Record Release Rundown: The Latest From Weezer, Macy Gray, Johnny Marr and More

— -- intro: This week the members of Weezer attempt to reclaim their rock roots, Macy Gray offers up her latest, the Smiths’ Johnny Marr offers up his second full-tilt rock album in two years, underground hip-hop legend MF DOOM joins forces with new rapper Bishop Nehru as NehruvianDOOM, Flying Lotus continues to find a middle ground between electro-flavored-hip-hop and classic jazz and Minnie Driver offers up a collection of covers of some of her favorite songs. This is quite a week for new music, so get ready!

quicklist: 1title: Weezer’s “Everything Will Be Alright In The End” ****text: This record will still be polarizing for sure among Weezer fans. Even in my own circle I’m finding people who strongly dislike it, but it left me with a very warm feeling I haven’t gotten from them in a while.

Everything about “Everything Will Be Alright In The End” indicates a return to form. And yes, from beginning to end, this album showcases the kind of grungy sonic explosions you loved on “The Blue Album” and “Pinkerton.” It helps to have the album produced by “Blue” producer (and Cars leader) Ric Ocasek. Twenty years after first working with them, he helps bring them back to their punchy, crunchy signature sound. This album may be more bubblegum-fueled than their debut, but it feels like the work of the same band.

Rivers Cuomo’s biggest fault has always been his simplistic lyrical approach and yes there are some painfully easy rhyming sections on here, and “Lonely Girl” and the still awkward “Ain’t Got Nobody” may get groans from certain people, but elsewhere he offers up some surprises. On the funky, falsetto dance shuffle, “I’ve Had It Up To Here,” he throws in words like “homogenized” and “mediocrity” into his lyrics. He also doesn’t seem to be writing just straight-forward, bland love-songs this time. “The British Are Coming” is an odd but affecting song about the American Revolution, while “Da Vinci” and “Cleopatra” both name-check the historical figures for which they are named.

This album plays better as a whole than it does in separate parts. It fits together really well and gives a comprehensive view of what the music of Weezer sounds like in 2014. This is a focused effort to win back the original fans who may have given up once they heard “Raditude”’s “Can’t Stop Partying.” No, you’ll never get the lyrical frankness heard on “Pinkerton” again and Rivers still seems slightly guarded in the lyrical realm, but this is just about the best Weezer album you could hope for from this band at this point. It’s quite possibly their best album since “The Red Album.”

The title fits. If they can keep up this pace, maybe “Everything Will Be Alright In The End.” It’s a relief.

Focus Tracks:

“Go Away” (Featuring Bethany Cosentino) Pairing Weezer with Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino is an inspired move. This song soars beyond its admittedly run-of-the-mill breakup-themed lyrics to be a sweetly timeless ballad. Cosentino and Cuomo are perfectly matched here, combining their signature styles effectively. This is also an argument for Ocasek to be in the running to produce the next Best Coast record.