new album. Maybe it’s because in the entirety of 2010 so far, there’s only been one single new album that’s really blown me away. It’s just not been a great musical year so far.
But yeah, Keep Fishin’. I don’t really like it. It’s just sort of there. I’ll admit it’s grown on me a little bit on recent re-listens of Maladroit, but I still don’t get why people pick this as one of the highlights of the album. While I won’t deny Maladroit has a *lot* of forgettable songs, there’s still a decent amount of material that, if nothing else, is a lot catchier than Keep Fishin’.
In regards to Soy’s Broken Arrows comment, I look forward to when that song comes out, because I really just dont get how people love the cell phone demo and dislike the Mala demo. For me the cell phone demo is basically the Mala demo recorded on a horrible mic. Though I haven’t listened to either in a while, so maybe i’m wrong.
And re-reading that I realized I made a mistake: I meant “comes up” (on TVS of course), not “comes out”.
I’m going to their Allentown show on September first. I hope they play some new songs!
Hurley sounds like it’s going to be upbeat.
I don’t know that there has ever been a time when the primary message board was down just prior to a record release. It’s feels weird.
Which board, Thom? ATW and .Com are both up.
I haven’t been able to load ATW for at least a couple of weeks – maybe something is just screwy on my own browser.
Aw shit, ThomYorke. I didn’t realise you meant that before otherwise I would have said something. It’s just the main page that is mucked up at the moment. If you go directly to allthingsweezer.com/forum it’s still OK.
“With the hip-hop and teen pop flavors of Raditude pushed to the side, Cuomo said Hurley will instead focus on 1960s-inspired pop songs such as the first single, ‘Memories,’ and the tracks “Ruling Me” and ‘Hang On,’ which he described as sounding like ‘Frankie Valli but mixed with Metallica guitars.’”
Agreed with Thom and Thunder on this. Statements like that make me WANT to get excited about this album…. But then I think about the realization, “A thousand Keep Fishin’s does not equal one Say It Ain’t So”, which got me equally hyper-pumped for I Want To Take You Home Tonight, a song that ended up being forgettable-at-best. (See how I brought it back to the actual topic of this article? Not easy!)
See also — Dreamin’, re: “epic, 6-minute, symphonic type of art song.”
Thanks,AF!
Yeah Milo, there’s definitely always been a disconnect between how Rivers perceives his own art and what it actually is. This sounds like an interesting idea for a Weezer record (at this point, I’m down for pretty much whatever), but a description like “Franki Valli + Metallica” — while cool in a perfect =W= world — just makes me imagine something more akin to “Represent” than anything else (Scott said that the album comes from the same sessions as that song). I also get the feeling that Rivers’ idea of a ’60s pop sound these days is along the lines of Weezer’s “I’m A Believer” cover, which is also disheartening.
Granted, I’m mostly just trying to expect the worst in hopes that the actuality of the record will pleasantly surprise.
what’s wrong with their cover of i’m a believer? sounded better than smash mouth’s, and after raditude, being better than smash mouth is something
Well the first single is out… I really hated it on first listen but the chorus is surprisingly catchy somehow… I think Rivers thinks that yelling makes the music raw though… which is kinda funny.
It’s their worst lead single, though not quite their worst overall. I like parts of it, and though the chorus is quite catchy, it’s ruined by an overload of production.
Still, the style of the verses/bridge bode well, and if this is one of the albums weaker tracks, were in for a good disc.
“if this is one of the albums weaker tracks, were in for a good disc.”
Why anyone still clings to this rationale is beyond me. Is “Hash Pipe” one of Green’s weaker tracks? Is “Keep Fishin’” or “Dope Nose” (err, which came first?) one of Maladroit’s? Like it or not, “Beverly Hills” is probably Make Believe’s most successfully realized track. And even as someone who’s not a huge fan of “Pork and Beans” or “I Want You To,” I can’t really imagine many folks placing either of them as one of the three or four worst tracks of their respective albums.
Granted, I hope “Memories” is by far Hurley’s weakest showing, because it is absolutely abysmal. Definitely their worst single (lead or not), and definitely one of the worst fucking things this band has ever done. I might actually break TVS tradition entirely and write a post about this thing on the morrow, if I can find the time and give-a-damn to vent a little.
YOUR BOY SOY STEPPED UP AND DONE DID THE POST ALREADY
Please redirect all future “Memories”/Hurley talk accordingly.
I would like to second everything Art said in comment #7.
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