Starting with irresistible lead single ‘Pork and Beans’, a chunk of Weezer’s sixth album delivers the band’s trademark combo of crushing power chords, pop-culture references and a healthy dose of ironic self-ridicule.

But the most intriguing tracks depart from the formula in radical fashion. ‘Heart Songs’ traces a line from Gordon Lightfoot to Nirvana on the way to recounting Weezer’s own genesis.

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The concluding ‘The Angel and One’ works its way to outright grandeur and both trade irony for a ton of sentiment – Rivers Cuomo’s psychotherapy must be working. It’s just like him to slap on a smiley face while the world is going to hell.

BUD SCOPPA