Weezer

“Weezer” (The White Album)

Crush Music

There was a point when Weezer set the bar too high for itself with the back-to-back thunderbolts of “Pinkerton” and the self-titled release that has colloquially become known as The Blue Album. Since then, the band has released an unbroken string of albums that has had decent points but never achieved the front-to-back greatness of those two releases. The White Album, then, serves as the closest we will probably ever get to the third great Weezer project. The songs combine The Blue Album’s grungy feel with the lightness of “Pinkerton.” Rivers Cuomo isn’t the same songwriter he was 20 years ago, but on The White Album, he turns in a reasonable-enough facsimile to make this album feel like a genuine spiritual successor to the only Weezer albums anyone really loves. CV

Pet Shop Boys

“Super”

X2 Recordings

You might not believe it, but the Pet Shop Boys did not stop making music 30 years ago. The group has, in fact, been alive and well, if not particularly innovative or fresh. With a steady string of songs intended more for the club than radio, you would be forgiven for not being able to name a single track off the last five or six albums. “Super” does not do anything to change that — it is decidedly dance pop heavy — but there are a couple of tracks that may warrant a second listen. “The Pop Kids” and its catchy melody is the best of the bunch, but the hook-heavy “Happiness” is another bright spot on an otherwise bland edition from a band you had mostly forgotten about. CV