For better or for worse, Weezer continues its onslaught of albums with “Death to False Metal,” the band’s fourth release in three years. Worse was up 3-0 coming before release of this album, but this collection of unreleased B-sides and rarities has enough moxie to make things better.

“Death to False Metal” gets off to a swinging start with “Turning Up the Radio,” which is, thankfully, a low-key affair. Weezer sheds its high-flying gimmicks and just shreds. The same sense of self-restraint is found throughout the album. In “Losing My Mind,” Rivers Cuomo’s voice croaks as he sings, “I hope nobody bothers me/Because I’m so tired/and empty./Life means nothing anymore,” and the rippling guitar fits the somber mood. Elsewhere, “Odd Couple” bounces along (but never off the wall).

However, moderation is limiting by design, and some tracks don’t do enough to warrant attention. “Everyone,” with lyrics like “Everyone, yeah!/Suck a thumb!” is merely tolerable, while “Autopilot” and its synth-y style never gets off the ground.

What this all boils down to is that the album’s best song was written by the band’s fans. Search “let’s write a sawng” on YouTube to see how hundreds of thousands of viewers shaped “Turning Up the Radio.” What does it mean when Weezer’s fans write better songs than Weezer? More importantly, what do you do with a band that usually releases A-sides that are worse than its unreleased B-sides? As much fun as it is to jam through “False Metal,” you’ll listen to it with a sense of dread, because it’s becoming more and more clear that Weezer doesn’t know what’s best for Weezer.

For fans of: The Rentals, Oasis, Pixies
Tracks to download: ‘Turning Up the Radio,’ ‘Losing My Mind,’ ‘I’m a Robot’