Superblood Wolfmoon

[Ms Harmless]

It just blows my mind how bad the drums are. It seems like that cymbal crash comes in at all the wrong places, even. Which is something an average novice drummer wouldn't do. Maybe Ed drummed on this song.

I've always disliked the way Matt uses cymbals (and doesn't), from the hi hat and upwards

[96583UP]

so is superblood wolfmoon so good it's gonna knock the shit out of our ass into the toilet and flush itself?

Yes. It’s save you mixed with getaway.

Jonathan Cohen has described Mike McCready's solo in that song as 'sizzling' ?

How sizzling would you say we are talking here?

A) Low and steady enough to heat a sunnyside egg
B) Hot enough to cook a philly cheesesteak but not burn
C) Hibachi Onion Volcano Fireball

C

LOL

[ButtStones]

This song is a real fucking piece of dog shit, especially coming right after DOTC - something innovative and unique.

[tree_]

I just listened again.. sitting here in my office...

man... i just imagined ed in here singing this to me like that ... i think i'd have to kick him out of my office.. so annoying

[Ms Harmless]

"they're a live band" in the sense that they play instruments and tour, like... a band

They're a live band in the sense that they've put out one (bad) record in the last 10 years but have continued to tour.

And oh god are they good live.

their album to tour ratio used to be much higher, so maybe they're a "live band" in the sense that they're old and less interested in innovating in the studio

Let's put it this way:

How many people will keep going to their concerts no matter how good/bad are their new records?

Sadly, they've become irrelevant studio wise.

so they're less a "live band" to me and more a... not very good one

PJ fans go to concerts almost entirely to absorb the magic of a "jamily" atmosphere now; I'm not saying that's a bad thing, I'm just saying that it's not the polished nature of the music that pulls them anymore, largely shown in the number of people who have seen them 50 times compared to any new fans they might be pulling in

[guitar_davey]

I haven't read the last 35 pages - but based on the poll my spidey sense tells me that factions of Gigaton Squad are disappointed.

I just listened for the first time. Initial thoughts are reasonably positive:

- it's not a pure spritzer. it is on the spritz spectrum, but where past spritzers transitioned into pure teenie-bop spritz-punk, this stays closer to the median
- the mix sounds better than past spritz-punkers, which may have been a significant contributor to their obnoxiousness. this doesn't have glam BOB effect, you can hear the bass, and the guitar has a little grit at times
- By the middle, Ed suffers from a bit of the 'too many words' problem, as in past spritzers. but he doesn't rely on his usual bag of vocal tics. no breathiness, no obvious call-and-response structures
- the guitar solo part is solid, not just for the opportunity to hear a solo, but the backing chords are pretty good. there is some edge there. and the transition into the main riff is a good one

overall rating: 6.5/10
when factor-adjusted for new pearl jam crappiness syndrome: 8.5/10

Bro this is might be the worst one of the spritzies

Yeah, this song is the definition of spritzy.

I've listened to this song a bunch of times and still don't know the definition of spritzy

My take is that it's fast, uptempo, and straightforward, with the guitars all fuzzy and mostly playing the same tight, concise parts.

[tree_]

This song is a real fucking piece of dog shit, especially coming right after DOTC - something innovative and unique.

for me, that's all DOTC really has going for it... "at least it's not the usual garbage"... but, were it not for the novel, odd, unexpected direction, it's still a disappointment

[96583UP]

I haven't read the last 35 pages - but based on the poll my spidey sense tells me that factions of Gigaton Squad are disappointed.

I just listened for the first time. Initial thoughts are reasonably positive:

- it's not a pure spritzer. it is on the spritz spectrum, but where past spritzers transitioned into pure teenie-bop spritz-punk, this stays closer to the median
- the mix sounds better than past spritz-punkers, which may have been a significant contributor to their obnoxiousness. this doesn't have glam BOB effect, you can hear the bass, and the guitar has a little grit at times
- By the middle, Ed suffers from a bit of the 'too many words' problem, as in past spritzers. but he doesn't rely on his usual bag of vocal tics. no breathiness, no obvious call-and-response structures
- the guitar solo part is solid, not just for the opportunity to hear a solo, but the backing chords are pretty good. there is some edge there. and the transition into the main riff is a good one

overall rating: 6.5/10
when factor-adjusted for new pearl jam crappiness syndrome: 8.5/10

Bro this is might be the worst one of the spritzies

Yeah, this song is the definition of spritzy.

Ha - I've created a monster here.

Maybe my ratings are skewed by having a first listen on a peaceful morning accompanied by a warm cup of The Posters Café Joe ?

I can just picture Ed's balding head flailing up and down to this track live, as he struggles to hit the notes and lyrics in time when Matt speeds it up to MattSpeed

what's not appealing about that?

[EJ]

I find it interesting that people are describing this song as "loose." It sounds like 5 different bits of music were spliced together in a jarring way.

[96583UP]

This song is a real fucking piece of dog shit, especially coming right after DOTC - something innovative and unique.

LOL

I gotta catch up on the first 35 pages of this thread

[WaitingForBluey]

They have the talent but for some unknown reason they're not applying it.

I'm 99.9% sure that this is not how they see it. This is the music they want to be making and they are very excited about it and proud of it, as they are with every new album they release. This all boils down to what music always comes down to in the end... it's a matter of personal preference. This is what they prefer to make right now, regardless of talent or ability. And, unfortunately, regardless of what we'd like to hear from them.

You can call this song the work of "applying talent" with a straight face? Listen to Spoonman and tell me Matt is at all trying on this song.

I never said anything like that. You alluded to some potential power struggle between band members that's neutering their creative process. But I'm pretty sure that the band is absolutely stoked about their new material and they don't see this as "oh, we're a little bored now so we're not even going to try anymore" but "hey this is fun, we really enjoy this". Music is always about the artist pleasing themselves first, the fans get second dibs. (Kevin Parker's new album a case in point.) Unfortunately, the disconnect is more about us wanting something different than what they want right now. But to imply that they are not even trying to apply their skills and talents just doesn't add up. As with any new album, they seem very proud of their efforts. And as for Matt, who the heck knows, maybe he's suffering from some sort of "been there, done that" syndrome? Maybe he's challenging himself with a minimalist approach and enjoying himself in the process?

[guitar_davey]

This song is a real fucking piece of dog shit, especially coming right after DOTC - something innovative and unique.

LOL

I gotta catch up on the first 35 pages of this thread

Took me an hour and a half this morning. Just made it!

[Strat]

They have the talent but for some unknown reason they're not applying it.

I'm 99.9% sure that this is not how they see it. This is the music they want to be making and they are very excited about it and proud of it, as they are with every new album they release. This all boils down to what music always comes down to in the end... it's a matter of personal preference. This is what they prefer to make right now, regardless of talent or ability. And, unfortunately, regardless of what we'd like to hear from them.

You can call this song the work of "applying talent" with a straight face? Listen to Spoonman and tell me Matt is at all trying on this song.

I never said anything like that. You alluded to some potential power struggle between band members that's neutering their creative process. But I'm pretty sure that the band is absolutely stoked about their new material and they don't see this as "oh, we're a little bored now so we're not even going to try anymore" but "hey this is fun, we really enjoy this". Music is always about the artist pleasing themselves first, the fans get second dibs. (Kevin Parker's new album a case in point.) Unfortunately, the disconnect is more about us wanting something different than what they want right now. But to imply that they are not even trying to apply their skills and talents just doesn't add up. As with any new album, they seem very proud of their efforts. And as for Matt, who the heck knows, maybe he's suffering from some sort of "been there, done that" syndrome? Maybe he's challenging himself with a minimalist approach and enjoying himself in the process?

I dont like the song = pearl jam doesn't give a shit anymore and they are lazy

Welcome!

[Strat]

im tired of "that type of song" too from them. However, i dont feel this song is actually as simple and lazy as others feel it is.

[Ms Harmless]

I find it interesting that people are describing this song as "loose." It sounds like 5 different bits of music were spliced together in a jarring way.

"loose" is different to "spare"

it's put together like an old clapped out banger of a car

[DeeDee]

"they're a live band" in the sense that they play instruments and tour, like... a band

They're a live band in the sense that they've put out one (bad) record in the last 10 years but have continued to tour.

And oh god are they good live.

their album to tour ratio used to be much higher, so maybe they're a "live band" in the sense that they're old and less interested in innovating in the studio

Let's put it this way:

How many people will keep going to their concerts no matter how good/bad are their new records?

Sadly, they've become irrelevant studio wise.

so they're less a "live band" to me and more a... not very good one

PJ fans go to concerts almost entirely to absorb the magic of a "jamily" atmosphere now; I'm not saying that's a bad thing, I'm just saying that it's not the polished nature of the music that pulls them anymore, largely shown in the number of people who have seen them 50 times compared to any new fans they might be pulling in

Here (Spain, Europe), fans go to their concerts because they kick ass and are one of the best bands to ever do it, basically. There are no seats in the pit and people still have the time of their lifes when they go see them live, I guarantee you that. There are lots of jumping around, hugging and even moshing when the old hits come.

I haven't seen them in the States, so I can't talk about that 'jamily' thing, but I usually see people way quieter and used to see them. I guess the experiences are entirely different.

[Clem Halibut]

The song has definitely grown on me after a few listens on a proper stereo.

If "Gonna See My Friend" & "Johnny Guitar" had a child...it would be this song.

I don't understand the early reviews on this that called Mike's solo blistering...or whatever it was.
The solo is actually pretty forgettable and doesn't do anything to improve the song....It's actually pretty pointless.
Oddly enough, it's Eddie's riff that comes out of the solo that actually saves the song from mediocrity.
Understandable why this was the portion on the teaser clip - because it's really the best part of the song.

All in all it's not bad.

But hoping there's better on the album

[tree_]

Wow, Strat.. do you even play guitar? Power chords, simple 4/4 drum beat... all super generic sound all around ...

man... Ed's voice is just so bad... is anyone in their circle listening to this? They really need to say something to Ed... wtf is he doing.. GRATING AF

[DeeDee]

im tired of "that type of song" too from them. However, i dont feel this song is actually as simple and lazy as others feel it is.

I can agree with that.

[epilogue]

Haven't read the thread through yet. Didn't stay up to hear it. Listened to it three times on the way to the gym this morning and then three more on the way home.

It's not hitting me like DOTC, not at all. But I like a lot of what is happening. Parts of this song are fantastic (especially the back half). Dig the solo and the first part after the solo. Love the melody overall. The production is great -- it has that heavier, underwater thing No Code has.

I voted for 3 in the above poll but it leans heavily toward 4. I think this is going to get better with more listens. I like it a lot. But there are some things about it I really don't like right now.

The transition from this to Dance sounds awesome though.