The second in Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo's HOME RECORDINGS series, containing demos he recorded alone with minimal production assistance over the last 15 years, is fascinating and often riveting listening. There's a lo-fi intimacy to songs like "I Was Scared" and "Can't Stop Partying" that shares the preciousness of early Bright Eyes, while nearly plugged in, rough-hewn gems like "Paperface" and the jangly "Walt Disney" indicate the uncanny pop instincts working beneath Cuomo's insecure surface.

Spin (p.86) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[W]ithin the anthemic power chords and pomp-metal solos of 'I Was Scared' and 'The Purification of Water' rests some of our oddball's most emotionally convincing material in years."
Entertainment Weekly (p.75) - "[Cuomo] turns a seemingly facile collaboration with Jermaine Dupri into an autumnal catharsis -- the best Weezer song you never heard." -- Grade: A-
Billboard (p.41) - "[A] rollercoaster ride of far away-sounding acoustic tracks and fuzzy rockers sequenced with a handful of short instrumental and vocal interludes."
Blender (Magazine) (p.63) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "'My Brain Is Working Overtime' is a fantastic 'Buddy Holly'-like tune Cuomo wrote in 2000..."