• the217
• Music
• Weezer, Julian Casablancas and Dead To Me

Artist: Weezer

Album: Raditude

While loyal fans might praise the new Weezer LP for the band’s notoriously geeky humor, honest listeners will identify Raditude as a sign that the group has lost the lovable quirkiness of previous works like The Blue Album and Pinkerton. The banal “Love is the Answer” reeks of cheesiness, “Put Me Back Together” has an inexplicable Taylor Swift aura, and the Lil Wayne collaboration “Can’t Stop Partying” is fit for a really boring kegger. Weezer still manages to produce some catchy tunes, but simply not enough to maintain interest. —Jack LaBelle

SKIP or STICK WITH: SKIP

__________________________________________________________

Artist: Julian Casablancas

Album: Phrazes for the Young

Ominous, monolithic, cryptic, and beautifully-austere blends perfectly into Julian Casablancas’ iconic persona for his debut solo album. The irreplaceable frontman demonstrates his instrumental prowess as he plays all the myriad instruments on every track, but still perfectly complements each with his signature crooning vocals. Standout tracks “Left & Right In the Dark,” “Glass,” “11th Dimension” and “The Tourist,” demonstrate by far the most diverse effort of his peers with sweeping, twinkling synths backed by complex layering of the classic Strokes style drum and guitar work that was so familiar in the band’s previous three albums. —Kevin Hsia

SKIP or STICK WITH: STICK WITH

__________________________________________________________

Artist: Dead To Me

Album: African Elephants

African Elephants will take its time to grow on you. Though the album noticeably lacks the signature flair of founding member Jack Dalrymple, it is an adjustment that can — and must ­— be made. Catching up on what Cuban Ballerina started, the band develops heavy Clash influences into a solid mix of standard punk rock. Though the transition from “Three Chord Strut” to “California Sun” has an awkward best-to-worst track feel, you can’t dismiss a band for an “off” track or two, or a missing member at that. ­—Amanda Shively

SKIP or STICK WITH: STICK WITH