10. Japanese Breakfast — Say It Ain’t So
“Something is bubblehehehehin” is an iconic moment in Weezer’s smash hit “Say It Ain’t So,” and there’s something about that vocal riff that reflects the tension that’s about “to blow.” Michelle Zauner of Japanese Breakfast completely drops Cuomo’s distinctive trill, opting instead to calmly sing a perfectly normal melody. She then ends that second verse by completely inverting the explosiveness of the word “blow,” almost swallowing the whole syllable. Instead of Zauner participating in the quiet-loud dynamic of the song, she chooses to float above it, her angelic voice unaffected by the string accompaniment; those strings do an excellent job replicating the original song’s overdriven guitars. The cello works as a combination of the bass and the power chords, but the violin shines, perfectly imitating the guitar solos and riffs. The Japanese Breakfast song has an understated but powerful impact, the inevitable coming of the tide rather than the original’s smashing waves. — Mike Misch
9. Vom Vorton — Keep Fishin’
Not many people are looking to post-Pinkerton records for Weezer songs to cover. And maybe the band’s approach and vulnerability that made those first few records so impactful has floated away from their work. And while the impact of the songs may have faded, Weezer persists. Vom Vorton takes things in an ’80s synth direction on this Maladroit song. Say what you will about Weezer, but they sure can write a catchy tune. — Luke Poling
8. Banner Day — Getchoo
Banner Day is setting you up. Their cover of the lesser-known Pinkerton track “Getchoo” opens with a clean guitar, bass, tambourine, and a slinky slide guitar. Chill vibes. Sort of a cowboy cover song. Then the chorus punches you right in the face—screeching vocals, crunchy power chords, full drum kit. It’s actually a power-punk cover…except then it’s back to the relaxed verses with a jazzy drum fill. The whiplash really starts to stack up following the spacey chorus when the fiddle solo hits. An extended psychedelic outro, complete with an arpeggiated “House of the Rising Sun”-style guitar riff wraps up this wild cover. The kitchen-sink method can feel like a novelty, but Banner Day put together a complete song that stands up to repeat listens. — Mike Misch
7. Razor Braids — Buddy Holly
Razor Braids, an all-woman rock band from Brooklyn, play “Buddy Holly” pretty straight up. The guitars are turned down a bit and the famous synth/guitar hook is just a guitar now. The pre-chorus is a little poppier, with the instruments actually dropping out for a moment on the first pass. But, overall, it’s a pretty faithful cover.
That is, until the bridge. There, instead of trying to replicate the chanted lyrics and the aggressive riffs, Razor Braids slow it down to a ballad, beginning with crashing chords and then going almost dream-pop. It’s a fun left turn that elevates this otherwise conventional cover, giving it a real, fun surprise in the middle. — Riley Haas
6. Smallpools & American Authors — Island In The Sun
At first, you really have to listen carefully to hear the little frills of personality that are added by these two bands who trade off verse by verse. But their added “oh oh oh”s give a little extra “hip hip” pep. The post-chorus declarations are made over a very Smallpools’ dream-pop backdrop rather than the heavier monotone of the original. — Sara Stoudt
5. Sheezer — El Scorcho
Sheezer was a Toronto-based all-girl Weezer cover band that focused exclusively on performing songs from the band’s first two albums. They got a strong enough following – Vice called them “better than Weezer” – that, when they called it a day, there was mourning throughout Ontario. What I like about their cover of “El Scorcho” is how low-key it feels, how much it’s just a bunch of ladies hanging out, laughing, drinking wine and trying out some harmonies. It feels like a celebration not just of Weezer, but all the singalongs they inspired. — Patrick Robbins
4. Chilly Gonzales — Damage In Your Heart
On his 2018 covers album Other People’s Pieces, composer and pianist Chilly Gonzales (in his spare time a Drake and Daft Punk collaborator) covered three Weezer songs in his “Weezer Medley”: “Island in the Sun,” “Undone (The Sweater Song),” and “Buddy Holly.” Somehow, though, that still wasn’t enough Weezer for one album. So, separately, he also covered a deeper cut, “The Damage in Your Heart” off Weezer’s underrated 2005 album Make Believe. It sounds like it was performed in a gothic cathedral, sparse and echoey and majestic. He eschews the lyrics entirely, treating it like a classical composition for orchestra and choir. — Ray Padgett
3. Jessica Lea Mayfield & Dolour — The Good Life
Singer-songwriter Jessica Lea Mayfield and indie pop artist Dolour discovered their mutual love of Weezer while touring together. What started as a joke – recording a piano-based tribute to Pinkerton – eventually turned into a real project and they released the full album tribute earlier this year. One of the highlights is “The Good Life.” It begins with Dolour’s piano taking the place of the guitar riff and almost a loungey vibe to the percussion. Mayfield’s vocals go the other direction, with a more modern feel. A horn section comes in briefly in a few places, which adds to the sort of post-lounge feel. They drop the breakdown completely, but they honor the slide-based return. For a moment, it’s just Mayfield and the piano but then, as with the original, they build back up to the full mix for the final chorus. The loungey vibe never completely takes over, in part due to the choice of instruments and in part due to Mayfield’s voice. It ends up being pretty energetic for a “piano version.” — Riley Haas
2. Jenn Champion — No One Else
The greatest Weezer covers album to date is Jenn Champion’s full electro-pop reimagining of the Blue Album. Any song could have made our list. But topping them all by a hair is her cover of “No One Else,” a song often dinged for the narrator’s misogyny (and we’ll be generous and say “narrator” rather than Rivers himself, though this is not the only Weezer song where the lines are too blurry for comfort). But it simply hits different when it’s a woman singing it, and beautifully too over this ethereal wash of synths. Love those Phil Collins-esque drum machine fills too. If you like this, run don’t walk to hear the full album. — Ray Padgett
1. Steady Holiday — Holiday
Ethereal vocals coast on top of a rather ominous beat in this cover. The heavy step of the beat is a constant throughout, contrasting the otherwise casual stroll of a cover that is overall a lot lighter than the original. The big shifts in sound in the original are a more subtle ebb-and-flow here, but there are big orchestral moments that peek in as well as barely-there tinkly electronic sounds. — Sara Stoudt
