2008 Top Ten: #3 -- Weezer "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)"
31 Dec 2008#3: Weezer -- The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)
Rivers Cuomo is insane. The good kind of insane.
From Weezer's latest album (affectionately known as "The Red Album"), you've got a song that again follows in the grand Brian Wilson tradition. Take a bunch of elements of varied popular music and figure out how to fit them together into a little pop masterpiece.
I suppose, at 5+ minutes, this isn't a "little" pop masterpiece. But it's a masterpiece nonetheless. Where Brian Wilson incorporated doo-wop, orchestral arrangements, surf rock, and barbershop harmonies, Rivers incorporates a capella harmonies, rap, your usual alternarock, and a bit of a hymn to create this bit of indulgence.
Fill in the blank: Rivers Cuomo : Brian Wilson :: "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived" : ?
It's not for everybody. But it should be.