“I’m a troublemaker/ Never giving up,” sings lead singer Rivers Cuomo on Weezer’s latest effort, The Red Album. This is a fitting introduction to Weezer’s sixth album.  Not only have they not given up, but they are also still making great music. Their ironic sense of humor and musical intricacy are still in top form on every track. Throughout the record, they combine the catchiness of pop with the weirdness of alt-rock, producing an extremely satisfying and quirked-out pop rock album. The most interesting song on the album is “The Greatest Man That Ever Lived,” which begins with a piano solo straight out of a church hymn. Cuomo croons in his sweetest falsetto mid-way through the song, and moments later he raps “I’m the baddest of the bad” over sounds of sirens and hip-hop beats.  The song has multiple-personalities, but it all works, especially when they break into full-throttle rock out form. The well-read Weezer even quotes Hamlet on this track, evoking Mr. Shakespeare when they sing, “Somebody once said that life is but a stage.”

A six piece all male band from Long Beach, California, Mulatto aims to blend their many influences ranging from rock and jazz to pop and soul. The soft crooning of lead vocalist Diondre Tribble, backed by the peaceful harmonies of his band mates, is on full display with the saxophone-heavy jam, "Remedy." As many of their songs revolve around women, the multi-ethnic sextet seem to share a common ground. And although they tend to feel more comfortable producing smoother, lighter tracks, the band is unafraid to experiment with some heavy distortion and thrashing guitar solos like in their breakthrough feel good song, "Dreamland." Mulatto's unabashed experimentation and boldness mirrors the unmistakable freedom and levity of summer.

-Noah Gorksy