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2008 album from the Alternative rockers. Weezer, one of the biggest and most influential bands of the last decade will, for the third time in its six-album history, release a self-titled album already being referred to by people as The Red Album. Comprised of sessions produced by Rick Rubin, Jac Lee and the band itself, the album is adventurous and undeniably Weezer. The first single, the quirky and catchy 'Pork and Beans', was recorded under the watch of the Irishman Lee and already a Modern Rock smash hit. 10 tracks. .com ---- Early word on the sixth album from Weezer--and their third self-titled record, although fans, sensibly, are referring to it as "The Red Album"--is that this is their experimental record. Luckily, Rivers Cuomo isn’t interested in penning his own jazz odyssey; for him, experimental is just finding cunning ways to nuance Weezer’s stock-in-trade--crunchy, candy-sweet guitars and vocal harmonies--with new pop tricks. The sardonic lyric of "Pork and Beans" hints at a new direction: "Timabaland knows the way to reach the top of the charts," Cuomo sings, "maybe if I work with him I can perfect the art". Actually, Timbaland’s not on board, but producer Jac Lee brings a variety of drum machines and electronics, and Weezer rise to the challenge with some generally inspired messing around. "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Theme)" sees Cuomo adopt a gangsta rap slur over screaming sirens, while elsewhere, the other three Weezer members take a turn at the microphone. But it’s Cuomo’s songs that are the winners--notably "Heart Songs", a tribute to the songs that "never feel wrong" that swoops from melodic schmaltz to grunge scuzz with a deft invocation of Nirvana. Skip to the bonus tracks, meanwhile, for a great cover of "The Weight" that takes The Band’s original and drenches it in chundering guitars. --Louis Pattison