I think the Pitchfork review is absurd (there's a sentence I've probably said about fifty times). This is a way, way better CD than Green or Maladroit and I like both of those CD's. I actually think this is a better CD than Pinkerton.
Obviously it doesn't touch Blue; nothing can, the pre-fame Rivers who made Blue can never recapture those emotions. But all things considered, I think Make Believe is the best album that "grown-up Weezer" can make. I'm not wild about the single, but "This Is Such a Pity" is an awesome Police homage right out of left field (Pitchfork clearly didn't get the joke about the solo--I would equate their comments to me reviewing
Peasant's Quest by saying "The graphics are so crappy, they look like a 1987 adventure game.") and I think "Peace" and "The Damage in Your Heart" are two of the finest melodies Rivers has ever written--and that's what he does better than any other songwriter, write melodies. Seems to be tough to get the screamo generation (aka melodic = bland...but I'm not judging
) to understand that.
What I love about this album is that Rivers appears to actually care what he's singing about, as opposed to the complete hodgepodge of random rhyming words he used throughout Green and most of Maladroit. This album is loud, melodic, and super-catchy. I can't say I'd recommend it to Taking Back Sunday fans or anything, but the twentysomething set who remembers falling in love with Blue and Pinkerton and gave up on Weezer afterwards should give these songs a chance.
Put another way: I'm giving this album the same score I gave
Runaway.
