Lets Actually Listen to the Album: Riot Act

[dimejinky99]

I hope the Backspacer LAL gets this much love!

Renaissance on the horizon.

[Kaius]

Can't Keep is my favorite opener just barely ahead of Go. It sets the tone of Riot Act perfectly. I love how it builds up and swells and comes to a head with the crash of a cymbal at the end of "heeeeere".

Gorgeous song. "I don't live forever" "I won't wait for answers" "I won't live forever"

I like how much the guitars evolve from the beginning to the end as well. It makes for such a smooth transition into ..
Save You, which is a great callback to some of their past "rockers". I actually think this song could it right into either Vitalogy, No Code, or Yield pretty seamlessly.

This is some heavy hitting by Jeff and Matt especially.

[Kaius]

I really dig LBC and feel like it encompasses the sound and feel of what I imagine it felt like to be present for Roskilde. If that makes sense. ?

I don't mind the lyrics either.

Is Boom underrated? Is he unremarkable? I'm no expert. No one ever talks about him, and he's never recognized as a "member" of Pearl Jam (except at live shows) despite playing with them te last 10+ years. What gives? I love his organ or keyboard or whatever the fuck. Great compliment to the band and their sound on RA.

[Kaius]

Man I wish Ed wrote lyrics as good as Cropduster for every song. Fucking hell.

I like how it's mixed here. You can hear everyone very clearly. No one is overpowering anyone else. Is that the guys singing "round" towards the end? It's almost indistinguishable from an instrument. Cool.

[stip]

Yeah I like those vocals at the end

[Coach]

I am Mine.

[harmless]

I really dig LBC and feel like it encompasses the sound and feel of what I imagine it felt like to be present for Roskilde. If that makes sense. ?

I don't mind the lyrics either.

Is Boom underrated? Is he unremarkable? I'm no expert. No one ever talks about him, and he's never recognized as a "member" of Pearl Jam (except at live shows) despite playing with them te last 10+ years. What gives? I love his organ or keyboard or whatever the fuck. Great compliment to the band and their sound on RA.

I agree with this completely. I'm one of the bigger Boom fans here.

[Lament]

I love his organ

I agree with this completely.

I smell an orgy...

[Kaius]

Smells like love ITT

[Lament]

Am I invited?

[96583UP]

this chick can't wait to bang a band member:

[Kaius]

Am I invited?

Well, pffft, yeah.

[Kaius]

this chick can't wait to bang a band member:

That's hot

[96583UP]

this chick can't wait to bang a band member:

That's hot

"hey there, they call me the star doggystyle champion"

[Lament]

It's getting so sexy in here.

[Kaius]

[knee tunes]

this chick can't wait to bang a band member:

dude.....

that is a gang member

[knee tunes]

I love his organ

I agree with this completely.

I smell an orgy...

I still smell that organ

[Huell]

Fav PJ album in 00's followed by backspacer. Points I love about Riot Act starting with the artwork, the lonely, desolate rulers with the smokey etheral atmosphere surrounding them. Set the tone and shrouds the album, not matter what the rocking and raging they do within the album, this is the times they live in... Ed mightn't know it yet but from the twists and turns he takes he learns alot... so briefly on the songs themselves... People say that Ed sounds uninspired but I think this era it was as much about expression over impression, and his lyrics show that he was still a fighters and willing to go to a place where he was genuinely afraid and sad... 'Bring it on cause Im no victim' 'last breath that I wont let out' 'I surrender to the one I'll never... but I still try' etc Songs like Ghost, Cropduster & Get Right are slated for not being strong tunes but they aren't straight forward rockers like they first appear... Ghost has alot more vulnerability for a character who is hiding away from the world but is still aware, medicated and mute but still knows whats going on with himself and the world through the TV, maybe beginning to believe the TV ads... Get Right justs builds up the tempo, lovely rhythm and low end from Ed building up some of Mikes awesome soloing... they are still alive and kicking... into the more difficult songs that have taken time to grow on me personally... Help, Help... not going to be in anyone's top 10 PJ songs but has a druggy swagger to the course and outro that is enticing, and reflective of the time... America at war, politics, financial scandal and PJ's joint tragedy at Roskilde, escaping the emotions and experiences and disconnecting maybe through chemicals or whatever... Bushleaguer again not a instant hit, very wordy from Ed but again like a political corespondent or academic giving smarmy analogies and cerebral oversight which makes the average pundit feel disconnected from the horrors that were shown... keyboard affirmations, onion skin plausibility...not exactly about a truant finding home but thats not where this album is at... 1/2 Full really encapsulates the fear and detachment of the album and its distilled in this song, another song that actually took a while to grow on me. Its got the blues guitar of Red Mosquito, but its also has a drunken swagger but that ominous harmony running around... that down swipe of the bridge when Ed sings 'Wont someone save the world?' and the high plea he does afterwards, that line isnt something you can just come up with and think that sounds cool... it was what he saw and is a pretty terrifying plea for a person to be asking...help, help indeed. Arc, a lovely prayer for the fans that died in Roskilde, had the pleasure of hearing this live in Mansfield in 03 and it was chilling and brought everyone in to listen. But really the last tune of this album is a work of art in its own right. Matches the unnamed terror, the smoke surrounding the soulless leaders and its reflection in what Ed was going through... he starts the album saying you cant keep me, I will race, I will escape, Im deflated and beaten but you cannot take that freedom from me and the album ends with his realisation that he had to surrender to what was going on inside himself, that you cant run from yourself and if you have been hurt you have to honour that, even in order to survive. The band slay on this, a Gossard tune, but Mike's solos again are shards that cut through, its resolution or something that comes to an end, maybe he thought it would end something more comforting but this is the experiment, being alive and authentic, following your instinct might make you feel grounded through uncertainty but you can end up in totally different destination to what you have foresaw. Anyway love this album, the tone, the distance, the closeness, the warmth in the music, and the compassion Ed is trying to find. Awesome album, difficult, not Ten etc. but still an awesome album nonetheless

[harmless]

I love his organ

I agree with this completely.

I smell an orgy...

I still smell that organ

Smell it. SMELL IT.