Best Experimental Pearl Jam Tune?

[VinylGuy]

Evolution doesnt sound experimental at all. Evacuation is more experimental than that one...

[Anders]

What's the point of discussing this if it's not about actual songs?

By which you mean, what's the point of discussing this if it's not about typical song formulas?

Maybe a bit harsh, all Pearl Jam is worth discussing, but if the thread was called: What is the best filler song on a Pearl Jam album, it would suit this thread better.

[harmless]

What's the point of discussing this if it's not about actual songs?

By which you mean, what's the point of discussing this if it's not about typical song formulas?

Maybe a bit harsh, all Pearl Jam is worth discussing, but if the thread was called: What is the best filler song on a Pearl Jam song, it would suit this thread better.

That may be because 99% of the time, Pearl Jam is not an experimental band, and 99% of the time, PJ fans do not like their experimental efforts.

[Lament]

They're both fast-paced, aggressive rock songs with shouty vocals from Ed that are broken up in the middle by bridges that attempt to shift the song down momentarily. I'm not sure what's crazy about the guitar or the lyrics in DTE. Thematically they're pretty similar.

I don't know how DTE can be considered a leap for a band that had previously written Blood, Last Exit, Whipping, Hail, Hail, Habit, Lukin, and Brain of J.

[Lament]

That may be because 99% of the time, Pearl Jam is not an experimental band

This, so much. I know we got into this pretty intensely in another thread some time ago, but at the end of the day there is very little experimental about Pearl Jam. They can be amazingly creative, they can be strikingly unique, but they are virtually never experimental. For some reason, though, a certain segment of the fanbase is shockingly devoted to the idea that they are.

[Anders]

What's the point of discussing this if it's not about actual songs?

By which you mean, what's the point of discussing this if it's not about typical song formulas?

Maybe a bit harsh, all Pearl Jam is worth discussing, but if the thread was called: What is the best filler song on a Pearl Jam song, it would suit this thread better.

That may be because 99% of the time, Pearl Jam is not an experimental band, and 99% of the time, PJ fans do not like their experimental efforts.

What word more properly explain the difference between Sleight Of Hand and a more regular PJ song?

[Lament]

What word more properly explain the difference between Sleight Of Hand and a more regular PJ song?

It's an expansion of their comfort zone.

[Anders]

That may be because 99% of the time, Pearl Jam is not an experimental band

This, so much. I know we got into this pretty intensely in another thread some time ago, but at the end of the day there is very little experimental about Pearl Jam. They can be amazingly creative, they can be strikingly unique, but they are virtually never experimental. For some reason, though, a certain segment of the fanbase is shockingly devoted to the idea that they are.

Is unique a more proper word, or do you not see anything that sets DTE apart? Just curious.

[Lament]

Outside of Matt's drumming being unconventional for a Pearl Jam song, Sleight of Hand isn't really very experimental. Moody, yes. Creative, yes. Experimental, no.

[Anders]

What word more properly explain the difference between Sleight Of Hand and a more regular PJ song?

It's an expansion of their comfort zone.

Haha, ok. I should make a thread called: Best expansion of Pearl Jam's comfort zone tune?

[Lament]

That may be because 99% of the time, Pearl Jam is not an experimental band

This, so much. I know we got into this pretty intensely in another thread some time ago, but at the end of the day there is very little experimental about Pearl Jam. They can be amazingly creative, they can be strikingly unique, but they are virtually never experimental. For some reason, though, a certain segment of the fanbase is shockingly devoted to the idea that they are.

Is unique a more proper word, or do you not see anything that sets DTE apart? Just curious.

I think it's unique in that it's musicially the type of thing that they'd have made be a super serious, dramatic piece in the past, but they approach with a puckish, wink-and-a-smile sense of humor on DTE. It's playful in a way that really only Mankind and Bugs had hinted at before it.

[Lament]

But yeah, to expand upon that, DTE is a pretty good example of them doing something creative and unique without really breaking down any new ground or abandoning their comfort zone. That's always been their strength (in my eyes, at least). Well, beyond being emotionally engaging, which at the end of the day will always be what I consider to be their greatest strength, and the thing that makes them amazing when they are.

[Lament]

Haha, ok. I should make a thread called: Best expansion of Pearl Jam's comfort zone tune?

Honestly, that wouldn't be a bad discussion. What Pearl Jam songs opened up doors that they worked their way through further down the road?

[Anders]

But yeah, to expand upon that, DTE is a pretty good example of them doing something creative and unique.

Then we agree.

Haha, ok. I should make a thread called: Best expansion of Pearl Jam's comfort zone tune?

Honestly, that wouldn't be a bad discussion. What Pearl Jam songs opened up doors that they worked their way through further down the road?

I'm not sure that a lot of these songs lead to something better in the future, usually the other way around, but they do have some other creative and unique songs I would put in a similar bracket like Oceans, W.M.A., Who You Are, DTE, SOH.

[18th Pale Descendant]

Favorite experiment: Stupidmop.

I agree with the poster who credited this collage with being haunting. I've liked this one from day one. He got the nerve to bug me ... now the floor looks beautiful ... she disturbed no one today ... I can still fantasize, but I keep it to myself ... Do you ever think that you actually would kill yourself?

Least favorite experiment: Bugs.

Not digging that accordion riff—maybe if Weird Al had been called in as a session player? This is a skip for me, especially coming as it does after the pinnacle that is Corduroy. Tacked on at the end of an album or as a b-side, I might look at it more favorably.

Favorite out-of-comfort-zone tracks: The Jack Iron-penned Whale Song and Happy When I'm Crying. I also like Evacuation, Rival and other songs generally reviled by the fan base. But I think that's why we appreciate Pearl Jam, because they're able to deliver the goods using different approaches.

Don't get me wrong: I love the traditional, sons-of-Zeppelin riff fests too. Animal, Evolution and Even Flow are three of my favorite tracks overall.

[Norah]

Outside of Matt's drumming being unconventional for a Pearl Jam song, Sleight of Hand isn't really very experimental. Moody, yes. Creative, yes. Experimental, no.

so much this

[knee tunes]

without reading any posts in this thread, not even the first one, I gotta say,

"so you mean between porch and rearview mirror....
I'm gonna go with rearviewmirror"

[hlniv]

Oceans was the first and best "experiment".

[mikejasond]

If we're counting Rats then that for sure, although I think the ending part isn't really necessary. I think it was an awesome sound for them and wish they had gone to that well a little more, and it still sounds good when they play it live today.

Otherwise I like Push me Pull me and Pendulum. Even Infallible is pretty unstandard for them. Oh and definitely Sirens if we're talking about experimental for Pearl Jam in general and not experimental in terms of music industry.

Edit: I'm basing this off of solely what was said in the opening post, I really only consider Push Me Pull Me to be experimental off the songs I said above, but from the opening post it seemed they meant outside of Pearl Jam's comfort zone when they said it.

[Lament]

Corduroy is obviously the best experimental Pearl Jam song because they had never written a song about a fabric before that, so it was pretty groundbreaking.