Weezer
Album: Raditude (Geffen)
In stores: Nov. 3 
When Weezy met Weezer: Rivers Cuomo likes to play the shlub, the social misfit, and his power-pop band’s best albums (Pinkerton, Maladroit) revolve around his perversions. At the same time, the Weezer frontman is famous for lugging around a notebook with which he searches for the Ultimate Hit Formula, a sad sack in search of hap-hap-happiness. New album Raditude lets us know that Cuomo is growing out of his insecurities — and getting closer to that magical pairing of notes and beats. It also means that any sort of emotional complexity has been abandoned for an exclusive assault of roller-rink rock and Fonzie fantasies. This is, by far, the band’s most ecstatic offering, 10 tracks and 34 minutes of verse-hook-verse that rarely goes dark. Instead, it’s delirious, as Cuomo reaches out to R&B producer Jermaine Dupri and rap star Lil Wayne for the funky-white-boy strut of Can’t Stop Partying. On Love Is the Answer, Weezer incorporates traditional Indian instruments into an uplifting message. And there’s plenty of classic jangle-pop fun, from the NBA-arena stomp of The Girl Got Hot to the nerd-pop drive of (If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To. The album has all the nutritional content of a Drake's Cake, and you know the bespectacled frontman can write this stuff in his sleep. Then again, is there anyone with catchier dreams that Rivers Cuomo?
Reminds us of: Amid all the thrusty drums and “Whoa-oh-oh” shout-outs on The Girl Got Hot, Cuomo sneaks in a great Kiki Dee reference. You think Don’t Go Breaking My Heart is mentioned in his magical notebook? I bet it is.
Download these: The Girl Got Hot, I Don’t Want to Let You Go and I’m Your Daddy
Grade: A