Rivers Cuomo: Alone II - The Home Recordings Of Rivers Cuomo

There's something about Rivers Cuomo that makes you want to love him. You can dislike Weezer and everything they've done (though you'd be a complete fool if this was the case) but you can't dislike the crazy man behind the music.

Aside from being one of the strangest men in music, he's also one of the most passionate. It's known that he'd post on fan forums asking for advice and what people want to hear, striving to please. This stretched into even meeting and allowing his fans backstage just to chill. The man has written thousands upon thousands of songs, trashing most and toying with others and it's here that the Alone series came to fruition.

Alone II is obviously the second solo CD from Rivers and if you like Weezer, you are sure to love this. It's not an exact replica of Weezer music but it keeps to their Geek/Rock/Pop formula closely. The 19 songs included are all basically tracks left off of other albums, songs written but never recorded with the band and ideas that only now has Rivers allowed to grow into full songs. Most are from the 1990's (probably Weezer's greatest period) and the album sounds a lot better for it. However you found The Red Album to be, it was a much poppier route. Alone II sounds a lot more raw, rough and rocky, with Cuomo's voice breaking and squealing all over the CD.

Highlights are always difficult as they could change with every other listen. Paper Face is a fuzzy, Queens Of The Stone Age-eqsue all out rocker, whereas Can't Stop Partying is an acoustic, barebones catchy piece with sarcastic lyrics "I can't stop, partying, partying, I gotta have the cars, I gotta have the jewels, and if you was me honey, you would do it too" . Its effectively everything Rivers is good at in barely 2 minutes of music.

As is always the case with a Weezer record, this album too has some "album fillers" but its these tracks that will slowly grow on you over the years, it's just the way Weezer work.

As was to be expected, Rivers shows his innocent and lovelorn side throughout the record with tracks like The Prettiest Girl In The Whole Wide World and I Want To Take You Home Tonight. Subtle titles they most certainly are not, but again, that's Rivers for you.

Cuomo is a spectacle in the musical world and is everything that a musician should be. He's intelligent, insane, obsessed with his work and isn't afraid to connect with his fans on a deeper level than a "thanks guys!" at the end of a gig (take a look at their Hootenanny tour, they had every crowd member involved). Alone II is obviously another one of Rivers' close, precious projects that he loves sharing with the world and this is where the enjoyment of listening to it comes from. The album quite obviously kicks ass (who actually thought it wouldn't?) but it's the man behind the music that makes it that much better.