Harmless writes a drum review and finds closure

[harmless]

Oops, I forgot to say that at least the hi-hats are open during the verses and the short instrumental break going into the chorus. And I like the crash-accents on the DA-DA-DA during the "living hell" outro. I wanted more of that.

[harmless]

I do like Matt's bass drum work on some of MYM.

[SaturdayNightSeizure]

Song could have benefited from some double bass drums.

[harmless]

It's got a little, but more quick-fire ones with a double pedal, yes definitely. If he was fast enough, or that way inclined, a bass drum on all 4 beats for some sections would've been nice, a la "Green Disease". But he'll never do stuff like that on a song this fast...

[Jorge]

Mike McCready, do you ever hang out with Travis Barker? If not, for the sake of all future pop-punk songs, you probably should start.

Gross. I think Barker's ornate style would be distracting and ill-fitted for a song like MYM.

[harmless]

Mike McCready, do you ever hang out with Travis Barker? If not, for the sake of all future pop-punk songs, you probably should start.

Gross. I think Barker's ornate style would be distracting and ill-fitted for a song like MYM.

I love an ornate style!

How do you feel about the back-to-basics approach here, Jorge? You're a much bigger punk fan than me.

[SaturdayNightSeizure]

It's got a little, but more quick-fire ones with a double pedal, yes definitely. If he was fast enough, or that way inclined, a bass drum on all 4 beats for some sections would've been nice, a la "Green Disease". But he'll never do stuff like that on a song this fast...

Especially on the "mind your manners" part. Ala overkill by motorhead.

[harmless]

It's got a little, but more quick-fire ones with a double pedal, yes definitely. If he was fast enough, or that way inclined, a bass drum on all 4 beats for some sections would've been nice, a la "Green Disease". But he'll never do stuff like that on a song this fast...

Especially on the "mind your manners" part. Ala overkill by motorhead.

[harmless]

My Father's Son

This song is excellent: it reminds me of a mashup between "Green Disease" and "Insignificance", but with some of the reactive anger (this is 2013, after all) and venom of Vs (and the clean production to match, which I'm beginning to make peace with). Already in the verses, I can tell the drum tones are some of my favourite on the album. The bass drum is punchy, and just like on "Getaway", some of the hits are locking in with Jeff's ornate bassline, with the otherwise-closed hi-hat opening on the last snare of each second bar. The delicious three pushes (ba-ba, ba-ba, ba-ba) that were hinted at in the intro, with bass / bass drum and snare, are continued throughout the verse, as Matt's bass drum punches into the most important notes in Jeff's bassline.

At this point I'm beginning to realise that this album's snares aren't all as resonant as I'd perhaps like them to be, but it doesn't matter because they generally cut high in the mix (apart from on MYM, strangely, making that song the poor odd-one-out in some ways). The fill into the first chorus is slightly workmanlike, but sixteenth-notes are combined with 8th-notes, which gives more of these fills forcefulness and urgency, the lack of which left MYM a little wanting in the aggressiveness department. In the chorus, Matt chooses to use the ride cymbal as his main time-keeping cymbal, yet again. After sighing, tutting, and generally getting that out of my system, I realise it actually works here. It leaves room for the stars of the song to shine: Jeff's bass, Mike's (?) second six-string bass, and of course, Ed's vocal, which finds yet another way to unleash aggression in 2013.

The fast and forceful bridge seems even more Joker-insane given the suddenly-happy vibe of the music combined with a (correct me if I'm wrong, time signature experts) 5/4 groove, hi-hats opening and closing on the last snare stab of each bar. The lovely triplet stabs on snare and floor tom (ba! ba! ba!), which have been transitioning between sections throughout the song, get more manic and jerky as we hurtle to the outro.

Sometimes I find Matt's "subtlety" and "sensitivity" to be a go-to defence of some of his shortcomings as Pearl Jam's drummer; too often (especially live), he has gone further than "unadorned", verging on the simply bland. But in the case of "My Father's Son", it'd be hard to argue against the notion that Matt is playing with genuine, professional restraint, rather than uneventful blandness. This song is so tastefully done by all band members, I'm left smiling from ear to ear. Given its fairly short running-time, the song leaves me wanting more, but in all the best ways.

[stip]

I like these reviews in part because they give me something new to focus on when I hear a song

[evenslow]

I like these reviews in part because they give me something new to focus on when I hear a song

Yep. Wouldn't mind a guitar review either (hint: guitar fiend who has time to write).

[harmless]

Guys, my current enthusiasm for this review-a-day thing has fizzled out, and I'd rather say now rather than disappointing anyone. I need to take the album for more spins over the next week or two, then I can be back with a drum review in one long post. I thought I could keep this up. Sorry stip. But hopefully a second draft of what I've written will be better anyway, plus the rest.

[Juvenal]

Guys, my current enthusiasm for this review-a-day thing has fizzled out, and I'd rather say now rather than disappointing anyone. I need to take the album for more spins over the next week or two, then I can be back with a drum review in one long post. I thought I could keep this up. Sorry stip. But hopefully a second draft of what I've written will be better anyway, plus the rest.

Don't apologise mate - I'm looking forward to hearing it when you're ready.

[LetMeSleep]

Going along nicely Harmless. I agree with a lot of what you've posted so far.

I'm writing a similar treatment but I'll post it after you've completed yours.

[Sgt. Crackpot]

Guys, my current enthusiasm for this review-a-day thing has fizzled out, and I'd rather say now rather than disappointing anyone. I need to take the album for more spins over the next week or two, then I can be back with a drum review in one long post. I thought I could keep this up. Sorry stip. But hopefully a second draft of what I've written will be better anyway, plus the rest.

You're doing great so far, man. Don't stress about it, I'd rather you take your time and be comfortable with what you've written, than rush it and skew your opinion.

We've waited 4 years for this album, and it's a great one. It deserves a thorough, and patiently crafted, harmless drum review.

[taffer]

harmless Could you rank the drums by pj's albums?

[mray10]

Guys, my current enthusiasm for this review-a-day thing has fizzled out, and I'd rather say now rather than disappointing anyone. I need to take the album for more spins over the next week or two, then I can be back with a drum review in one long post. I thought I could keep this up. Sorry stip. But hopefully a second draft of what I've written will be better anyway, plus the rest.

Find closure in your own time. It's a journey, man.

[Thejambi]

Guys, my current enthusiasm for this review-a-day thing has fizzled out, and I'd rather say now rather than disappointing anyone. I need to take the album for more spins over the next week or two, then I can be back with a drum review in one long post. I thought I could keep this up. Sorry stip. But hopefully a second draft of what I've written will be better anyway, plus the rest.

The sky is growing dark...