Four long years of waiting culminate into an incredible album. It's a nice shade of green too.

First off, lemme say a few things: This CD is not out until May 15th, so this is a supa-dupa exclusive review. Secondly, this is based on a master recording of the album that I got my hands on, so the track list I am going to use will be a little screwy and probably not that of the final studio product. No you can not have a copy of this, no matter how much you offer/beg & plead. I would be risking danger to myself physically if I released even an mp3 of this album. That said, here we go with a review of a CD that kicks so much ass, it's almost criminal.

If you are wondering about why this album is ALSO a self-titled release, the band hasn't been too clear on this. My personal thoughts are that they didn't want to risk another legal fiasco over the name of the CD after what happened with Pinkerton. "The Green Album" is justly named because the cover/CD is in bright neon green, unlike the first album, which was a brillant shade of blue. This is really semantics, so I'll just get right to the review.

The opening track is "Don't Let Go". What a great song to start off the CD. It's poppy and rocky at the same time, and the lyrics and chorus are great: "Confrontations in my mind/Got me running out of time/Don't let go/Ooo oh oh", with lots of harmonizing from the band. Every Weezer CD has started off with some very killer songs ("My Name is Jonas", "Tired of Sex") and this album is no exception. Should this album take off (and it probably will, considering this is the first album in 4 years), I think that we will certainly be hearing "Don't Let Go" on the radio as the next single after "Hashpipe" (see below).

Next up is "Photograph". This song was pretty good when I first heard it, but after numerous listenings, it has really grown on me and become one of my favorites. After reading other Weezer message boards, this is also quickly becoming a fan favorite, and the album isn't even out yet! I love lines like "Tear down the plans/and re-erect it/It's in the photograph..."

On the master recording I have, tracks 3 through 6 are of "Hashpipe", the first single from the new album. Why there are 4 versions (3 are the same length, one is 1 second longer), I don't know. After many listens, I can't tell any difference between the songs. "Hashpipe" is a great first single for Weezer fans, because it has this playful/poutyness about it that I haven't heard in any other Weezer song yet. Although for radio airplay and other non-Weezer fans, it's tough to tell how well it will take off. I'll leave it up to you to interpret what the song is REALLY about, but nevertheless it is an awesome song. If you are jonesing for it, look on Napster, it's easy to find.

"Starlight" is up next. From the tentative track list on the Weezer site, it doesn't look like this song made the cut for the album. That's a pity, because it's probably the most romantic song on the CD with lyrics like "I wait for the starlight in her eyes". Oh well, I think it will end up as a B-Side on another single or something, so it's all good.

Tracks 9 & 10 are of "Island In The Sun", quite possibly the most poppy song on the album and right now my current favorite. I love the in-between verse "Hip hip", sung by Rivers so subtly. Again, this will make a killer single, should the album become a huge hit.

"Knock-Down/Drag out" follows "Island In The Sun" and is a pretty cool (if forgettable) song about the bitter warfare a couple engages with each other.

Because I don't have the CD in front of me, the order of the next songs will be a guess. "Crabs" is a very hard rock song, surprising for the band. It plays pretty well, but sadly is like some of the other songs on the first two albums and feels sort of like filler between really good songs. Still, any Weezer song is a good song so...

"Glorious Day" follows "Crabs" and is a very catchy little song about hard rock bands and listening to tunes on the radio. Not enough to qualify as a single, but certainly a standout for Weezer fans, who I'm sure will be digging this song when they get it in their grubby little hands. Hehe.

Two versions of "O Girlfriend" are included next, and unlike "Hashpipe", there is a difference in the two. The second version has a little bit of reworking on the "Oohs" towards the end of the song, and is about 45 seconds shorter, implying that this is a radio version. Lyrics that are soulful and heartfelt like "O Girlfriend/That's the end" make this a good romantic song to make up for "Starlight" not being on the album.

The pace picks up again with the next two songs, "Smile" and "O Lisa". "Smile" is another damn catchy song (notice a trend here?), and if the album lasts long enough, might become a single/video. "O Lisa" is the album's "Pink Triangle" of sorts, as it is a semi-sarcastic sex song with a laughable chorus "I wanna do/I wanna do you". Hehe.

The final two songs are great additions to the album, "Always" and "Teenage Victory Song". "Always" was played as the opener at the concert I went to when I saw Weezer live (see the Foo archives). At the time, I hadn't heard it so it sounded alright. But after hearing it on the album, it's got a deep, melancholy feel to it that is awesome. It's in the vein of "Only in Dreams" (but not as guitar heavy) and "Butterfly" (but not as sad). A great song, I think this will surprise a lot of people.

Another one of my favorites on the album is "Teenage Victory Song". It's very hard rock style and has some great lyrics that prove that Rivers hasn't lost his touch "I've waited oh so long/to sing my teenage victory song". This song feels like an anthem for myself, as I am almost out of those ever-important teenage years, and I think Rivers has hit a chord with people like me who are making the transition into adulthood.

Final thoughts? This is a MUST have for Weezer fans, and will probably win over quite a few more non-fans. It's different than the first two albums: Not as unpolished (yet still good) as the first, self titled album, and not as experimental as Pinkerton. Weezer has evolved into a very intimate but definitive sound, and it makes it seem like the four years it took for this album to be released to be worth it. I just wish there was more, more, more to the album, because it's only 37 minutes with every song, including "Starlight". Oh well, the band is off in a great new direction and we can only hope that the album following "The Green Album" will be even better still.