Get ready to laugh, cry, or both the moment you hear Weezer leader Rivers Cuomo start rapping on the band's third self-titled album. That he does so over a song filled with piano and choral-chanting bombast (no lie) suggests that Cuomo may have seriously lost his marbles. And his hysterically loyal fanbase is no doubt going to be in a mouth-frothing tizzy debating the merits of this album online for years. But the fact is, the red album represents Cuomo's most daring work to date. After confining the band to a creative straitjacket for far too long, Cuomo has finally loosened his grip, even stepping aside for his bandmates to sing lead on select cuts. The disc's out-there moments might sound embarrassing at first, but give them time. And when Weezer sticks to its trademark guitar-driven approach, the band's energy level finally does justice to its plentiful hooks.