“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.”

The radio single “Pork and Beans” gets better with each listen, and its roundabout chorus of “I Don’t Care” makes this song an ultimate anthem for non-conformity. “Heart Songs,” a remarkably pretty song which recognizes Weezer’s musical heroes, swells with humility uncommonly found in the rock and roll world.  Not only is the song gracious, but it also provides a welcomed mid-album dose of mellowness. Singing “Bruce Springsteen had a hungry heart” and “These are the songs that are never wrong,” the song’s cleverness is matched by its earnestness. One can picture the lead singer sitting in his childhood bedroom in the early '80s. And Weezer reveals the fruits of their rock and roll education when the song erupts with storm thrashing guitars and horns towards the end.

What is great about the members of Weezer, and the album itself, is that they make everything their own. Even on a proverbial break-up song like “Thought I Knew,” which tells of standard betrayal, Weezer still manages to preserve its unique sense of humor, singing “Sorry I forgot your name.” Guitarist Brian Bell also sings lead vocals on “Thought I Knew” with an appealing ease, and Weezer takes on the classic rock and roll theme of “take off your pants, girl” on “Cold Dark World.” Bassist Scott Shriner croons, “I will protect you,” and follows it up with, “But if you need love, I’ll sex you.”  This dating song takes an existential spin of romance, portraying the world as, yes, cold and dark. The song borders on cheesiness, but Shriner sings with conviction and makes it work.

On their final tune, “Angel and the One,” Weezer digs deeper, evoking their spirituality when singing, “I feel the deeper peace.” The song itself begins with a stripped-down guitar and vocals, and soon swells into an orchestral mix of thrashing guitars and interesting tempo changes. They reveal a new side of themselves and “Angel and the One” makes for a brave end to an interesting and varied album. Long-time Weezer fans truly have fresh new material on their hands. And best of all, the album gets better and better with each listen.

-Alexis Smith