Weezer (Deluxe Edition)

iTunes Review

Weezer's debut proved that the '90s alt-rock boom had considerably more going for it than Nirvana and other benefactors of Seattle scene hype. Indeed, fueled by a geek-appeal that was refreshingly organic, Rivers Cuomo and company delivered one of the decade's most assured debuts here. While so much of the decade's music revolved around specious angst and cheap intellectual irony, Cuomo's songs often had an insouciant charm that seemed equally rooted in '70s arena rock and '80s new wave, yielding the infectious singles in "Buddy Holly," "Undone (The Sweater Song)," and "Say It Ain't So." The band's easy way with melodies and hooks are also showcased on the standouts "In the Garage," "Surf Wax America," and "The World Has Turned and Left Me"-filled with one of the charms generally in short supply during the era: genuine innocence.