All Hail…Hurley?

Oh yes, they did. From sticking a flying, Marmaduke-like dog on the cover of their last album Raditude, to creating a music video cast almost entirely out of YouTube stars, to inviting local fans to come jam with them at their “Hootenanny,” alternative rock band, Weezer always seems to be pulling one offbeat stunt after another.

Now, they seem to have encapsulated their latest mischief in their upcoming album, Hurley. The name is not a reference to the skateboard company, but rather to a character from the ABC show “Lost.” Then they took a picture of Jorge Garcia (the actor who plays Hurley) and plastered the album cover with his face.

What?

Did they run out of colors of the rainbow? No flying dogs handy? Decided naming their albums Weezer one after another was too narcissistic? Lead singer Rivers Cuomo explained to Spinner.com that the picture of Garcia had “an amazing vibe,” — evidently reason enough to merit cover art. It should also be noted Cuomo never actually watched “Lost” before making his decision. No shameless corporate promotion for ABC, just a happy face with an amazing vibe.

Sorry, “Lostaholics” — none of the music on the album has anything to do with the show. However, Hurley’s tone does convey Weezer’s typical ear-pleasing, forceful rock-out vibe, buttered in a melodic energy that hearkens back to Make Believe (2005). The music quality starts out strong in general, but wavers and drops off towards the end.

As far as the individual tracks go, the happy-go-lucky “Memories” sets the tone for the whole album, although making it the very first track is like using a pine tree air freshener as your hood ornament — not the right tool for the job. Sure, the focus on Cuomo’s sonorous voice engages the listener, but the chorus incorporates a slightly annoying bees-buzzing synthesizer sound, and the melody itself is not the best this album has to offer. Still, the song will no doubt have die-hard fans banging their heads and jumping around like maniacs, while casual listeners cringe and hit “next.”

“Unspoken,” on the other hand, would have been a great track to kick off the album. The song begins softly, with an acoustic guitar playing behind Cuomo’s signature whisper-singing. The melody meanders on until about halfway through, when it suddenly pounds into a gratifying rock ballad-type finish that makes you want to thrust your fist in the air and say, “Yeah!”

This is just as well, since it leads into what may be the most questionable track on the album, “Where’s My Sex?” This song has some repulsive opening lyrics “Mom made my sex /She knitted it with her hands.” The song pays homage to Weezer’s trademark penchant for juxtaposing catchy, sing-along melodies with grunge guitar and utterly ridiculous lyrics.

“Hang On,” “Run Away,” and “Brave New World” represent the consortium of mediocrity that plagues the last half of the album, though the energetic “Smart Girls” manages to break through the static. “Brave New World” in particular displays the quality of Cuomo’s voice by himself, but when drummer Patrick Wilson and guitarist Brian Bells add their yaps to the mix, the vocals start sounding less like singing and more like earnest talking.

Hurley is not excellent, but it does have above average songs (and below average songs, for that matter). As a whole, though, the sounds of the album interlock and play off each other, rendering it an energetic, feel-good and cohesive listen overall. Sure, they may dink around a lot, but if there is one thing this band takes seriously, it is the integrity of the modern rock album. Hats off to you, boys. You have an amazing vibe.

2.5 out of 5 stars