{"id":1349,"date":"2021-01-31T19:25:20","date_gmt":"2021-02-01T00:25:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hannahandmattonmedia.com\/?p=1349"},"modified":"2021-01-31T19:25:20","modified_gmt":"2021-02-01T00:25:20","slug":"ok-human-by-weezer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hannahandmattonmedia.com\/?p=1349","title":{"rendered":"“OK Human” by Weezer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hannah and Matt on Music: \u201cOK Human\u201d by Weezer<\/span><\/p>\n

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HANNAH LUTEREK AND MATT TURNER<\/b><\/p>\n

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For this installment of \u201cHannah and Matt on Music,\u201d we are joined by Evan Frew to review Weezer\u2019s latest: \u201cOK Human.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Matt\u2019s Take<\/b>: Weezer, as seen in mine and Hannah\u2019s review of Billy Cobb\u2019s \u201cZerwee,\u201d is one of my all-time favorite bands. Rivers Cuomo, however flawed his views have been, is an excellent lyricist. That is why the band\u2019s decline over the last two decades has been seriously frustrating. For every \u201cWhite Album,\u201d there\u2019s a \u201cRaditude.\u201d Weezer fans have never known what to expect. Take for instance their upcoming \u201cVan Weezer.\u201d It can be a colossal meme, or a phenomenal tribute to the metal music that Rivers Cuomo grew up with. If it follows the subversion of expectations that \u201cOK Human\u201d has given us, I think we\u2019re in for a real treat.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cOK Human\u201d was the first real music surprise of 2021 and let me say that it did not disappoint. While the debut single \u201cAll My Favorite Songs\u201d was a bit light, it fits! This album is a smooth and easily digestible work of art. I dug the lack of electric guitar, sorry Brian, instead opting for an orchestra. This is the most stylistically daring Weezer has been yet, and it definitely works! Like many others, my main issue with this album is the lyrics. It comes off a bit too quirky and modern, with references to Audible instantly dating the album. I think my main issue with the lyrics is that I don\u2019t really feel Cuomo\u2019s full genius on display.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Don\u2019t let this criticism detract from your excitement for this album though, it really is worth checking out, especially if you want a short listen that isn\u2019t too daunting. With a duration of just over a half-hour, this album is perfect for those suffering the quarantine blues.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Three Standout Tracks<\/b>: \u201cAloo Gobi,\u201d \u201cBird with a Broken Wing\u201d and \u201cLa Brea Tar Pits.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Overall Score: 8.6\/10<\/b><\/p>\n

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Hannah\u2019s Take:<\/b> Weezer\u2019s latest release, \u201cOK Human,\u201d is like a good skirt: long enough to cover the subject, but short enough to keep it interesting.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The album, half an hour in length, struck me as unexpectedly pop-ish. Maybe it\u2019s because I\u2019ve never been an avid Weezer listener, but I was shocked at how upbeat and radio-friendly the record seemed within the first three tracks. By the middle of the album, however, it is clear as day that frontman Rivers Cuomo has infused himself into every last lyric.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Emotional and chock-full of beautiful melodies, \u201cOK Human\u201d serves as a great departure from the Weezer of the past. As a listener, some of the songs even felt like something you\u2019d hear during a Broadway musical. \u201cPlaying My Piano,\u201d though a tad overproduced, takes me someplace else. It\u2019s almost as if I\u2019m visualizing the band performing in front of a crowd. This is not to say that the album is bad or cheesy; it\u2019s just plain different. Maybe on the dramatic side, but hey, I\u2019ve always loved the drama of it all.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The album also scores bonus points with me for wonderful transitions in between quite a few tracks. Weezer\u2019s technical charm is not lost on me, and as I said to start my review, \u201cOK Human\u201d proves to be short, but mighty. Before I listened, I was skeptical of how well the album would hold up in just over 30 minutes time, but I was proven very wrong.<\/span><\/p>\n

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As a whole, \u201cOK Human\u201d offers a little something for everyone. Whether you\u2019re a fan of modern pop, musicals, or classic rock, I think Weezer caters to every possible listener out there. The album is refreshing, out of character, and whimsical. I didn\u2019t expect to enjoy it as much as I did, but I\u2019m happy that 2021 has started with an album as quirky as \u201cOK Human.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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OK HUMAN? MORE LIKE OK GREAT!<\/b><\/p>\n

Written by Evan Frew<\/b><\/p>\n

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After several listens, I can now say with confidence that OK Human is a top-five Weezer album.<\/span><\/p>\n

My hopes were high when listening to the single, All My Favorite Songs, which is probably the most radio-friendly single on the track listing and the opening track. If you love the single, which is easily one of Weezer\u2019s most unique singles in their release history, then you\u2019re going to love the album. The album\u2019s direction of using strings and avoiding electronic instruments pays off wonderfully, thanks to the analog recordings and sessions at Abbey Road. During your first listen, take note and appreciate how the tracks flow into one another. This might be the closest thing we get to Weezer\u2019s unreleased rock opera, Songs From The Black Hole. Additionally, the emotional and personal undertones throughout the music, paired with Rivers\u2019 lyrics of isolation and loneliness, makes this a distinctive piece to be appreciated by both the fans and critics.<\/span><\/p>\n

I have one complaint that stayed from my first play-through to my most recent one: Some of the lyrics sit a little odd with me. Don\u2019t get me wrong, the lyrics are still a high point of this album and this is easily one of their most intelligently written works. My thing is that the A-side, and sometimes the B-side, can feel cheesy at certain points because a bizarre call back is dropped on your lap during a sonically intense moment. Weezer isn\u2019t afraid to use odd and quirky one-liners throughout their works but, with how personal this one is, it feels out of place at times.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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I\u2019m looking at you Kim Jong-un\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

Another complaint that came to mind but is forgivable involves the first and last track, All My Favorite Songs and La Brea Tar Pits. They are great tunes but with how wonderful and complex the composition is within the tracks placed in the middle of them, they feel a little weak in their placement. That is just my opinion and that might change during future listens. They are still great tracks nonetheless.<\/span><\/p>\n

But, if you have the time, please listen to this album and take in multiple listens when you can. It\u2019s a little over 30 minutes so definitely make the time. This is a beautiful album and it deserves the praise it is getting.\u00a0Now\u2026 Will Van Weezer keep that positive dialogue going?<\/span><\/p>\n

Three Standout Tracks<\/b>: Aloo Gobi, Mirror Image, Bird with a Broken Wing<\/span>
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Overall Score: 8.5\/10<\/b><\/p>\n

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Hannah and Matt on Music: \u201cOK Human\u201d by Weezer   HANNAH LUTEREK AND MATT TURNER   For this installment of \u201cHannah and Matt on Music,\u201d we are joined by Evan Frew to review Weezer\u2019s latest: \u201cOK Human.\u201d\u00a0   Matt\u2019s Take: Weezer, as seen in mine and Hannah\u2019s review of Billy Cobb\u2019s \u201cZerwee,\u201d is one of … Continue reading »“OK Human” by Weezer<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1350,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[66,68,67],"class_list":["post-1349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","tag-new-release","tag-ok-human","tag-weezer"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hannahandmattonmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/ok-human.jpg?fit=600%2C599&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hannahandmattonmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1349","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hannahandmattonmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hannahandmattonmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hannahandmattonmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hannahandmattonmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1349"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hannahandmattonmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1349\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1351,"href":"https:\/\/hannahandmattonmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1349\/revisions\/1351"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hannahandmattonmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hannahandmattonmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hannahandmattonmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hannahandmattonmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}