Match FC: Breath vs. Breakerfall

[WaitingForBluey]

I was pretty ecstatic when they broke out Breath at Philly 2 last year. Breakerfall is a nice little ditty and all but Breath is probably one of the few early-era PJ tracks that still sounds fresh to me (probably because it hasn't been overplayed to death since '06, like the rest of Ten).

[LetMeSleep]

This is hard as I really like Breakerfall but the bridge of Breath is sublime (although the rest is a bit boring).

Breakerfall as I feel I could listen to it again right now.

[malice]

the current standing of breakerfall makes me sad.

[tommymtcom]

poor breakerfall doesn't deserve this type of treatment.

[stip]

the current standing of breakerfall makes me sad.

me too, probably for different reasons though.

I kinda like breakerfall, but there is a leaden quality to it that stops me from loving it. On the surface this is exactly the kind of PJ song I go in for, and it's not even like God's Dice where I find what they did boring. I am in theory interested in each of the component parts, but the end result is pretty flat. Breath has one of the very best bridges in the entire catalog (including what may very well be the single best moment), a powerful outro, and the rest of the song is good. It's not like this is close, but Breath is a top tier song up against something that, at best, is pretty average for this band.

[malice]

breath is a fine example of what pearl jam was very good at back when they started out - and i don't have the musical vocabulary to articulate that properly so i won't try, just that they were, to me, all about an explosive out pouring of that emotion, older rock and roll influences with a current (at the time) sensibility.
basically, i don't have a problem with breath at all. it's representational of pearl jam in the early 90s, definitely.
that said, breakerfall was sharper, older (or more evolved?), better executed and i think i just enjoyed it more due to the beat, the lyrics, and the attempt to not do more songs that sounded like early 90s pearl jam? there's still a lot of older style rock influence in it too but they didn't seem so bent on establishing a line of demarcation between rock from our childhood and alternative rock in breakerfall. i got the feeling it was just a good rocker they wanted to do well, and they did it free of intentional 'trying to be something else'

probably a lousy explanation for both but that's as good as i get describing my reaction to music.

[McParadigm]

Breath would be a great song for those "isolated vocal" youtube vids. I wanna hear the whole thing....the "this is how I think it should go," high pitched guitar part mimicking, the hurr-durr verses, and what I have to assume is mindless, spinning disorientation during the entire rest of the song.

Ack.
You.

Lay.
Ting.

[McParadigm]

But seriously, Breakerfall. The whole 1992 "rock and roll vagabonds" thing is hilarious in not an especially kind way.

[Jorge]

I voted for "Breath". "Breakerfall" is fine, but I really like the band's performance in the studio version of "Breath", especially Jeff and Dave. I also really like the use of harmonics to color the verses.

[stupidmop]

I went for breakerfall, always really liked it and I love that spoken word backing vocals/ shadowing. Breath is fun but has always felt kinda over the top to me, it reminds me of leash, though less ridiculous.