Cold Confession and Let It Ride - Avocado Outtakes

[broken iris]

CC would never make it on modern rock radio without a ton of "Fixin'". It just doesn't fit in between Atlas Genius, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Muse. MYM as a single makes much better sense, since hearing a PJ song on the radio can get people other than the hardcores interested in the band again for a while.

Again, this is the problem. Subordinating the songwriting/creative process to commercial/stylistic/reputational outcomes leaves you with hopelessly contrived music short on resonance and vitality.

Oh, I totally agree and would love to see these types of songs on EPs or a Lost Dogs II type album, but we shouldn't expect the band to be willing to live on revenue from the 200k fan club members alone. The commercial need ill always be there, it just needs some balance as you suggest. Though, given the attitude here, if the rest of Lightning Bolt ends up being amazing people will bitch about how MYM was a sell-out song.

[Strat]

These are real and they're spectacular.

Let's not get carried away. They're rough sketches for songs and they only really spectacular thing about them is that they sound like they're being recorded live.
They're barely even sketches.

HOw the hell are these just "rough sketches" ????

Because bad they been finished and completed in any way, they'd be compressed to all hell, given the brick wall treatment and we'd have finished vocals on them.
These two still have signs of life. Not much else on ST feels like these at all because they've all been digitally processed to death and all life taken from them.

I dont thin production means anything to these being "sketches" these are fully realized songs. They are written, well put together, complete pieces of music (great music at that!) Just because they aren't mastered/mixed for whatever album they could be on, does not mean these are "sketches"

[EJ]

I'm enjoying LIR more than CC right now. I don't think that will change over time, either. Its just a great rock song - one thing I've been sorely missing from this band.

CC is a really nice tune too. The only odd thing to me is that I keep picturing Bono singing this. Ed's got some of Bono's "delicate" affectations going on. (sorry if that comparison now taints the song for you.)

But, both of these have phrases in them. I can only understand about half of what Ed's singing. And, for my own odd tastes, that's something I usually favor. They're not nearly as direct.

[Simple Torture]

I'm late to the party because I just woke up an hour ago and decided to read the whole thread (just in case KurtLeon, the Heavyweight Champion of the World, decided to post anything else); I don't think I have anything new to add, just concurring with a bunch of people that it's a great treat to hear songs like this. I haven't had the same feeling since the "Puzzles and Games"/"Fatal"/"Education"/"Sad" leak years ago. And hey, when that leak happened, we all probably thought we'd never see them on an official release, so there's hope!

[Strat]

Saw Kurt's original post last night and thought it was B.S. Glad it wasn't!

I do tend to think this leak was a strategic drop by someone in the know, though. While I don't think these will be on Lightning Bolt, maybe they were just a distraction from the bad feedback they've been seeing on the title track and Future Days?

Why though? What's the point of a distraction? If it's not to bide time while they make the album better, they may as well be unapologetic, man up and cope with the backlash.

NEIL YOUNG

[E.H. Ruddock]

Saw Kurt's original post last night and thought it was B.S. Glad it wasn't!

If there really are some more tracks from this session and Kurt has them, I can guarantee him that if he shares them chud will do things to him he couldn't even dream of.

[harmless]

Cold Concession has great fucking music.

I haven't yet read through the entire thread, but there better be claims of 'shes gonna shes gonna/let it ride" being cringy.

Both are very, very good. LIR sounds so Riot Act

I think the fact is, people aren't worried about slightly shit, clichéd lyrics when they're not surrounded by shit, clichéd music.

[dprival78]

My guess is that Lightning Bolt will be their last album, and they know it. They'll tour for the next two years, then, as a big money making attempt will release a Lost Dogs 2,3, and 4 with 15 years worth of unreleased material. They'll never have to rehearse them or play them live, but will have the entire fan base gushing about the songs for another couple of years.

i'll take it.

much preferred over backspacer 2,3,4 and/or nostalgia tours

[EJ]

I'm enjoying LIR more than CC right now. I don't think that will change over time, either. Its just a great rock song - one thing I've been sorely missing from this band.

CC is a really nice tune too. The only odd thing to me is that I keep picturing Bono singing this. Ed's got some of Bono's "delicate" affectations going on. (sorry if that comparison now taints the song for you.)

But, both of these have phrases in them that I'm already digging. I can only understand about half of what Ed's singing. And, for my own odd tastes, that's something I usually favor. They're not nearly as direct.

[dimejinky99]

These are real and they're spectacular.

Let's not get carried away. They're rough sketches for songs and they only really spectacular thing about them is that they sound like they're being recorded live.
They're barely even sketches.

HOw the hell are these just "rough sketches" ????

Because bad they been finished and completed in any way, they'd be compressed to all hell, given the brick wall treatment and we'd have finished vocals on them.
These two still have signs of life. Not much else on ST feels like these at all because they've all been digitally processed to death and all life taken from them.

I dont thin production means anything to these being "sketches" these are fully realized songs. They are written, well put together, complete pieces of music (great music at that!) Just because they aren't mastered/mixed for whatever album they could be on, does not mean these are "sketches"

You must have missed all those conversations about Pj being super precious about this stuff.
These two are nowhere near being finished.

[harmless]

Saw Kurt's original post last night and thought it was B.S. Glad it wasn't!

I do tend to think this leak was a strategic drop by someone in the know, though. While I don't think these will be on Lightning Bolt, maybe they were just a distraction from the bad feedback they've been seeing on the title track and Future Days?

Why though? What's the point of a distraction? If it's not to bide time while they make the album better, they may as well be unapologetic, man up and cope with the backlash.

NEIL YOUNG

Yup.

[Tuolumne]

I'm on the stip side of the coin where I'm generally a fan of the direction they've chosen in recent years. I like what I'm hearing so far in these 2 tracks, but can completely see why they were left off.

On Avocado and Backspacer, thet've consciously been going for concise melody. A chord progression that hits a few key notes, movement into another section of a verse, drop a couple of other notes and then return right back to the chord progression just introduced. All within a matter of a 15-20 seconds. I best describe it as "punchy". Comes from listening to Guided By Voices, early Who, Neil Finn, Buzzcocks, and yes The Ramones. Punch them with a melody and get to the chorus, in and out. No lingering. It's different songwriting for sure, but some just because it is quick and relatively simple and not drawn out some people mistake it for lazy.

Cold Confession is a slow burner, relies on the old meandering melody of Eddie's old days. They now like to get straight to the point in half a minute, so you're sort of punched with the song instead of enveloped by the atmosphere of the Ed's voice and the guitar.

If I was giving an unreasonable evaluation of Cold Confession I'd say it's "old man rock" treading no ground and relying too much on Ed's old meandering ways. But that's dense. It's decent is all I can say. But could have stopped Avacado to a halt unless it was the last track. I LOVE Inside Job in the same way some people live Present Tense. I much prefer that.

Let It Ride I definitely got a stronger first impression of especially going into the second half. Unlike Cold Confession, it sort of bridges their older songwriting with where they got to on Avocado and then Backspacer. It achieves a bit of the punchiness but also lingers (meanders?) on the chord progression a little bit.

If it made sense to put one of the 2 on Avocado, this one fit better. But lyrically I think it belongs somewhere else. I think Avocado and Backspacer took alot of care to make. To develop a melody so that it impacts within just 30-45 seconds using pop punk chord progression structures. Making something melodic and compact versus spacey, layered and stretched out are 2 different forms of songwriting. I don't think one is lazier than the other or takes less creativity.

Overall, this is a first impression, I think they're fine outtakes and would fit great on a Lost Dogs 2.

[darth_vedder]

Me like.

Is it just me, or does Ed sound like he does on Army Reserve on "Cold Confession".

Man, I am digging the more raw / loose feel. That is how PJ should sound. I hate that they sound overdone and overproduced now.

Avocado could have been a killer album. The outtakes on this one could rival Binaural. It's bad enough they left off Sad and Fatal on Binaural, now these two? Dammit Pearl Jam! Please consult with RM before tracking an album. Thanks!

[---]

Saw Kurt's original post last night and thought it was B.S. Glad it wasn't!

If there really are some more tracks from this session and Kurt has them, I can guarantee him that if he shares them chud will do things to him he couldn't even dream of.

8.7403/10

[EJ]

Saw Kurt's original post last night and thought it was B.S. Glad it wasn't!

I do tend to think this leak was a strategic drop by someone in the know, though. While I don't think these will be on Lightning Bolt, maybe they were just a distraction from the bad feedback they've been seeing on the title track and Future Days?

Why though? What's the point of a distraction? If it's not to bide time while they make the album better, they may as well be unapologetic, man up and cope with the backlash.

I don't have a good answer why, just speculating. It just seems so odd that these would come out now.

[Lounge Lizard]

The London Soundcheck piece is intriguing at least, thanks to Ledbetter Times for the PM
I especially expect a lot from the drums on that one. Pretty unusual.
I remember when I used to replay the hell out of WMA or In My Tree just because of the drums

[Strat]

These are real and they're spectacular.

Let's not get carried away. They're rough sketches for songs and they only really spectacular thing about them is that they sound like they're being recorded live.
They're barely even sketches.

HOw the hell are these just "rough sketches" ????

Because bad they been finished and completed in any way, they'd be compressed to all hell, given the brick wall treatment and we'd have finished vocals on them.
These two still have signs of life. Not much else on ST feels like these at all because they've all been digitally processed to death and all life taken from them.

I dont thin production means anything to these being "sketches" these are fully realized songs. They are written, well put together, complete pieces of music (great music at that!) Just because they aren't mastered/mixed for whatever album they could be on, does not mean these are "sketches"

You must have missed all those conversations about Pj being super precious about this stuff.
These two are nowhere near being finished.

What does them being precious about their music have to do with these being sketches? If they were so precious about it, thought they were just sketches and shouldnt be heard, they wouldnt have handed them out to the person that leaked them. No?

These aren't sketches. Go to bed Dime!

[4/5]

Let It Ride....Wow. Has that song really been sitting there while they've given us Unemployables and Supersonics? Sigh.

Let me try that again because I'd rather be positive this morning:

Let It Ride....Wow!! THAT is the band that I love(d)! This shows that they can still write great stuff. Please let this song be on the new record.

[Birds in Hell]

These are real and they're spectacular.

Let's not get carried away. They're rough sketches for songs and they only really spectacular thing about them is that they sound like they're being recorded live.
They're barely even sketches.

HOw the hell are these just "rough sketches" ????

Because bad they been finished and completed in any way, they'd be compressed to all hell, given the brick wall treatment and we'd have finished vocals on them.
These two still have signs of life. Not much else on ST feels like these at all because they've all been digitally processed to death and all life taken from them.

I dont thin production means anything to these being "sketches" these are fully realized songs. They are written, well put together, complete pieces of music (great music at that!) Just because they aren't mastered/mixed for whatever album they could be on, does not mean these are "sketches"

You must have missed all those conversations about Pj being super precious about this stuff.
These two are nowhere near being finished.

What does them being precious about their music have to do with these being sketches? If they were so precious about it, thought they were just sketches and shouldnt be heard, they wouldnt have handed them out to the person that leaked them. No?

These aren't sketches. Go to bed Dime!

Seriously.

[Ledbetterdays]

The psychology behind this leak is what is interesting to me. Why just these two? Why now? If there was intent from the leaker was it to derail or to build excitement? Or was it just that someone willing to leak got ahold of these two songs. I think in general MYM was a good start, the London Soundcheck added more excitement, then LB and FD kinda took the air out. The it has been four years and this is the best you could come up with response has been pretty common. So now we wait for three months. Are these demos to help bridge that time? Maybe teased to try and finalize a tracklist? It is all very interesting.