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OK Human

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OK Human
Studio album by
Weezer
ReleasedJanuary 29, 2021 (2021-01-29)
Recorded2018–2020[1][2][3]
Genre
Length30:27
Label
ProducerJake Sinclair
Weezer chronology
Weezer
(2019) 		OK Human
(2021) 		Van Weezer
(2021)
Singles from OK Human
  1. "All My Favorite Songs"
    Released: January 21, 2021
  2. "Grapes of Wrath"
    Released: April 14, 2021

OK Human is the fourteenth studio album by American rock band Weezer, released on January 29, 2021 by Crush Music and Atlantic Records. Featuring a baroque-pop influenced sound, inspired by albums such as Harry Nilsson's Nilsson Sings Newman (1970) and the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds (1966), the album was recorded entirely with analogue equipment and features a 38-piece orchestra. The album was preceded by the lead single "All My Favorite Songs", released on January 21, 2021. The album received generally positive reviews from critics. OK Human is the first of two Weezer albums to be released in 2021, followed only four months later by Van Weezer.

Background

[edit]

Work on OK Human began as early as 2017, when the band decided to make an album that combined rock instrumentation with an orchestra.[4] Producer Jake Sinclair suggested that they hire a 38-piece orchestra and also gave Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo the album Nilsson Sings Newman to listen to, on which singer Harry Nilsson covered songs by Randy Newman.[5] They had just finished production on the album when they got an offer to join bands Green Day and Fall Out Boy on the Hella Mega Tour for the summer of 2020.[4][6] This prompted them to start work on another album, Van Weezer, which featured music that would translate better to a stadium tour, but when the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the tour, they decided to switch around the release dates of the albums once again.[6]

Cuomo first mentioned OK Human prior to the release of Weezer (The Black Album) in a February 2019 interview with the Los Angeles Times. He called the album "piano-based" and "very eccentric" and said that he had recorded strings for the album at Abbey Road Studios.[2] In May 2020, Cuomo commented during a Zoom call that he estimated OK Human was "75% done", but that he did not anticipate the album being released in 2020.[7] The album was planned to be released following their intended fourteenth album, Van Weezer, but when the album suffered a year-long delay following the COVID-19 pandemic,[8] the band hinted that they were shifting their focus to completing OK Human first.[9] On November 17, 2020, the band announced the completion of OK Human during a Q&A session following a livestream performance.[10] On January 18, 2021, the band announced a release date of January 29 with the release date of the lead single, "All My Favorite Songs" on January 21.[11][12]

The album's title is a play on the 1997 Radiohead album OK Computer.[13] The cover art was illustrated by Mattias Adolfsson.[14]

Composition

[edit]

Musically, OK Human has been described as orchestral pop,[15][16] chamber pop,[17] baroque pop,[18] pop,[19] and pop rock.[16]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.3/10[20]
Metacritic75/100[21]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[19]
Consequence of SoundB−[22]
Clash[23]
Entertainment WeeklyC−[24]
Exclaim!8/10[25]
Kerrang![26]
The Line of Best Fit6/10[27]
NME[15]
Pitchfork5.8/10[28]
Rolling Stone[29]

OK Human received generally favorable reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the release received an average score of 75, based on 21 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[21] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave the album a 7.3 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[20]

Writing for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote a highly positive review of the album, stating that the album "offers a singular, complete listening experience unlike anything else in their catalog."[19] Similarly, R.A. Hagan, writing for Clash Music, praised the album for being "more careful, sincere, and delicately crafted" than the band's previous two studio albums, Pacific Daydream and the Black Album.[23] Aaron Mook of Chorus.fm recommended the album, calling it "a left-field masterpiece that comes dangerously close to reaching the heights of the band's early career."[30]

However, publications like Entertainment Weekly and Pitchfork were more critical of the album. Writing for Pitchfork, Ian Cohen wrote that the album felt "as impersonal as water-cooler small talk".[28] Eli Enis wrote for Entertainment Weekly that "the fleeting moments of authenticity are hidden beneath a pile of hokey one-liners, spotty vocal performances, and awkward arrangements that rely on the accompanying orchestra to provide all of the emotional depth", but still noted that "it's arguably the darkest and most personal record that Cuomo has written since his fans' beloved Pinkerton."[24]

Other music critics were more ambivalent in their judgement of the album. Writing for Consequence of Sound, Tyler Clark concluded; "Chalk it up to the unpredictability of 2021; despite the creative and cultural headwinds into which it was released, OK Human lands as a surprisingly charming collection of pop tunes whose imperfections add to rather than detract from the experience."[22] In the review for The Line of Best Fit, Alex Wisgard stated that "Weezer’s greatest misses may come from their frontman’s visceral desperation to stay relevant, but it’s a relief to hear them take chances and risk failure in such a new way. The album might just be OK, but it’s been a long time since Weezer have dared to be this human."[27]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Rivers Cuomo, except "All My Favorite Songs", written by Cuomo, Ashley Gorley, Ben Johnson and Ilsey Juber

No.TitleLength
1."All My Favorite Songs"3:22
2."Aloo Gobi"3:03
3."Grapes of Wrath"2:50
4."Numbers"3:20
5."Playing My Piano"2:36
6."Mirror Image"1:17
7."Screens"2:11
8."Bird with a Broken Wing"3:51
9."Dead Roses"2:17
10."Everything Happens for a Reason" (Instrumental)0:23
11."Here Comes the Rain"2:27
12."La Brea Tar Pits"2:50
Total length:30:27

Personnel

[edit]

Adapted from AllMusic.[31]

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for OK Human
Chart (2021) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[33] 129
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[34] 43
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[35] 69
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[36] 35
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[37] 11
Irish Albums (IRMA)[38] 54
Scottish Albums (OCC)[39] 11
Swedish Physical Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[40] 13
Swedish Vinyl Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[41] 9
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[42] 32
UK Albums (OCC)[43] 91
US Billboard 200[44] 41
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[45] 5
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[46] 6

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Bosso, Joe (June 29, 2021). "Rivers Cuomo: "We suppressed these impulses for many years... It was a real joy to open up that Pandora's box of evil guitar tools and go crazy"". Guitar World. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Wood, Mikael (February 22, 2019). "Being Rivers Cuomo: Why Weezer's frontman put his life into a spreadsheet". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  3. ^ Aniftos, Rania (January 29, 2021). "Weezer's 'OK Human' Album Is Here: Stream It Now". Billboard. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Rivers Cuomo On Weezer's Latest, 'OK Human,' And The Need To Riff (Or Not)". NPR.org. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  5. ^ "It's not 'Pinkerton.' But Weezer's Rivers Cuomo gets pretty emo on 'OK Human'". Los Angeles Times. January 27, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Rivers Cuomo explains why OK Human is being released before Van Weezer". Kerrang!. January 26, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  7. ^ "Watch Rivers Cuomo Cover Nirvana's Heart-Shaped Box". Kerrang!. May 13, 2020. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  8. ^ Bloom, Madison (May 6, 2020). "Weezer Delay Album and Share New Song "Hero": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  9. ^ Carter, Emily (January 26, 2021). "Rivers Cuomo explains why OK Human is being released before Van Weezer". Kerrang!. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  10. ^ Wilde, Bree (November 18, 2020). "Weezer Announce Completion of "OK Human" During Livestream Set". Setlist.fm. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  11. ^ Weezer [@Weezer] (January 18, 2021). "Hold on to your hard drives OK Human, the new album, arrives 1/29
    "All My Favorite Songs" the first song from the album will be out this Thursday, 1/21 at 12am ET.
    Limited vinyl will be available for pre-order on http://weezerwebstore.com then too"     (Tweet). Retrieved January 18, 2021 – via Twitter.
  12. ^ Deville, Chris (January 18, 2021). "Weezer Announce New Album OK Human Out Next Week". Stereogum. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  13. ^ Kaye, Ben (January 18, 2021). "Weezer Announce New Album OK Human Is Coming Next Week". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved January 19, 2021. Frontman Rivers Cuomo previously described the album (a clear play on Radiohead's classic OK Computer)...
  14. ^ Rashotte, Vivian (February 22, 2021). "Why Rivers Cuomo says now is the right time for Weezer's 'weird piano orchestra album'". CBC Radio. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  15. ^ a b Perry, Kevin (January 28, 2021). "Weezer – 'OK Human' review: an orchestral pop paean to much-needed connection". NME. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  16. ^ a b "OK Human review: Weezer embraces its inner orchestral-pop bent". Music.avclub.com. January 21, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  17. ^ Konstantinos Pappis (February 3, 2021). "Album Review: Weezer, 'OK Human'". Our Culture Magazine. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  18. ^ Andrew Sacher (January 21, 2021). "Weezer share song off 'Pet Sounds'-inspired baroque pop album 'OK Human' (out next week)". Brooklynvegan.com. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  19. ^ a b c Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (January 29, 2021). "OK Human – Weezer". AllMusic. Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  20. ^ a b "OK Human by Weezer". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  21. ^ a b "Reviews and Tracks for OK Human by Weezer". Metacritic. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  22. ^ a b Clark, Terry (January 29, 2021). "Weezer's OK Human Parlays Latest Gimmick into a Mostly Charming Set of Pop Tunes: Review". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  23. ^ a b Hagan, R.A. (January 26, 2021). "Weezer – OK Human". Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  24. ^ a b Enis, Eli (January 27, 2021). "Weezer clash with the orchestra on OK Human". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  25. ^ Hudson, Alex (January 27, 2021). "'OK Human' Proves Why Weezer Are Still One of the Most Interesting Rock Bands Around". Exclaim!. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  26. ^ Ruskell, Nick (January 28, 2021). "Album review: Weezer – OK Human". Kerrang!.
  27. ^ a b Wisgard, Alex (January 28, 2021). "Fourteen albums in and Weezer are still daring, but to a mixed result". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  28. ^ a b Cohen, Ian (February 1, 2021). "Weezer: OK Human Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  29. ^ Grow, Kory (January 28, 2021). "Weezer Drop the Ironic Facade (Almost) on 'OK Human'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  30. ^ Mook, Aaron (February 1, 2021). "Weezer – OK Human". Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  31. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (January 29, 2021). "OK Human – Weezer". AllMusic. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  32. ^ a b c Meredith, Kyle Thomas (February 12, 2021). "Weezer's Brian Bell on What Albums to Expect Next". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  33. ^ "Ultratop.be – Weezer – OK Human" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  34. ^ "Ultratop.be – Weezer – OK Human" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  35. ^ "Weezer Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  36. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Weezer – OK Human" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  37. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2021. 7. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  38. ^ "Irish Albums Chart: 19 February 2021". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  39. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  40. ^ "Veckolista Album Fysiskt, vecka 7" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  41. ^ "Veckolista Vinyl, vecka 7" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  42. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Weezer – OK Human". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  43. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  44. ^ "Debuts on this week's #Billboard200..." Billboard on Twitter. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  45. ^ "Weezer Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  46. ^ "Weezer Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
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