holy shit so OKAY ZERWEE!!! I'M MAKING THIS POST NOW!!!

Zerwee III dropped out of nowhere and i was just writing about Weezer but I have to DITCH THAT and GHERM about Billy Cobb's ZERWEE TRILOGY!

so if no one knows what Zerwee is, it's basically Billy Cobb trying to imitate the Weezer (cus he's a Weezer dork if you haven't watched his videos) AND I HAVE A LOT TO TALK ABOUT. i'll be the JUDGE whether it sounds close to Weezer or NOT!

Zerwee

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the first album (well, EP) in the trilogy and probably the most popular of the three. it's.. okay? but not really.

for me there are things in this EP that are lyrically bland. all four songs are about wishing women noticed him. "i wish she called me," "i wish she loved me," "i wish i was born earlier to be with you." and while yes Weezer IS famous for its... interest in women... not all of their songs are like that, even before Rivers Cuomo's sanitization.

Blue Album talked about feeling alone, complicated family issues, and escapism. Even Pinkerton, infamous for perpetuating the image that Weezer is an incel band has more variety in lyricism than the first Zerwee.

now i can maybe make an excuse for this EP, i have a slight feeling that it was made in a half-serious way and Billy having all the song be about crying that women don't love him is a parody of Weezer. but judging this in a serious way, yeah it's pretty boring.

how about the tunes tho?

a lot of the tunes seem to take melodies from other song. like She Doesn't Love Me taking the melody of Waiting On You by Weezer, and Dumb Songs for Virgins to Cry to taking the melody of Surfer Girl by the Beach Boys. i don't know if the rest of the songs also have taken melodies or if they're Billy Cobb originals? but i feel like it being this unoriginal feels kinda... eh...? again, the case can be made that this album is a half-joke and he didn't really want to put that much effort in coming up with original melodies. just a fun little innocent album poking fun at Weezer; but for me, i'd much rather just listen to Waiting On You and Surfer Girl than just listen to the watered down versions.

i mean, that's the reason why i said the EP is okay, because those songs are already good so when you base it off them then it's about okay sounding.

maybe if you knew nothing about those two songs you'd find this album pretty okayish, nothing special, but for me it's kinda eh that it makes it look like a joke.

(which, i really hope it is because i'm really sorry Billy)

Weezer wise, how close is it? i'd say it does a really poor job of replicating the style and just seems like a parody than anything.

4/10 - Favorite Song: 1955
lyrically bland and unoriginal

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Zerwee, Pt. 2

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okay, i feel like the last album WAS a joke and this is when he just locked in and said to himself "i should actually try this time" because this album is actually pretty decent. no, pretty GOOD! and i think this is his best out of the three.

now i'm a big Pinkerton fan, Pinkerton is my LIFEBLOOD, i've been listening to that album on REPEAT for 6 YEARS NOW! clearly this album is trying to parody Pinkerton, if it wasn't obvious from the album cover and it's more darker tone. because of that, i'm more critical and observant cus i know the Pinkerton intricacies

okay first of all, massive step up from the first Zerwee. i think most of this is a Billy Cobb original? i haven't heard a single song here that made me say "yeah that's from Weezer, he took that from Weezer." except maybe Pepper's Ghost which i will talk about later.

lyrically, it's a little better, but still basic. there's the occassional "i love you women" and "women don't love me" like the first three song. i do think The Barg'n-Mart is a good opener! everytime i hear this song there's the sudden urge to sing out "LONG AND LONELY WINTER 😭". it's very angsty, very emo, it's alright. I Wish That I Was Younger is also pretty good even though it's just the same four stanzas repeated. (K.K. Slider singing the song was cute.)

what i do like about this album, and why i keep coming back to it, is the last two songs being Pepper's Ghost and Ludo and Hoggle. i think the journey there is what makes these two songs sweeter.

okay so Pepper's Ghost, if YOU are a massive fan of Weezer and you've listened to the deluxe version of Pinkerton religiously, then this song is like fanservice. it's pretty Butterfly sounding but the main attraction of this song is the ending, which is obviously inspired by Long Time Sunshine. the callback to all the previous songs and the voices stacking beautifully creating this beautiful melody? it makes me shed a tear...

if this song tickles your fancy i suggest people check out Songs from the Black Hole.
funnily enough Billy Cobb made his own version of Songs from the Black Hole which you should also check out!

i remember seeing the YouTube premiere chat for this album and everyone was pointing and screaming LONG TIME SUNSHINE because Long Time Sunshine is such a good song, and the ending feels like a nod of respect to the album its parodying.

and then we end the song with Ludo and Hoggle. i mean, there's not much that i can say about this song but i think it's a pretty nice ending. after all the sadness, the misery, the sulking, we arrive at the conclusion, which is more sweet and happy. like the narrator finally found someone that loves him, or moved on from his previous relationship. it's a good closer for this album! i REALLY like this song.

Weezer wise, how close is it? especially to Pinkerton? well, i think there's a more darker and sadder tone to it than Pinkerton. even a sad album like Pinkerton had some upbeat and silly music like El Scorcho, but this was just sorrow all around. the best i can describe this album is if someone based of their entire music style off Across The Sea and none of the other songs in Pinkerton. i'm being really harsh right now but trust me when i say i do love this album.

IT'S A GOOD ALBUM BUT I CAN STILL CRITICIZE IT OKAY?


8/10 - Favorite Song: Ludo and Hoggle
more ambitious than the first one and a massive improvement. lyrics can be basic but still a jam.

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Zerwee III

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okay so this EP literally just dropped, it's FRESH right from the oven, about 8 hours ago as i'm writing this, and literally the moment i saw it released i squealed like a pig and started listening to it jittering. HE SAID HE WASN'T GONNA MAKE A THIRD ONE BUT HE DID AND HERE IT IS!

now this doesn't have the simmered bias that i have for the first two albums, i'm still listening to it on repeat right now. but man, is it good.

these are Billy Cobb originals BUT it does use some melodies from other Weezer songs (Put It Off having that My Name Is Jonas chord, and Hole In The Wall being Beverly Hills), but what makes this different from the first one is that it actually KNOWS how to recycle these melodies into something good and original.

man fuck you Billy Cobb for putting that Buddy Holly lick on What's Your Favorite Fish... i was laughing so hard and smiling ear to ear. also, i really love What's Your Favorite Fish, maybe i have recency bias right now but man this might become my all-time Zerwee favorite. it's so fresh and new after having hearing like a thousand songs crying about women.

Weezer wise? i don't think it's replicating Weezer anymore, it's very Weezer inspired but i can't really say that it's trying? and that's okay! Billy Cobb making Zerwee more Weezer adjacent than imitated is what i like. like how Ozma being clearly inspired by Weezer but still having their own original sound. REAL GOOD SHIT!

the only real thing i can criticize this EP for is that it's not named Zerwee, pt. 3 for consistency but whatever.

8/10 - Favorite Song: What's Your Favorite Fish
wish it was an album instead of EP. think of it as the first Zerwee if it was better.

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that concludes Zerwee, i honestly wished i listened to more of Billy Cobb's non-Zerwee stuff cus he clearly knows his shit. there's some trash, yeah. but to see him gradually improve is amazing to see.

GREAT MOVES BILLY! KEEP IT UP!

also yeah hi, I DIDN'T ABANDON THIS SITE, I'M JUST BEING A PERFECTIONIST AGAIN!

i actually wrote a lot of reviews but i kept thinking to myself it's not good enough so i TRASH it.

i wanted my posts to be more... "more" you know? like not just say "IT SOUNDS GOOD SO LISTEN TO IT!" but actually why i like it cus it's criiiinge!!! i cringe at my older post, but it's there now so whaddaya gonna dew?

but i don't wanna keep apologizing to the same old thang, SEE YOU NEXT GHERMPOST WHICH IS WHENEVER!

I MAY HAVE PLANS THAT MAY OR MAY NOT HAPPEN BUT IT MOST LIKELY WILL NOT!

love you :)