Gigaton: Official album thread

[Birds in Hell]

I tried to find the interview where Ed talked about Beth playing free jazz around the house and it not quite being his thing (I couldn't locate it, unfortunately - I think it was from 1999 or so) but this will do for now:

http://www.bradleycomer.com/hovercraft/ ... 9-san.html

Liebling, who uses the stage name Sadie7, cites such progressive-jazz icons as John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman as key inspirations, along with surrealism and dadaism. She is especially impressed by the way Coleman and Coltrane created their own musical language, and by the highly intuitive interplay that distinguished the two saxophone legends' bands.

"We discovered Ornette's music after Hovercraft got started, and I understood his approach as soon as I heard it," she said, citing Coleman's revolutionary harmolodic approach, which treats melody, harmony and rhythm as equals and requires each musician to be responsible for performing all three simultaneously.

"Ornette has a great sense of spontaneity, and taking an idea that occurs at the moment and being able to express it. There's so much value to that. It's an important part of just being human, and to be able to express those things and have an avenue for that. It's undervalued in our society."

Liebling has shied away from interviews, both because she wants Hovercraft's music to speak for itself, and to avoid having the band be overshadowed by questions about her husband, Pearl Jam singer (and early Hovercraft drummer) Eddie Vedder. "I think it's an advantage to be married to an artist," she acknowledged. "A lot of people I know who are in relationships and tour with bands have a constant struggle, because the other person in the relationship -- who doesn't tour -- doesn't understand it.

"Having someone there, with an artistic understanding, who you can bounce ideas off, is great. We've toured and witnessed many (things) that could've been big problems. People who are not participating on the creative side have a lot of romantic ideas and don't realize all the work required. That's part of the magic -- (audiences) just seeing the art and not knowing what went into it."

[Norah]

Ed's musical background is total U2/Springsteen bombastic stadium cheese-rock, I think he's just as in control of the band's direction now as he was during the Binaural/Riot Act period but he's grown substantially more comfortable with those aspects of his artistic sensibility over the last 10 years or so.

I think it's easy to underrate Beth's influence on Ed during the 90s too. I'm sure being in a relationship with someone who played in an experimental, improvisatory band and listened to similar music rubbed off on him to some extent during that time.

Yes sir.

I enjoyed this post.

[LetMeSleep]

Holy shit, how did that happen? I had a whole diatribe that I edited about the 5 Against One book and how Ed and Beth apparently didn't approve of Dave and his treatment of his girlfriend. Also, his very strong opinions at the time appear like she was a big influence on Ed.

[digster]

Personally, I have to disagree with the 'it's okay for what it is' feeling on Future Days. It's just a terrible, terrible song. Most PJ songs, even many of the ones I'm not fans of, have a few redeeming features. This one has none, IMO.

Heart on sleeve sentimentality. It isn't aiming any higher than that. And it nails it. To me, that's exactly what it is and it does it's job. So the song is a successful song. Which is different than being a good song. That's obviously subjective. To me it's a good song. It's also good for what it is.

But I totally understand why people disagree. It's not a song I want to champion and defend. I enjoy it when it comes on and I've sought it out from time to time. I like it the way I like a good romantic comedy.

I do hear where you're coming from, and I like a lot songs like that. I think there are many songs far more sentimental and doing far less than Future Days that are winners; it's just that the song falls flat on every level. I just point it out because my usual response to a PJ song is usually not "this is fucking horrible." Even stuff I didn't like much, like The Fixer, was more of a "eh, not feeling this" than the reaction I had to Future Days.

I also think the fact that it's 'heart on sleeve sentimental' might be a tad overstated as a reason to like it, because I can't imagine that anyone could possibly ever become a fan of this band without being willing to accept and enjoy songs that wear their hearts on their sleeves. I mean, it's a different sentiment than Future Days, but this band wrote Black, and God knows that is a total heart on sleeve kind of song.

There is one part of it I enjoy; I like the violin coming out of the first chorus, and the guitar line Stone (I think?) is playing underlying the second verse. It's very pretty.

[Wendy Carlos's Twin]

Ed's musical background is total U2/Springsteen bombastic stadium cheese-rock, I think he's just as in control of the band's direction now as he was during the Binaural/Riot Act period but he's grown substantially more comfortable with those aspects of his artistic sensibility over the last 10 years or so.

You can say that about pretty much any 60's/70's band in the 80's, with very few exceptions, in addition to how they all followed the same ugly sonic trends like sheep. That doesn't mean that they still shouldn't be taken to task for sucking.

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now

[Tuolumne]

I find it knee slappingly hysterical that anyone thinks they are not a big arena/stadium band. Where have you guys been going to see the them all of these years? The 9:30 Club? Metro? CBGB? Lol I can't stop laughing over this.

[BurtReynolds]

Ed's musical background is total U2/Springsteen bombastic stadium cheese-rock, I think he's just as in control of the band's direction now as he was during the Binaural/Riot Act period but he's grown substantially more comfortable with those aspects of his artistic sensibility over the last 10 years or so.

I think it's easy to underrate Beth's influence on Ed during the 90s too. I'm sure being in a relationship with someone who played in an experimental, improvisatory band and listened to similar music rubbed off on him to some extent during that time.

Yes sir.

I enjoyed this post.

This is a great line of thought that I think about often. It's always been interesting to me that Beth spent time in a mental institution, and I got the impression that Ed's mom wasn't entirely stable either. I have a theory that he was attracted to suffering women, and drama in general; and that his relationship with Jill is the exact opposite -- entirely stable and reciprocal in their support for one another. I think this is why we get songs like Future Days: not because he's posturing for some sort of Cat Stevens/Bruce Springsteen appeal, but because he's genuinely thankful to be in a relationship with a woman who is sane and emotionally supportive.

Maybe she will cheat on him. We need a downward spiral of pain and despair.

[Birds in Hell]

I find it knee slappingly hysterical that anyone thinks they are not a big arena/stadium band. Where have you guys been going to see the them all of these years? The 9:30 Club? Metro? CBGB? Lol I can't stop laughing over this.

Whoosh.

[darth_vedder]

I find it knee slappingly hysterical that anyone thinks they are not a big arena/stadium band. Where have you guys been going to see the them all of these years? The 9:30 Club? Metro? CBGB? Lol I can't stop laughing over this.

Whoosh.

Oh man, I wish PJ would play like a week long stint at the 9:30 Club. Do something like Wilco did a few years ago, where they played almost their whole catalog at a smaller venue in Chicago over the course of a week.

[CopperTom]

I find it knee slappingly hysterical that anyone thinks they are not a big arena/stadium band. Where have you guys been going to see the them all of these years? The 9:30 Club? Metro? CBGB? Lol I can't stop laughing over this.

Whoosh.

There's a difference between an arena band and a stadium band. They wouldn't be able to sell a leg of stadium only shows. Destination events yes. Major markets yes. I would consider them an arena band, not a stadium band.

[Birds in Hell]

Perhaps 'whoosh' wasn't sufficiently clear: I was trying to point out that my reference to 'stadium cheese-rock' was in the context of Ed's musical sensibility and has nothing at all to do with the physical size of the venues the band plays. Or Bruce Springsteen plays. Or U2 plays. Or what kind of cheese they all enjoy.

[McParadigm]

No most of us got it

[lowlight79]

All I heard is Beth really started to like painters more then Eddie

[Thurman Murman]

The worst Pearl Jam songs, according to me:

1. Stupid Mop
2. Speed Of Sound
3. Wasted Reprise
4. Sweet Lew
5. 10 Billion Years
6. Aye Davanita
7. Around The Bend
8. Pry To
9. Arc
10. Bugs

I actually really like about half those songs!

Future Days is the fucking worst though.

[rick malone]

Lightning Bolt would have been a good place to call it a day. It is not that cringe inducing.

I see no way the new album isn't much, much worse.

[Leatherhead]

Lightning Bolt would have been a good place to call it a day. It is not that cringe inducing.

I see no way the new album isn't much, much worse.

I'll take more turds with a few good ones here and there. One more album and I'd probably have a pretty good BS/LB/#11 mix to put together.

[joostone]

nice interview with Jeff on the excellent new RNDM record:

http://www.popmatters.com/feature/the-r ... interview/

“We don’t have any plans for PJ25. And I think largely because PJ20 really does almost feel like it was last year. That’s how fast time goes at this point. Going out and playing shows, having people show up, having our fans be so great and so engaged in the shows—all the shows that we play feel like celebrations. I’m enjoying acknowledging that on stage more than I ever have and really taking that in and being humbled by it. Being really proud of what we’ve created as a band and the decisions that we’ve made. That’s the PJ25 answer.

“The political answer – we don’t have any plans. Beyond the shows this summer is trying to get into the studio and mess around a little bit. That’s always exciting for me. Everybody’s ready for the challenge and everybody’s ready to do something different. Maybe the last couple of records have been trying a different formula. Everybody’s sort of on board with that. It feels like there’s inspiration, like people are inspired right now. That’s exciting.”

[Mine]

So what he's saying is that they'll continue with the different formula of the last 2 albums?

[Chris_H_2]

nice interview with Jeff on the excellent new RNDM record:

http://www.popmatters.com/feature/the-r ... interview/

“Everybody’s ready for the challenge and everybody’s ready to do something different.”

lol