Maladroit

There is a plethora of Weezer songs that can be construed as based on love gone wrong, love unrequited, love-that-could-never-be. Each of these songs has their own power and passion. Each has their time and place with me in my heart.Nevertheless, I'm ready to declare (for now) that "Death and Destruction" (from Maladroit) is the penultimate Weezer song about love that was unrequited. Most purists or even the casual listener would grant "Say It Ain't So" (off the Blue Album) as the champion of tunes written by Rivers Cuomo dedicated to romantic notions gone the path of sad conclusions. I will say this is the 2ND best song in their considerable library of emotionally charged punk-pop ditties.

However, upon listening to "Death and Destruction" for the 47th (I'm counting, for sure) time, I was compelled to give it the "best" status based on the rank power, emotion, and simplicity that it contains. When Rivers tells the listener, after being pushed off by his paramour, that he "learned to look the other way", something inside of me breaks, and I can't quite equate it to any feeling I get from anything other than complete heartbreak. He's a master of emoting his angst and struggle and utter anguish.

It's bands like this, writers and lyricists like this, that make be disdain all the alternative posers of today. Yes, it's late and I'm being emotional. That's what the best of rock is all about.

PS: If you want to hear Rivers' voice crack with emotional sincerity (at its most subtle and frank), listen to the little acoustic number "Butterfly" off the underrated Pinkerton album. I'm done now.