Who would ever have ever have thought that Rivers Cuomo – the moody, reluctant rock star of The Blue Album and Pinkerton – would ever have released an album that contains faithful, un-ironic cover versions of Toto, A-Ha and TLC? Welcome to 2019! A world where Weezer cover Toto, Toto cover Weezer, and Donald Trump is President.

It may be one of the more unlikely developments in rock in recent times, but Weezer’s hit version of ‘Africa’ has successfully regained their mainstream audience. For sure, there will be carping: some will simply see The Teal Album as a cynical cash-in. What’s more, the sundry pop hits here – including A-Ha’s ‘Take On Me’, Eurythmics’ ‘Sweet Dreams’, and Tears For Fears’ ‘Everybody Wants To Rule The World’ – are so faithfully covered as to be indistinguishable from the originals.

Truthfully, however, this approach is actually a testament to Weezer’s musical abilities. Trust me: it’s no joke trying to replicate Morten Harket’s falsetto. Weezer do add a few crunching power chords here and there, most notably on Michael Jackson’s ‘Billie Jean’ and TLC’s ‘No Scrubs’, and they work beautifully. Elsewhere, their blazing cover of The Turtles’ ‘Happy Together’ is another highlight. Sadly, their take on ELO’s ‘Mr Blue Sky’ is a total dud. Infectious in its enthusiasm, The Teal Album confirms Weezer as one of the most consistently entertaining acts left from the ’90s alt-rock boom. It makes for another intriguing twist in Weezer’s always fascinating career.

8/10

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