Pinkerton is an album that requires a lot of acceptance. You have to accept the fact that Pinkerton is basically frontman Rivers Cuomo’s problems smashed into a record and sold to the masses. Accept that Pinkerton the basis of the emo “genre” itself. Without actually listening to the album, one would probably think it’s an album that they’d want to skip if they were never really a fan of the emo bands that are growing in number in the past few years. Former reviews have ridiculed the album brutally, and the album had suffered from horrible sales.
But, this album is the perfect example of emotional expression, and how Weezer could’ve been if they continued down the same road. Pinkerton takes the power pop, nerdiness of Blue Album, and goes down a darker path with every aspect of their music. While generally similar to their debut album, Weezer’s sophomore effort is more bold, has fuzzier, heavier guitars, a lot more feedback emitted, and has more yelling. They still retain their charm with their quirky humor and upbeat tunes, but Cuomo’s studying at Harvard gave him the need to express his problems with relationships and personal experiences, thus having lyrics that seem somewhat vulgar and almost creepy, as well as being rather immature or poorly written. However, Cuomo has poured his heart onto the page, having honest lyrics that vividly express the trials of his life, and he definitely sells it with his singing. One could feel the frustration, loneliness, hopelessness that Cuomo was experiencing at the time, and most likely relate to it in some way. The darker sound also heavily contributes to the feel of raw emotion. Sharing these personal thoughts with everyone is a risky endeavor, and the critics initially dismissed the album as a mess. Cuomo was incredibly ashamed of the album and criticized it himself; he basically labelled it a mistake and rarely played any songs from the album live:
“It’s a hideous record… It was such a hugely painful mistake that happened in front of hundreds of thousands of people and continues to happen on a grander and grander scale and just won’t go away. It’s like getting really drunk at a party and spilling your guts in front of everyone and feeling incredibly great and cathartic about it, and then waking up the next morning and realizing what a complete fool you made of yourself.”
If you take a look at the ratings for this album now, you’ll see critics giving Pinkerton 10 out of 10s, 5 out of 5 stars and perfect scores in retrospect. You’ll also see Cuomo feeling better about the album and actually praising it. One might find Cuomo and critics to be outrageously insincere and hypocritical about their opinions, but one can’t blame Weezer for this. Pinkerton was a record that required boldness and bravery. It was definitely something that took a lot of risk, throwing all of Cuomo’s problems into the world and letting everyone hear about his personal issues. After everyone harshly criticized it and didn’t buy it, Cuomo wanted to completely forget about Pinkerton. It also lead to a departure of sound that was greatly apparent in the Green Album, which was almost like a reboot of sorts. Now Weezer’s music is not nearly as good as it was before. It saddens me to see Weezer have to depart from Pinkerton’s sound, but no one can blame them for that, because the initial poor sales and critical failure completely crushed their plans of possibly continuing down such a path.
I dislike listening to this album regularly because it feels too real and honest, yet at the same time for the very same reason I can’t help but come back to these songs every once in a while. Whatever Cuomo now feels about this album seems irrelevant in any case, because this truly is the emo/pop-punk album for all time. The Nerdy One made a Blood On The Tracks for that all too awkward and difficult stage between high school and college, where the stakes in relationships are raised, yet we’re ultimately none the wiser and often times even less mature in handling the complexities and misadventures that come along with ‘love.’ The chaos, energy and feedback perfectly capture the essence of exuberant libidos and the requisite sexual frustration that follows, while the pretty bittersweet pop melodies are tender reminders that blind optimism and heartbreak often room together. As for the lyrics well, they’re the icing on the cake for one. Cuomo’s self-deprecating sense of humor, coupled with a knack for cutting to the heart of relationship woes and worries, makes you feel as though you’re at a friend’s apartment listening to them spill their heart over more than a few tear-filled beers.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Pinkerton is an album everyone needs to experience. It’s only 35 minutes long, but it takes a few listens to get everything out of it.
Do you know where i can get a pinkerton diary thingy? (:
Yeah, you can buy it here online: http://riverscuomo.cinderblock.com/pinkerton-diaries :)
Pink Triangle
When I’m stable long enough
I start to look around for love
See a sweet in floral prints
My mind begins the arrangements
But when I start to feel that pull
Turns out I just pulled myself
She would never go with me
Were I the last girl on earth
I’m dumb, she’s a lesbian
I thought I had found the one
We were good as married in my mind
But married in my mind’s no good
Oh, pink triangle on her sleeve
Let me know the truth, let me know the truth
Might have smoked a few in my time
But never thought it was a crime
Knew the day would surely come
When i’d chill and settle down
When I think I found a good old-fashioned girl
Then she put me in my place
If everyone’s a little queer
Can’t she be a little straight?
I’m dumb, she’s a lesbian
I thought I had found the one
We were good as married in my mind
But married in my mind’s no good
Pink triangle on her sleeve
Let me know the truth, let me know the truth
I’m dumb, she’s a lesbian
I thought I had found the one
We were good as married in my mind
But married in my mind’s no good
Pink triangle on her sleeve
Let me know the truth, let me know the truth
I’m dumb, she’s a lesbian
I thought I had found the one
We were good as married in my mind
But married in my mind’s no good
A pink triangle on her sleeve
Let me know the truth, let me know the truth
Let me know the truth, let me know the truth
