Weezer's happy days are here again
"Weezer"
There should be some sort of signal -- maybe two hands making a "W" -- that could be beamed across the world Batman-style to alert one-time Weezer fans that it's time to check in with Rivers Cuomo and the guys again.
Now would be a good time to fire that thing up, because "Weezer" (Crush Music/Atlantic) takes some of the sunniest, melody-driven parts of its eponymous debut (better known as "The Blue Album") and some of the creative writing lyrics of "Pinkerton" to create one of the prolific band's best albums in years.
Weezer has done its share of stretching its sound and trying new things in the past two decades or so. Not on this "Weezer" album, destined to be called "The White Album" by fans. Instead, the band sharpens all its hooks and hones the lyrics to potent, graspable ideas with imagery as vivid as possible. That's not to say it's simple.
In "Thank God for Girls," Cuomo describes the Adam and Eve story as "God took a rib from Adam, ground it up in a centrifuge machine, mixed it with cardamom and cloves, microwaved it on the popcorn setting." Darwin and Sisyphus get name-checked in "Wind in Our Sail."
Cuomo does not rap here. Lil Wayne makes no guest appearance. Instead, we get the practically perfect "California Kids," an optimistic anthem packed with Beach Boys harmonies and grinding guitars tinged with enough knowing regret to make it even more powerful. "(Girl We Got a) Good Thing" somehow joins Beach Boys sweetness on the chorus to The Beatles' dramatic rock on the verses without sounding too dated or studied.
"Weezer" finds the band as sharp as ever, returning to past glories to discover new ones.
Lukas Graham
"Lukas Graham"
Don't be fooled. Lukas Graham, the Danish singer (and band that also bears his name) behind the yearning ballad "7 Years," is not another supersensitive European singer-songwriter like Passenger or Hozier.
He has way more swagger and even a sense of humor.
His debut album "Lukas Graham" includes not only sensitive piano-driven pop, but also a healthy helping of soul.
Though it's easy to see why Team Graham would want songs thematically similar to his smash "7 Years," his skill is actually in translating his love of R&B into something poppier, as he does in "Drunk in the Morning" and the sleek soul of "Strip No More."
"Lukas Graham" is smartly planned and well-crafted, but its real strength is when Graham lets go and sings from his soulful heart.
This story was originally published April 8, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Weezer's happy days are here again ."