Weezer, Weezer

Official Release Date: June 24

The Verdict: Since making dubious returns to the sound of their early, fan-loved classic albums seems to be paying dividends for bands these days, Weezer, too, has decided to give it a go on their sixth record, eight-tenths of which hit the Internet yesterday. In the face of logic and history, we were still holding on to crazy hopes that this might be another Pinkerton, mostly based on the goofily charming single "Pork and Beans." On a first listen, though, it barely sounds like another Maladroit. We really like "Troublemaker" and "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)," either of which is probably good enough to have been on 2000's "The Green Album," but everything else is pretty forgettable, more or less in line with 2005's Make Believe. Worst of all, Rivers Cuomo has loosened his death grip on creative control, and even allowed a song written and sung by rhythm guitarist Brian Bell, who sounds a little like Uncle Kracker.