Hurley

Weezer return to their indie rock roots on Hurley, their first release on Epitaph and the start of a new chapter in the band's storied career. In many ways, Weezer have always been the unlikeliest of pop rock bands, earning major radio and video play for leftfield singles like "Undone The Sweater Song" and "Buddy Holly," songs that hardly seem calculated to become radio hits. It is exactly this "uncalculated" quality that the band returns to on their eighth album. Hurley is as warm and embracing as the glowing smile on actor Jorge Garcia's face that graces the cover, as ragged and endearing as fan favorite Pinkerton, as bold and hooky and open as "Pork and Beans." In other words, Hurley is in the classic tradition of the best Weezer albums, clever and confessional and quirky and hugely sing along.