Dear Weezer...

Seventeen years ago, in the midst of an age of grunge and new age music, a quirky band emerged. This band was known as Weezer.

With their self-titled debut album in 1994, the men of Weezer produced a sound all their own. Clad in cardigans and wide-rimmed glasses, Weezer seemed a beacon for the classic anti-mainstream indie band.

Some singles had mass popularity potential, such as “Buddy Holly” but songs like “In the Garage” resonate more harmoniously with Weezer’s image and style. The band of geeky West-Coasters started out strong as a forerunner on the alternative music scene.

With their next three albums, Weezer continued to pump out their down to earth, indie melodies. Then came Make Believe and “Beverly Hills”.

Granted, eleven of the twelve tracks of Make Believe stay true to Weezer’s initial nature of non mainstream music, but their first track soared its way to MTV and VH1. TV and radio blasted the un-Weezer-like song till the point where even non-Weezer followers grew tired of the shamelessly monotonic chords.

For us Weezer worshipers, it felt like a slight betrayal with their sell out to mainstream popularity. Thankfully, the masses who fell in love with “Beverly Hills” forgot about it just as quickly when the next cookie-cutter single appeared on MTV and Weezer again became virtually unknown to the mass population.

With the release of their third album titled bearing the title Weezer, it redeemed their indie status with a deliciously anti-mainstream apology for their weak moment of “Beverly Hills”.

Weezer successfully made up for “Beverly Hills” and then some. The track “Pork and Beans” was so purely Weezer that it became love-at-first-listen for any true Weezer fan.

After more than a decade and a half, Weezer proved that they were still the same geeky kids who cared more about the music than the money with their sixth album.

Then came 2009 and the disappointment that was Raditude.

Don’t get me wrong now, every song is like candy for one’s ears, but it is so shamelessly mainstream that had I thought iTunes had made a mistake upon first listen. They still had their same dry vocals and elctro-heavy melodies, but the tracks are so un-Weezer it’s a pity.

Songs like, “I’m Your Daddy”, “Trippin’ Down the Freeway” and “Love Is the Answer” are so perfectly mainstream that I can see any twelve-year-old, Hannah Montana-loving, pink wearing, Twilight-worshiping, tween girl rocking out to. It’s as if the songs were recorded for the kinds of fans that scoff all of Weezer’s previously impeccable albums.

Then, to top it all of, there’s “Can’t Stop Partying”. Just the title alone should make any true Weezer fan wary, but then there’s the cameo of Lil Wayne. I mean honestly Weezer, Lil Wayne? You mixed mainstream rap into your usually indie perfection?

The only semi-Weezer-like aspect of “Can’t Stop Partying” is the repeated pop culture reference, but instead of the usually satirical references, they are promoted in the song. It’s the perfect song for any alcohol-loving college party loving kid, but it’s a downright shame to any Weezer fan.

It feels almost as though Weezer, acutely aware of their increasing age, feared that they were becoming dated in the youth-obsessed music business. Perhaps it was this fear that drove Weezer into a sort of mid-life crisis and an attempt to recapture their youth by blending in with today's mainstream hits. What they may have failed to realize though, is that no matter how old they may get, true fans care about the music first and foremost.

However, since I love Weezer, to the core, I can congratulate them on their mainstream success the money they were paid to sell out. That said, they owe every original fan a nice, big, sincere apology in the form of an old-school indie album that would make any cheerleader of football captain grimace in response to.

Until then, I guess I’ll have to sulk in some Death Cab for Cutie, but even they are starting to sell out, and to Twilight no less! But I can forgive one song, so long as they don’t sell out for an entire album...