Dance of the Clairvoyants

[ghost]

The last couple minutes of the song are just sublime. Wish it went on like that with the layered vocals for another minute or two.

[Kevin Davis]

It's great that they dropped the whole Strokes cover band thing, but this song... it doesnt fit. Unless the shows are slowed down to a crawl this is a set killer with below average lyrics and a different (for PJ) but still derivative sound. Ed sounds so weak here, I just dont get the love.

Eddie sounds about like I'd expect him to sound on a studio recording in 2020 -- when I think of how Eddie's voice has declined over the years, I always think mainly of live performances, of him trying to hiccup and wheeze his way through "Not For You" and "State of Love and Trust." He definitely sounds better than that here, if only because this is not a song that was originally built for an entirely different set of vocal capabilities. But I'm with you -- in all the ways that this song has defied my expectations, Eddie's voice isn't one of them; I think the current physical limitations of his voice are still on full display here, though certainly tempered by the controlled environment of a recording studio.

That said, I know what obstacles are reasonable to expect them to overcome and which ones aren't. Ditching their producer and trying on some new musical sounds is reasonable; expecting Eddie to reverse-age 20 years is not. So, I'm rolling with it.

[VinylGuy]

Im curious about Josh Evans really. This one sounds incredible.

[Jorge]

At the very least, the fact that I'm one of maybe 3 people here who aren't way into this thing (good morning, yes I still think it is weak) should be enough to dispel the notion that RM is just a bunch of bitter grouches ready to hate on the band regardless of what they put out

[Bammer]

It's great that they dropped the whole Strokes cover band thing, but this song... it doesnt fit. Unless the shows are slowed down to a crawl this is a set killer with below average lyrics and a different (for PJ) but still derivative sound. Ed sounds so weak here, I just dont get the love.

Eddie sounds about like I'd expect him to sound on a studio recording in 2020 -- when I think of how Eddie's voice has declined over the years, I always think mainly of live performances, of him trying to hiccup and wheeze his way through "Not For You" and "State of Love and Trust." He definitely sounds better than that here, if only because this is not a song that was originally built for an entirely different set of vocal capabilities. But I'm with you -- in all the ways that this song has defied my expectations, Eddie's voice isn't one of them; I think the current physical limitations of his voice are still on full display here, though certainly tempered by the controlled environment of a recording studio.

That said, I know what obstacles are reasonable to expect them to overcome and which ones aren't. Ditching their producer and trying on some new musical sounds is reasonable; expecting Eddie to reverse-age 20 years is not. So, I'm rolling with it.

Kevin Davis, I have come to expect more from you. This is 2019 studio Ed. We haven’t heard 2020 studio Ed yet.

[Kevin Davis]

I think it's true that their real left-field experiments ("Stupid Mop," "Arc," etc.) were one-offs, but whenever they've put out something comparatively left of the middle but still within conventional "song form" expectations as a lead single (I'm primarily thinking of "Who You Are" and "Nothing As It Seems"), I think they ended up being good predictors of those albums' respective musical languages. I don't know -- I think it's a good sign

Word

It’s more true for Who You Are. NAIS is just so different.

Really? I think it totally points the way to things like "Light Years" and "Of the Girl" and "Sleight of Hand," as well as the general vibe of the production even on songs that sound less like it superficially.

[Farmer John]

Stone plays bass in this one?? Fuuuuuuuck...

Can't wait to watch Stone shake his ass as he grooves on that bass.

[JuanHamm]

This is very good.

I've had a few members of my family listen to it and they have also liked it, despite finding their recent output laughable.

[VinylGuy]

Stone plays bass in this one?? Fuuuuuuuck...

Can't wait to watch Stone shake his ass as he grooves on that bass.

yeah, me too. Its so tasty.

And im talking about Stone´s ass....

[mikejasond]

It really kills me though to see the way we have to talk about Eddie nowadays. When we talk about his aging voice, and his limited range....when you hear the way he warbles and always sounds like he has a sore throat, and his odd pronunciations....

It's just kind of sad that the member of the band who was by far the strongest asset of the band (And you're kidding yourself if you try to claim he isn't - Eddie Vedder is the true talent of Pearl Jam, one of the greatest rock singers of all time, and the most special member of the band that they could never have made it without) has now become a detriment that they have to try to work around so he doesn't ruin the thing. It's just really sad.

You go back and watch Eddie sing from the 90s or maybe even especially the early 2000s and you're wowed. Now its just...not there anymore. Pearl Jam can never truly be Pearl Jam with current Eddie - they will always be a bit of a shell no matter what they do

[Kevin Davis]

For what it's worth MJD, there are only a few of us with reservations about his performance in this song. Most everybody seems to be loving his vocals on this track without qualification.

[vedder316]

Damn. When mikes guitar kicks and Ed lays into the “save your predictions” - right there is classic spine tingling pj. Just love that.

[E.H. Ruddock]

Stone plays bass in this one?? Fuuuuuuuck...

Can't wait to watch Stone shake his ass as he grooves on that bass.

I mean, Stone said he laid down the bass in studio. I suspect live it will be a different story.

[commo]

It really kills me though to see the way we have to talk about Eddie nowadays. When we talk about his aging voice, and his limited range....when you hear the way he warbles and always sounds like he has a sore throat, and his odd pronunciations....

It's just kind of sad that the member of the band who was by far the strongest asset of the band (And you're kidding yourself if you try to claim he isn't - Eddie Vedder is the true talent of Pearl Jam, one of the greatest rock singers of all time, and the most special member of the band that they could never have made it without) has now become a detriment that they have to try to work around so he doesn't ruin the thing. It's just really sad.

You go back and watch Eddie sing from the 90s or maybe even especially the early 2000s and you're wowed. Now its just...not there anymore. Pearl Jam can never truly be Pearl Jam with current Eddie - they will always be a bit of a shell no matter what they do

Everyone gets older, nothing you can do about it
Except Keith Richards maybe

[Strat]

Growing up with the band....even listening to a majority of their performances for the first 15 years .... it’s amazing and perhaps quite a miracle that Ed can actually sing or speak at all these days. He pushed it to the extreme for a very long time. It’s why we are all here. So, to even talk about Ed’s aging voice these days, to me, is a fucking bore and waste of time.

[Bammer]

The thread locked now so I can’t quote the photo ...

I’ll have to listen again when I get away from my kids but that minimal Matt Cam drum setup seems like enough for this song.

[mikejasond]

For what it's worth MJD, there are only a few of us with reservations about his performance in this song. Most everybody seems to be loving his vocals on this track without qualification.

I mean, he sounds good for post-2006 Eddie Vedder. But not compared to any of the albums before then. And also that's kind of the point right? They need to work around his limitations, when before that he didn't have limitations his voice was a monsterous powerhouse.

[stip]

The obvious and wise choice for a band that made this song is to recognize it as a template for building a cohesive, fertile departure album. When your whole career has been rock songs and “face melt, bro” solos, you could jump into these waters and find a dozen varying and enjoyable ways to splash around.

This band’s history is so much more inclined towards experiments being one offs I don’t know what to expect. Like, if this album is Dance, the pipe organ song, one or two other surprises, two Ed acoustic solo tracks, and a half dozen “it sounds like Pearl Jam” shruggers, that’s gonna be such a drag downward from where this song starts me out at.

my hope is that the more collaborative and inventive approach persists throughout even if it is filtered through traditional song choices

[mikejasond]

Growing up with the band....even listening to a majority of their performances for the first 15 years .... it’s amazing and perhaps quite a miracle that Ed can actually sing or speak at all these days. He pushed it to the extreme for a very long time. It’s why we are all here. So, to even talk about Ed’s aging voice these days, to me, is a fucking bore and waste of time.

Perhaps it hits me harder because I didn't become a fan until 2013 and didn't get to see him when he could really sing like he used to so it's always an asterisk when Pearl Jam albums come out and while their live shows are great still, having seen clips of shows from like 94, 98, 03, I wish that was the band I got to see now

[mikejasond]

It really kills me though to see the way we have to talk about Eddie nowadays. When we talk about his aging voice, and his limited range....when you hear the way he warbles and always sounds like he has a sore throat, and his odd pronunciations....

It's just kind of sad that the member of the band who was by far the strongest asset of the band (And you're kidding yourself if you try to claim he isn't - Eddie Vedder is the true talent of Pearl Jam, one of the greatest rock singers of all time, and the most special member of the band that they could never have made it without) has now become a detriment that they have to try to work around so he doesn't ruin the thing. It's just really sad.

You go back and watch Eddie sing from the 90s or maybe even especially the early 2000s and you're wowed. Now its just...not there anymore. Pearl Jam can never truly be Pearl Jam with current Eddie - they will always be a bit of a shell no matter what they do

Everyone gets older, nothing you can do about it
Except Keith Richards maybe

Sure, though that's part of what makes it so sad