This one’s the brainchild of long-time Weezer drummer Pat Wilson, who’s had more luck getting past Special Goodness CDs released in Japan than here in the US. Land Air Sea brings another drummer on board, sometime Weezer roadie and former Rocket from the Crypt member Atom. But it’s still Wilson’s show, and as before, he proves Rivers Cuomo isn’t the only member of Weezer who has a way with hooks and melodies.

Unlike former Weezer bassist Matt Sharp, who left the band to front the kitschy, synth-pop one-hit wonder the Rentals, Wilson has mastered more than just Weezer’s geeky chic — Land Air Sea is full of well-crafted rock tunes with contemplative lyrics and some solid backbeats. The mid-tempo "Pardon Me" features a pinwheeling guitar solo and a vocal delivered with the arch lilt of a guy who always had sand kicked in his face at the beach. Brawny guitar riffs set the stage for an unhinged solo in "Life Goes By," but only the guitars are tough — given Wilson’s endearing vocal presence, even the profanity in a lyric like "I’m not fucking around with her" goes down easy. There are times when the album threatens to become sentimentally sweet, but, just like Weezer, Wilson throws in hard-hitting guitar riffs and amped-up solos whenever a song starts to sound polite.