Part of me died when the sweater-clad, geek-rocking Weezer I once knew released its disastrous power-pop monster, Make Believe , in 2005. But on his latest solo album, frontman Rivers Cuomo has dusted off some decade-old demos and has brought me back to life.

Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo , released on December 18, is a collection of B-sides, demos and unreleased tracks arranged and recorded by Cuomo, many of which date back to Weezer's self-titled album (known as the Blue Album ) and Pinkerton glory days. Alone is a true solo effort on Cuomo's part; musical appearances from outsiders are few and far between. Cuomo places the instrumental burden on himself, playing everything from drums and guitar to piano and clarinet.

Cuomo keeps things simple on Alone . A catchy distorted guitar rhythm, the steady beat of a tambourine and handclapping in "Lover in the Snow" are the only companions to Cuomo's voice. "Chess" is an instant geek-rock classic, a cheery ballad comparing the oh-so-frustrating game of life to the classic game: "Chess is such a difficult game/There's so many pieces/So many squares where you can go/So few promises."

The piano-heavy "Longtime Sunshine" flies through the speakers with sounds and lyrics reminiscent of the goofy/melancholy Pinkerton : "Sometimes I wanna go back to school/An east coast college with some history/I'd be satisfied, I know, in the simple things."

But most important, dorky Cuomo returns in full force on Alone . "Blast Off!" catalogues a spaceship liftoff with straightforward power chords and robotic voice effects. And perhaps the only thing geekier than Cuomo's spastic cover of rapper Ice Cube's "The Bomb" is his trademark pair of horned-rimmed glasses.

Alone is a nostalgic blast from the past, reacquainting the band's multigenerational fan base with Cuomo's earlier works and making long-lost-yet-oncedevoted fans fall in love all over again. Alone's diverse assortment of poprock, geek-rock, rap, a cappella and piano ballads keeps listeners guessing for the entire 18-track collection. Alone will launch critics' and fans' expectations for Weezer's upcoming album into orbit, for better or worse.