cd sunday: weezer's pinkerton

i imagine this one might be a controversial choice.  after all, it was weezer's self titled debut album (unofficially known as the blue album) that broke through the music charts and made this band a phenominon of the 90s.

their follow-up album was much anticipated, but compared to blue, pinketon (or is it pink or tan?) was considered an epic failure.  many fans were disappointed, critics were harsh, and yet that did not deter my good friend jeff from falling in love with this album.  it was his enthusiasm (and singing along with the music turned up as loud as his parent's minivan could handle) that sold me on this disc.

much like many of the albums featured on my top 20 list, this one is unique.  it features lyrics that make you cringe, cry, and laugh, all at the same time.  the music is somewhat dark and rough around the edges, but is all comes together in one complete package.  some have said that it ushered in the "emo" music style, but but nothing i've heard from that genre comes close to the complexity featured on this record.

favorite songs from this collection are the cleverly written fan mail song "across the sea", the sexually frustrated "pink triangle", and the quiet acoustic guitar song that closes the album "butterfly".

you might be wondering what pinkerton has to do with the norton simon museum, and quite frankly, very little.  however the giant banner on the side of the museum advertises a current exhibit featuring the artist, hiroshige, from whom the band borrowed the cover art for the album.

1. u2 - the joshua tree
2. dave matthews band - crash
3. cake - comfort eagle
4. blue rodeo - five days in july
5. the beach boys - pet sounds
6. coldplay - viva la vida