Weezer return to their roots here, hiring back original producer Ric Ocasek of The Cars to mold their indelible hooks into sleek punk rock–based new wave hits. Leader Rivers Cuomo mostly ditches his experimental side and focuses on guitar-based rock songs. “Eulogy for a Rock Band” celebrates the music’s potential brilliance. “Lonely Girl” features a blazing guitar solo, and “I’ve Had It Up to Here” shows off Cuomo’s expansive vocal range. Ocasek and Cuomo clearly understand one another and together know how to get the best from every song; even the prog-rock trilogy that ends Weezer’s ninth studio album is kept tight.