Weezer's new album Raditude is in stores now, and the single "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To" is making big waves (it currently climbing up Billboard's rock songs chart). The album is Weezer's strongest in years, as it does an impressive job balancing the huge riffs, sweet melodies and frontman Rivers Cuomo's cheeky lyrics. Highlights include the driving "I'm Your Daddy" (which is the album's second single), the sweet "I Don't Want to Let You Go" and the jittery, pulsating "Tripping Down the Freeway."
One of the most interesting aspects of the album is the title itself. "The Office" star and Weezer pal Rainn Wilson came up with the name, but according to Cuomo, didn't provide any explanation or context for it. "He didn't say what it meant, so I've had to come up with my own definition," Cuomo told MTV News. "In my mind, 'raditude' is that state you reach when you're midway through the show, you're super-focused, and you stop thinking and stop criticizing yourself. And then suddenly you're able to pull off these amazing stunts, like a backflip or a super high note or a really fast guitar solo."
Cuomo has probably experienced a lot of raditude in the past few years, as his band has gone from a sheepish combo to an absolute arena-sized monster, able to rock thousands of people at once just like Cuomo's idols in Kiss. He said that it took him a long time to become a comfortable frontman, but now that he is able to read the crowd, it has informed both the way the band plays and the types of songs they write.
In the meantime, Cuomo knows that more people can benefit from the feeling that his album is supposed to give. "I'm sure athletes will recognize that sensation of raditude," he said. "When they're able to just plow through the defense and score a goal."
Today marks the release of Raditude, the seventh album from Weezer. Amazingly, the group has been around for 15 years and has survived a handful of personnel changes and more than one shift in focus. But unlike fellow rock veterans Foo Fighters (who are looking back on their career with their Greatest Hits, also out today), Weezer continue to evolve with time and roll with new trends.
On their last album (2008's self-titled "Red" album), they produced a video for the single "Pork and Beans" that sought to grab hold of dozens of different Internet memes all at once. Raditude features a collaboration with Lil Wayne. And now you can grab yourself an official Weezer-branded Snuggie (which the band calls "The Wuggie"). It's a sleeved blanket with "Weezer" written across the front, and if you order one from the band's official Web site, you'll score a copy of Raditude to go along with it. It's an amazing concept, but even Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo isn't entirely sure why.
"It's hard to understand the appeal of this product," Cuomo told MTV News. "Obviously it's a giant hit, but I don't really understand why. But as soon as we came up with the idea, we were like, 'Yes! This is it!' Cultural critics are going to have to go back and figure out what was going on here. It was genius, but at this moment we don't know why."
They have certainly proven to be practical. Last Friday (October 30), the band performed "I'm Your Daddy" (the next single from Raditude) on "The Late Show with David Letterman" while wearing the unusual garments. It helped keep the group warm (Letterman notoriously keeps his studio at a frosty 45 degrees) and made for easy play as well. "The Weezer Snuggie is actually very easy to play in — that's one of the greatest things about it," Cuomo explained. "You're able to strum the guitar, you're able to do fist pumps and pound the drums and stay warm."
