Weezer disappoints with mediocre EP

If you're a Weezer fan, then you probably already know about their live EP, The Lion and the Witch.

You know that it was supposed to be released only in a select few independent record stores across the country, including Charles Village's very own Record &Tape Traders. You also know that somehow copies of it popped up in various chain stores in various places. You've more than likely had the retail version in your CD collection for a few weeks now, seeing as it came out in September. Before that, you had bootleg MP3's of it on your computer. And you certainly have already downloaded the full version of "Holiday," complete with an additional 30 seconds of Rivers Cuomo's "witty banter," off of their official Web site.

But most importantly, unlike most Weezer albums -- which you either love or hate -- you might actually feel neutral about this one. Not that some fans won't love it (and some fans won't hate it), but there actually will be a group that takes the middle ground this time around. But first, let's look at why you might hate it and why you might love it.

You'll love it because it's Weezer. Well, that pretty much sums up this category.

You'll hate it because it's Weezer that isn't amazing. It's all previously released songs, with the exception of "Polynesia," the so-called song that opens the EP. On top of that, about half the songs are worse than their studio versions. Most of the in-between-track comments aren't really all that funny. (Sorry Rivers & Co., but it's the truth.)

Those of us who take the middle ground have this to blame for our indifference: mediocrity. It's not that we just can't decide whether we like it or not, but we realize that it's neither the best nor the worst that they could have done. For one, the songs chosen are pretty much the safe route. They (and by "they" I, of course, mean just Cuomo) picked a few classics from their older releases ("Holiday," "El Scorcho," "Falling For You"), the requisite recent hits ("Dope Nose," "Island In The Sun") and a more down-tempo track off of their latest full-length, Maladroit ("Death And Destruction").

In this sense, the EP might make an alright primer to Weezer's older material for the younger fan-base, attracted to their pop-ier 2001 self-titled LP and the aforementioned Maladroit. Half of the songs are off of these two albums, so there's enough familiar material for them to not be completely alienated, but also enough material that's new-to-them to make the purchase of this EP seem warranted.

If that's what Weezer was going for, they've done alright. Otherwise, this is just a half-hour long so-so live album. The devotion of their fans will certainly assure Weezer that the CDs will all be bought up, but still ?

One can't help but wonder if this latest, less-than-amazing release signals a future of safe, average albums from Weezer. I certainly hope it's just a fluke.