The game is simple. Describe your favorite records of the year, counting backwards.

Weezer’s Make Believe makes the 2005 Todd Ten largely on the strength of the opening track “Beverly Hills,” easily my single of the year. Raucous and fun, the song is a typical Weezer single, but while you’re busy asking the paparazzi to “take my picture by the pool" you might miss the lyrical outcast that ranks with Rivers Cuomo’s best.

That’s not to say that the rest of the record is terrible. “We Are on Drugs” is an instant classic, and even the inconsistent songs are enjoyable to sing along with. It’s just that the lead-off track shows what Weezer can do when they take the time to finely tune their craft. The results are brilliant and we should demand nothing less than perfection from the artists who can achieve it.

Ultimately, Make Believe simply can’t sustain perfection across an entire album. But it’s those fleeting moments that make it worth its number 8 ranking in 2005’s Todd Ten.