So why is Weezer’s OK Human on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
In my recent piece on Green Day’s Uno! (#522 of best 1,000 albums ever), I mentioned that it was an energetic and fresh-sounding album, particularly impressive for a band that had been around for a few solid decades at the time of its release.
Much the same can be said for Weezer’ OK Human, and add in a strong note that its orchestration and meticulously crafted sound – as ever under the watchful eye of Rivers Cuomo – makes for a dazzling and seamless listening experience end-to-end.
The order of songs on an album these days may not be as “important” as it once was, in this age of streaming and infinite playlists, but that makes it even more special and noteworthy when an album stands out for being particularly worthy of starting at the start and letting the songs roll in the order that was intended*.
* There’s certainly something to be said about the endurance of vinyl, even if for a relatively small slice of music collectors, DJs, and audiophiles. Part of the argument is about the sound quality itself, but setting that aside there’s something to the enforced “limitation” of dropping the needle to the groove and letting the songs play in the exact order that the musicians sweated over with intense passion and care.
All of these thoughts flow through my mind as I listen to the startlingly gorgeous and pleasing and catchy first three tracks on OK Human: “All My Favorite Songs,” “Aloo Gobi,” and “Grapes of Wrath.” As I allude to above, the crushing guitar hooks that you hear on albums like Maladroit (#550 of best 1,000 albums ever) are replaced by lush orchestral arrangements and piano-driven songs that owe much more to The Beatles and Ben Folds than The Ramones and The Buzzcocks.
The video for “All My Favorite Songs” is kind of a masterpiece (and let’s not forget that these dudes are true innovators of the form, going back to “Buddy Holly”), visualizing our strange relationship to technology and social media while also pushing the inherent irony and messaging around calling the album OK Human (an obvious play on the title of Radiohead’s own masterpiece of an album, OK Computer).
Its string section was arranged by David Campbell, who is known for working with artists such as Adele, Beyoncé, and Radiohead. The strings were recorded remotely by a group of musicians who each recorded their parts separately due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Screens” is a wonderfully groovy number, driven by a unique combination of bass guitar and strings. Dig the song title, too, and lines such as “eight hours gone… everyone stares at their screens,” and you get that Weezer has something to say with this album.
Some stats & info about Weezer – OK Human
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Rock Music, Alternative Rock, SoCal Bands, Pop Punk
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 4.5 out of 5 stars
- When was OK Human released? 2021
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #520 out of 1,000
Weezer’s OK Human on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from Weezer’s OK Human that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
All my favorite songs are slow and sad. All my favorite people make me mad.
What’s something interesting thing about Weezer’s OK Human that most people don’t know?
OK Human was recorded entirely using analog equipment, which is a rarity in today’s digital age. The album was recorded to tape using vintage microphones, instruments, and amplifiers to achieve a warm, classic sound.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.