Song of the Moment: Sirens

[Norah]

Sent the song (video) to my wife. Her comments:

the only thing I didn't like is there's some random piano/keyboard notes in there that I wish wasn't. not all of the piano, just these certain 3 or so notes that sound really random, they're not even similar in sound to the other keyboard/piano notes... they hit at 2:18-2:20 of the video, and the video is showing fingers playing at that moment. is that Boom's fault? Thanks yet again Boom.

That'd be BOB. They keep Boom in his cage until they tour.

Boom plays in the video, though, not BOB.

Context: my wife hates Boom.

How does anyone hate Boom? That's like hating Clifford the Big Red Dog.

You're right, he's clunky and gets in the way.

[epilogue]

Sent the song (video) to my wife. Her comments:

the only thing I didn't like is there's some random piano/keyboard notes in there that I wish wasn't. not all of the piano, just these certain 3 or so notes that sound really random, they're not even similar in sound to the other keyboard/piano notes... they hit at 2:18-2:20 of the video, and the video is showing fingers playing at that moment. is that Boom's fault? Thanks yet again Boom.

That'd be BOB. They keep Boom in his cage until they tour.

Boom plays in the video, though, not BOB.

Context: my wife hates Boom.

How does anyone hate Boom? That's like hating Clifford the Big Red Dog.

You're right, he's clunky and gets in the way.

But he's so cute. And he means well.

[harmless]

Sent the song (video) to my wife. Her comments:

the only thing I didn't like is there's some random piano/keyboard notes in there that I wish wasn't. not all of the piano, just these certain 3 or so notes that sound really random, they're not even similar in sound to the other keyboard/piano notes... they hit at 2:18-2:20 of the video, and the video is showing fingers playing at that moment. is that Boom's fault? Thanks yet again Boom.

That'd be BOB. They keep Boom in his cage until they tour.

Boom plays in the video, though, not BOB.

Context: my wife hates Boom.

How does anyone hate Boom? That's like hating Clifford the Big Red Dog.

You're right, he's clunky and gets in the way.

But he's so cute. And he means well.

[AllNiteThing]

[Thejambi]

There's nothing more fanboi than "all of the sudden, getting it".

You either like a song (or album) or you don't. Sure, this can change "a bit". Certain songs may grow more favorable. But, trying to say that your opinion completely changed is a fanboi cop out.

For all those who say this about any thing PJ,.... grow a set...


....of opinion balls.

You must either be really young or completely joking here.

You're saying you've never initially disliked or were indifferent towards an album but later grew to enjoy it, or it hit you at a different point in your life/maturity? Never?

I never liked more than a couple of songs on Binaural for YEARS. I thought it was boring, muddy and just lacking. Just recently, after giving it a few more good listens with a good pair of headphones and FLAC files, it just hit me. I think it's amazing now on so many levels that would take a few paragraphs to explain. You can't tell me for a second that this has anything to do with other people's opinions influencing me or me wanting to be cool or a 'fanboy'. That's utter bullshit.

Don't worry. It's just his schtick. Logic and reasoning are cop outs.

You think it is just schtick ?

I only hope.

[bodysnatcher]

Sent the song (video) to my wife. Her comments:

the only thing I didn't like is there's some random piano/keyboard notes in there that I wish wasn't. not all of the piano, just these certain 3 or so notes that sound really random, they're not even similar in sound to the other keyboard/piano notes... they hit at 2:18-2:20 of the video, and the video is showing fingers playing at that moment. is that Boom's fault? Thanks yet again Boom.

That'd be BOB. They keep Boom in his cage until they tour.

Boom plays in the video, though, not BOB.

Context: my wife hates Boom.

How does anyone hate Boom? That's like hating Clifford the Big Red Dog.

You're right, he's clunky and gets in the way.

But he's so cute. And he means well.

In that case, have him be an usher, or teach him sign language and let him sign on the side of the stage. I don't need him pussyfooting around my favorite songs!

[stupidmop]

Isnt the general perception of the band nowadays (here I mean) that they're sloppy and barely rehearsed? Boom fits like a glove.

Plus its way cooler having a mysterious giant hairy hawaiian playing unnecessary keys in all your music than your producer.

[worldwithyourheart]

LBC wasn't a single.

Apparently you've never heard of wikipedia?

Not in the US, don't need wikipedia. so how does that change anything?

[worldwithyourheart]

LBC wasn't a single.

Not officially in the US, but in Canada, Australia, and Europe it was.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Boat_Captain

so we concur?

[BurtReynolds]

LBC wasn't a single.

Not officially in the US, but in Canada, Australia, and Europe it was.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Boat_Captain

so we concur?

you're not living up to your avatar.

[Dr. Van Nostrand]

[Birds in Hell]

I can't fathom having a producer play piano all over your records when you have a piano player already.

Totally agree. It makes zero sense to me. I thought people were making it up for the longest time.

Yeah, but Boom isn't a member of Pearl Jam.

Context: my wife hates Boom.

How does anyone hate Boom? That's like hating Clifford the Big Red Dog.

Team Mrs. Bodysnatcher.

Look, he's fine in small doses, but I've endured too many live recordings with him banging inexpertly along in totally inappropriate contexts (eg. twee sounding piano chords during Once and Deep).

Even where his contributions aren't out of place, during LBC or Black for instance, I don't feel like he's ever really adding much worthwhile to the band's sound. He's just kind of...there.

[numbers]

I cant decide whether I like or hate this song.

[delanoche]

I cant decide whether I like or hate this song.

I keep going back to: I like it, but I don't know why and I feel kinda bad about it.

[stip]

The difficulty with this song is about much more than this song. For some, it's part of a long line of disappointing aspects of the new Pearl Jam who are a different band than the one they signed up for. I can't take that away from anyone, and I feel it to some extent myself.

My second honeymoon continues unabated

[WaitingForBluey]

I can't fathom having a producer play piano all over your records when you have a piano player already.

Totally agree. It makes zero sense to me. I thought people were making it up for the longest time.

Yeah, but Boom isn't a member of Pearl Jam.

Context: my wife hates Boom.

How does anyone hate Boom? That's like hating Clifford the Big Red Dog.

Team Mrs. Bodysnatcher.

Look, he's fine in small doses, but I've endured too many live recordings with him banging inexpertly along in totally inappropriate contexts (eg. twee sounding piano chords during Once and Deep).

Even where his contributions aren't out of place, during LBC or Black for instance, I don't feel like he's ever really adding much worthwhile to the band's sound. He's just kind of...there.

Yea but he's usually turned way down in the mix and hardly noticeable so I'm not sure he really detracts all that much besides the few times you hear him. Leave the poor guy alone. He's only in the band so Ed can score some homegrown Hawaiian weed.

[stip]

Point me to a band that hasn't had at least one single worse than this song, much less at 23 years into their career.

Stone is always like 'Pfff! Sure, put HIM five steps in front of the rest of us'

When Stone woke up that morning and realized it was album promo shot day, he went into his closest and made sure to pull out his best zip up sweater with reindeers on it. He wanted it to be special. So I can understand why he's upset about Ed being so far up front. He was really proud of that sweater.

[stip]

Forgive me for my lack of brevity here....
But it appears to me that I am moving in the exact opposite direction from most of the people on this board. I feel like I was a PJ apologist pretty much from the beginning. For every Small Town and Betterman the band released, my discomfort with being a PJ fan grew by leaps and bounds. It was slowly apparent to me that PJ would never have the type of "indie-credibility" (as in anything the "cool" hipsters would accept into their little club of "all that which does not suck") that bands like Nirvana and Radiohead had, and probably will always have. For some reason, that's all I really wanted for the band.

Back then I was more of an indie/punk/hardcore/emo kid than an alternative/mainstream/classic rock fan. My friends and I listened to a lot of Fugazi, Sonic Youth, Pixies and stuff like that. Some of my friends appreciated Ten and maybe Vs, but the by the time Vitalogy came out I was made to be ashamed of my loyalty to PJ. I started to sneak it in whenever I could. With every new Pearl Jam album, probably all the way through S/T, I would look for signs that PJ was weird enough or experimental enough or whatever to gain that elusive "indie-credibility" status. There's no doubt that my mindset tainted my first listening experience with every single album from Vitalogy to S/T. Why the fuck should I care if Pitchfork gave a new Pearl Jam album a positive review? I don't know. But for some stupid reason I did care. The indie hipster in me just couldn't let Pearl Jam be Pearl Jam.

By the time Backspacer started to arrive, something started to shift though. I started to think "who gives a shit if people don't like this? I'm totally cool with this." Maybe it was me just growing up and getting older, or my taste in music was changing rapidly (listening to alt-country, funk, reggae, afrobeat and on and on), or I just didn't have the energy to apologize for Pearl Jam anymore. But as soon as I heard Sirens it was a total confirmation for me. Like a huge declaration. I feel a great sense of relief now. Sirens was the nail in the coffin that took that old way of thinking and laid it down to rest for good. Now I could care less what people think of PJ and what the reviews will say about Lightning Bolt because PJ is still just doing their thing and I dig it and that's enough me. No longer uncomfortable to be a Pearl Jam fan after 20 years.

Solid, solid post.

I've always been proud to be a fan, an felt sorry for people who arent

[numbers]

I cant decide whether I like or hate this song.

I keep going back to: I like it, but I don't know why and I feel kinda bad about it.

I kinda feel like that, my instincts are telling me to hate it, but I dont really.

[stip]

So I've been a lurker on this board for many years and never really got around to posting anything, but I was thinking about these new songs the other day and reading posts on RM and had a personal revelation. I was 14 years old when 'Ten' came out and at that point in my life that album hit me like a religious experience. Suddenly there was this music that just "made sense" to me. My emotions and this music kind of bounced off of each other and I felt like I had a place to go to get away from all the teenage bullshit. It was lightning in a bottle.
As time went on, and album after album came out (all of which I love, except maybe Riot Act) I kept waiting for that same feeling and would get a little disappointed when it didn't happen again. Now keep in mind I'm the guy with the stickman tattoo and just recently finished decorating my basement with my poster collection....this band is a huge part of my life. It became apparent to me that it is not possible for the band to ever release anything that will effect me the way 'Ten' did because I am not the person I was then. It is the combination of state of mind and music that make music transcendental. That doesn't mean that the music they make now doesn't hit me that way from time to time....Force of Nature and The End particularly got me from Backspacer.
I do know for sure that most modern bands do not have much to say that I can relate to, but I can relate to what Ed's lyrics have to say now because I am getting into that stage of life where priorities have changed and I'm not as much "Let's take on the world and be defiant" as I am "I need to take care of my family and treasure the small things". Ed's lyrics have headed in this direction and I can relate well.
I have a question: why would anyone be ashamed to be a fan of whatever they are a fan of?

Why indeed?

Welcome to the board