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Post by Paul on Jun 15, 2006 9:35:16 GMT -5
Openers I've got at PJ gigs from first to most recent:
1. Corduroy
2. Oceans
3. Sometimes
4. Release
5. Can't Keep
6. Love Boat Captain
7. Grievance
8. Wash
9. Release
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Post by Kensterberg on Jun 15, 2006 16:06:13 GMT -5
OK, after a couple of preliminary listens ... some thoughts on Pearl Jam ...
OK, a few thoughts on the new Pearl Jam …
1. Life Wasted … a fine opener. Sort of splits the middle ground between a more conventional rocker like Evenflow and their thrashier numbers like Lukin, Brain of J, or Spin the Black Circle. Some great guitar work, which should satisfy PJ fans of all stripes.
2. Worldwide Suicide … this was the choice for first single? Still doesn’t grab me by the throat, but what it lacks in catchiness it (almost) makes up for in aggression. Even if the lyrics are a jumble, Vedder screams ‘em out like his life depends on it, something that just isn’t that common in rock these days. The guitars duel and grind, and Matt Cameron keeps up a pounding beat throughout. All in all, a worthy rocker.
3. Comatose … again, Vedder’s in peak form here. You can just see him slumped onto the mike stand belting this out, and the band sounds like their quite literally about to explode. Cameron’s drumming here is nothing special, but considering all the noise up front in the vocals and two guitars, he’s more than enough.
Some general thoughts … this is almost Vedder’s version of Who’s Next, in that it fully captures the kind of vocal performances that he is capable of on-stage in the studio environment. The whole band really sound like they know what to do with these songs. In fact, this is the first PJ album since No Code which doesn’t sound like the band should’ve taken the songs on the road to figure out first (for that matter, No Code was the first time that the band sounded entirely comfortable in the studio), and the fact that the rockers that kick the album off are played at a blistering pace speaks volumes about the band’s confidence and understanding (at this stage of their career) of what they do best.
Pearl Jam is a remarkable album coming from a band that has been around for fifteen or so years. It possesses the confidence of old pros, but the playing is as intense and aggressive as most bands with a fraction of the experience. Their best record? I’m not so sure about that. It lacks the depth of No Code, or even Binaural, but it rocks harder than anything the band has ever done, quite frankly. I don’t hear anything here (yet) that looks to challenge such dramatic numbers as “There He Goes,” “Daughter” or “Light Years” in the PJ canon, and the lack of such stunning mood pieces is, to my ears, the album’s biggest weakness. “Severed Hand” is a fine piece, which could grow into something more live, and “Parachutes” is a nice little number which helps to relieve the tension just a bit, even if it sounds a bit awkward in a few spots. On the whole, though, this is a record which stands or falls on its up-tempo numbers. And the band’s ferocious energy more than carry the day on those cuts. I doubt if anyone is buying Pearl Jam expecting killer ballads, however.
But sometimes, to rock is its own reward. Like the Clash’s Give ‘Em Enough Rope, this is a record cut in desperate times, and it communicates that quality better than almost anything I’ve heard this decade.
Preliminary rating: 4, maybe 4.5 stars (rates just below No Code and Vitalogy, just above Binaural).
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Post by Paul on Jun 16, 2006 11:32:14 GMT -5
Nice write up Holzman! Glad you like the album...for the most part I think you really got what the album is pushing...you pretty much nailed the overall vibe. The one part I didn't agree with is this:
"and the lack of such stunning mood pieces is, to my ears, the album’s biggest weakness."
....After a few more listens you may be surprised by the back half of the album..."Army Reserve", "Gone", "Come Back" and "Inside Job" are all moody to me, and perfectly capture Pearl Jam's knack for crafty mid-tempo ballads. I love the way Vedder lets his voice go at the end of "Come Back"; IMO that's very emotional. I beleive the song is about a wife waiting for her husband to come back from Iraq....Vedder also has a knack for writing songs from a woman's perspective...."Inside Job" kinda reminds me of what they were trying to go for on 'Riot Act' but fell short...It's an arty rock song, and after a somewhat aggressive/angry album, it ends on a glimmer of hope; I like that. "Gone" has been tuff for me to get into, but again highlights another Vedder trait about escapism....I love the lyrics, but it's the delivery I've had some trouble with.
What do you think of "Marker In The Sand"? At first I hated it, now it's my favorite song on the album...It's like a split personality kind of song...two songs rolled into one, and as I've mentioned before, that riff, oh that riff; Wow! Those are some of the best chops I've heard since early AC/DC.
One thing I really love about the album is Matt Cameron....Since he's joined the band, I've been a bit reluctant to accept him (I'm very loyal to Jack Irons + No Code is their best album). Anyway, is sounds like he's finally loosened up a bit (but not much) and gels better with the band than he did on either Binaural or Riot Act. There's a part during "Life Wasted" (at the 20 second mark) that reminds me of Soundgarden....makes me think Stone/Mike wrote that riff just for Matt....Also, Matt really shines on "Marker", and "Unemployable" as well...I love the way he plays the ride cymbol on the latter.
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Post by Paul on Jun 16, 2006 11:37:07 GMT -5
this is almost Vedder’s version of Who’s Next, in that it fully captures the kind of vocal performances that he is capable of on-stage in the studio environment. The whole band really sound like they know what to do with these songs. In fact, this is the first PJ album since No Code which doesn’t sound like the band should’ve taken the songs on the road to figure out first
I like that.
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Post by Thorngrub on Jun 16, 2006 12:08:53 GMT -5
Excellent writeup on the new PJ Holzman . .. . very well done.
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Post by Proud on Jun 16, 2006 12:22:06 GMT -5
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Post by superg on Jun 16, 2006 14:31:08 GMT -5
as crappy as RS has become, they're still capable of writing a hell of an article. I'm glad they made mention of this: "But he concedes that another oft-told tale is less accurate: that the name Pearl Jam came from Vedder's great-grandmother Pearl, who, he used to claim, was married to an American Indian and was in the habit of making preserves spiked with various hallucinogenics. His great-grandma really was named Pearl. The rest is, indeed, "total bulllshit."
Told of Vedder's admission, Ament and McCready seem relieved. They cough up the true -- if less romantic -- tale behind the band's name. Brainstorming in a Seattle restaurant to come up with something, anything, to replace their original name, Mookie Blaylock (inspired by the NBA star), Ament came up with "pearl." The band didn't settle on the second half of its name until a 1991 trip to New York to sign a deal with Epic Records. Gossard, Vedder and Ament drove out to see Neil Young play Nassau Coliseum. "He played, like, nine songs over three hours. Every song was like a fifteen- or twenty-minute jam," says Ament. "So that's how 'jam' got added on to the name. Or at least that's how I remember it."It was mentioned in the "Ten Past Ten" article in SPIN a few years ago, but everybody still seems to believe the dumb hallucinogenic jam story. Good to see it debunked in another article. |
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Post by Paul on Jun 19, 2006 9:55:00 GMT -5
" as crappy as RS has become, they're still capable of writing a hell of an article. " As much as the mag sucks nowadays, this was a great write up...I stopped my subscription back in 1999 after I saw the BackStreet Boys on the cover, and now will by the magazine now and then if I like the cover....Obviously I like the new cover so I picked up a copy yesterday, but haven't read it yet.... For those that haven't seen it, here you go:  Ken, have you given Avocado any more listens? |
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Post by Proud on Jun 22, 2006 8:05:40 GMT -5
... I went ahead and bought the issue, just because Eddie's on the cover. The first RS I've ever purchased...
Damnit, Vedder! How could you?
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Post by Paul on Jun 22, 2006 8:20:50 GMT -5
Damnit, Vedder! How could you?
I think it's a good thing....Pearl Jam has avioded magazine covers, videos, and other forms of large scale publicity for well over a decade; I like that they're coming out of they're shell again and rightfully taking their place in Rock History.
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Post by Thorngrub on Jun 22, 2006 8:37:29 GMT -5
Things are happening
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Post by Kensterberg on Jun 22, 2006 9:33:16 GMT -5
Paul -- I've actually been listening to Avacado a lot ... in fact, yesterday I was talking about it with a girl in the office, and telling her that (as much as I hate to say it) this just might be PJ's best record. It's certainly their best set of rockers. I still don't think it's got a slower tune to match Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town, Betterman (or Nothingman), or Off He Goes, but the rockers are so good that it almost doesn't matter. Liking it a lot.
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Post by Thorngrub on Jun 22, 2006 11:10:38 GMT -5
I like saying it: "Their latest is their greatest" ... has a nice ring to it.
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Post by Proud on Jun 22, 2006 11:33:15 GMT -5
At the very least, like RS said (though for all the wrong reasons)... it's their best album in 10 years.
Expect another mindblowing PJ record in 2016.
Edit: I actually think the softer tunes are the best part of the record, though Life Wasted is awesome (especially the message of the lyrics and the ending bit before the fadeout). Parachutes is pretty, Inside Job is their strongest closer since ever, and Come Back... my God. It could become my favorite Pearl Jam song to date.
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Post by Paul on Jun 22, 2006 12:29:46 GMT -5
Paul -- I've actually been listening to Avacado a lot ... in fact, yesterday I was talking about it with a girl in the office, and telling her that (as much as I hate to say it) this just might be PJ's best record. It's certainly their best set of rockers. I still don't think it's got a slower tune to match Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town, Betterman (or Nothingman), or Off He Goes, but the rockers are so good that it almost doesn't matter. Liking it a lot. Glad to read you're digging Avocado! Why would you hate to say the new one is their best? That's a good thing  I don't know if I'm ready to claim it as their best, but as I've said before, I think it's Pearl Jam's most consistent album. There is simply not one stinker on the album, and IMO, that's a first for Pearl Jam. Some of those slower songs on Avocado are slow burners....perhaps w/ a little more time they'll grow on you. What do you think of "Parachutes"? IMO that's up there w/ "All Those Yesterday's", and "Off He Goes"....I wasn't wild about "Come Back" initially, but now it reminds me of my girlfriend (she loves that song), plus I really like the lyrics, so I've really warmed up to the song....I think my least favorite on the album is "Army Reserve", but that doesn't mean I think it's a terrible song, I just haven't really embraced it yet. Anyway, that one and "Gone" have taken awhile to grow on me. but the rockers are so good that it almost doesn't matterI agree, the rockers are some of PJ's absolute best! Have you warmed up to WWS? What's your favorite rocker? Mine is still MITS, but "Life Wasted" is freaking incredible as well....that chorus, "I escaped it, a life wasted / I anin't never going back again" is constantly in my head. |
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I don't know if I'm ready to claim it as their best, but as I've said before, I think it's Pearl Jam's most consistent album. There is simply not one stinker on the album, and IMO, that's a first for Pearl Jam.