Make Believe (CD - 2005)

Weezer: Rivers Cuomo, Scott Shriner, Pat Wilson, Brian Bell.

Additional personnel: Akiko Tarumoto (violin); Jason Freese (saxophone); Stephanie Eitel (background vocals).

Weezer opens its fifth record, 2005's MAKE BELIEVE, with the single "Beverly Hills," an anthemic slice of power-pop with a sing-along chorus and heart-on-the-sleeve vocals. The song makes it seem as though Weezer hadn't changed a speck since the band captured hearts of MTV fans and indie rockers alike with its 1994 eponymous debut. However, what follows is one of the quartet's most musically mature efforts--a diverse, gratifying album filled with Beatlesque hooks and guided by the skilled hand of producer Rick Rubin.

As frontman Rivers Cuomo shines a flashlight on himself with trademark insecurity on lines like "I have many doubts about my motives" and "I'm not the toughest guy," his voice quavers and quakes in the innocent style that has endeared him to so many. The mood of MAKE BELIEVE roams from the desperate late-night isolation of the piano-led "Perfect Situation" to the love-gone-wrong vibe of the synthesizer-heavy "This Is Such a Pity." The album ends on the lovelorn, weeping-guitar loneliness of "Haunt You Every Day," and it's clear that Cuomo is still a sad, pining poet in search of elusive serenity, but the group's songcraft is ever growing. minimize