I was cruising to work in the El Camino today when Pierre Robert’s exceedingly enthusiastic voice assailed my ears once again. He introduced Weezer’s new single, “Pork and Beans” and I made a quick left-hander on to 13th street. This, my second listen yielded a little more enjoyment than the first, but I’m still underwhelmed by the song’s immeasurable mediocrity.

“Pork and Beans” just sounds average, like it could be one of the more forgettable tracks from one of their first three albums. The riff is neither catchy nor impressively technical. It’s one of those riffs that you randomly pull out of nowhere and usually is forgotten within the half hour…unless you have to write an album based on this schlock. The chorus is equally “by the numbers,” and also sounds like the sub-par crap that I would write in my basement. I don’t have a record contract or fans, so I can’t punish you with my musical clichés, so this is where Weezer comes in. 

This band has become too damn lazy, as evidenced by the lackluster “Beverly Hills” from the previous album. In hindsight, that song would probably smoke everything from their forthcoming third eponymous album due next month. This is the sound of a band “not trying.” Somewhere between their touring money, record deal and those classes at Harvard, Rivers Cuomo forgot how to write good music. Oh well…  

Witness the beginning of the end. Lackluster song, check. Gimmicky cameo, check. El Camino, check.