Weezer

Weezer has become one of those bands so unabashedly adored by fans and critics that Rivers Cuomo and Co. could probably fart into a microphone, record it and still push a million units. Make Believe isn’t a bad album, but it does come off as a bit lazy and uninspired. The band goes for the easy sell with the first single, “Beverly Hills,” a chiseled rock anthem that fits snuggly among the rest of the TRL-hewn schlock. And the synth-driven “This Is Such a Pity” borrows from the ever-popular re-emergence of ’80s New Wave and will predictably be chosen as the next single. But it doesn’t matter, because any lack of effort on Cuomo’s part is concealed under a glossy pop sheen—and damn it if the rest of Make Believe isn’t brilliantly catchy. I guess all is well in the Weezer universe. Fans will love it. And Rolling Stone already gave the album four stars—what a shocker.