Weezer

Rivers Cuomo’s surprisingly solid outtakes

Attention, songwriters: Rivers Cuomo’s rejects are better than your album cuts. That’s the lesson of this leftovers collection, which spans the length of -Weezer’s career. From the Cars-style ”˜Autopilot’ to the ironic (or maybe not) cover of Toni Braxton’s ”˜Unbreak My Heart,’ Metal showcases Cuomo’s mastery of pop styles and avenging-nerd confessions. Not every-thing works: The turgid ”˜Losing My Mind’ (“I’m going insane/I’m watching my life go down the drain”) sounds like self-parody. But mostly it’s casual goodness from a bottom-less song trunk.

Key Tracks: ”˜Autopilot,’ ”˜I’m a Robot,’ ”˜Unbreak My Heart’