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NMT: Preview Weezer's new album, "Raditude." NMT: Preview Weezer's new album, "Raditude." Watch

Weezer

“Raditude”

And the award for most appropriately named album goes to…

Boy does it seem like a long time since “Pinkerton.”

The members of Weezer went from the premier nerd-rockers on the scene to the loveable goofballs they are today.

It’s been 15 years since the release of “Weezer (Blue Album),” and things certainly have changed.

The shift seemed to coincide with the release of “Make Believe” and the single “Beverly Hills.” They were both undeniably Weezer, though markedly cheesier.

Frustration for the old Weezer fans began, and “Weezer (Red Album)” followed suit, as does “Raditude,” which feels like a cartooned version of their power-pop with both good and bad results.

It’s hard to deny that Weezer knows how to write catchy tunes, and though it falls bland at times in “Raditude,” nearly every song sounds as though it could, at some point, be a single.

And what helps Weezer out the most, especially when compared to its previous two albums, is that there is a sense of self-awareness to “Raditude.”

Weezer attempted to downplay the cheese-factor with those releases, but this album is completely aware of what it is, a pop album.

And if you are writing a pop album, the club hooks are a necessity, right? Well, no, and Weezer feels like the awkward nerd at the dance party when it tries to incorporate them.

Moments in “I’m Your Daddy” rely on grimy bass loops and bring nothing to the formula.

The biggest offender is “I Can’t Stop Partying” for several reasons.

First, to hear Rivers Cuomo chanting about Patron and his posse is almost embarrassing. The beat sounds better suited to Miley Cyrus than any legitimate musician. Plus, though I will admit bringing in Lil’ Wayne for a Weezer track is kind of awesome (especially with the Weezy/Weezer wordplay), musically it just feels odd.

It’s examples like these that have Weezer at its lowest, sounding as though they are attempting to soundtrack a “National Lampoon’s” straight-to-DVD film.

Their saving grace is the aforementioned brilliant hook crafting. “(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To” opens up the album, and its shuttering acoustic scratches, bubbly punch exploding into a full, echo-filled chorus swells into near power-pop perfection.

“The Girl Got Hot,” though terribly named, is entertaining with its straightforward rock riff and playful theme, while “Love Is The Answer” is a unique, lovely ballad, heavy on Bollywood influences and would certainly fail in lesser hands.

It seems only appropriate to find out the album name was coined by Rainn Wilson (“The Office”). If there is anything resembling that mockumentary style in music, it would have to be Weezer.

It is practically parodying itself at this point, but having this in mind gives the band limitless freedom, and that translates to a fun, if tacky, time for all.

The Mary Onettes

“Islands”

The best Cure music being made today

The Mary Onettes have lived a short life but have already shown a stark penchant for dreary, gloomy dream-pop that is not imitation but rather authentic ‘80s New Wave, it seems.

Authencity and sincerity may be the band’s biggest strength, and the ballads sound as though they were lifted right out of the most sentimental moment of your favorite John Hughes movie.

Every song is completely ethereal; the ballads feel as though snow if drifting down outside and brings a dark mask over your eyes, leaving a flickering light of hope at the end of the tunnel.

“Islands” shivers to life with “Puzzles,” feathered up with strings and icicle guitar pangs as a downy snyth pulses like a heartbeat with vocalist Philip Ekström dragging you in for a bit of immediacy.

The Mary Onettes take time to smile with “Dare,” like a gothic couple falling in love, murky and bleak but buzzing with obvious life. The howl and trudge of “God Knows I Had Plans” feels just as vulnerable as dangerous with helpless vocals and overwhelming choruses.

“Islands” works identically to their self-titled debut in which brilliant moments feel a bit buried in ice, a sort of continuous cry with little to break it up. Each song moves well into the next, but they tend to melt into each other as well.

However, there is little reason to tamper with these perfected ‘80s anthems, and “Islands” does New Wave as well as the best of them, despite being children when the movement was at its peak.