Quarterfinals: Insignificance vs. Hail Hail

[Kaius]

I really hope digster finds the time to comment on why Insignificance is one of, if not, the very best Pearl Jam songs.

I can't find the words at the time.

I feel like it was written so thoroughly that it also sounds as if it was just jammed out when they were in the zone one day in the studio. The guitars are symbiotic, and this is where my knowledge gets murky, but I hear four or five consecutive and unique chord progressions(?) to start the song before transitioning into the bridge that bounces around in your head and swells into an emotionally charged finale. From there, Jeff and Matt keep this song from flying off the rails, in an understated, loose-rolling way, but the cymbals keep your ears "centered". It's a song that has an immediacy on the surface, with beautiful tones and emotion, but the real treasures are discovered underneath. I've heard it countless times and still give it focused listens now and again to see what new sounds and accents I've been missing. At 4 and a half minutes, it never feels long enough. It's definitely in my top 5 favorite songs of all time by anyone.

[Kaius]

And as much as I love "Hail, Hail", and with No Code being my favorite record I don't say this lightly, this was a very easy decision for me.

[epilogue]

This is easy for me, but that's because I think Insignificance is the best thing this band has done.

Can you explain to LoathedVermin72 why you think it's so good?

Yeah I'd like to hear the case for why it's best ever.

Best ever is a bold statement, but I do think it's definitely up there with the best of them. I could perhaps be sold on it being the best by the band, but right now, that distinction goes to In My Tree.

[digster]

I really hope digster finds the time to comment on why Insignificance is one of, if not, the very best Pearl Jam songs.

I can't find the words at the time.

I feel like it was written so thoroughly that it also sounds as if it was just jammed out when they were in the zone one day in the studio. The guitars are symbiotic, and this is where my knowledge gets murky, but I hear four or five consecutive and unique chord progressions(?) to start the song before transitioning into the bridge that bounces around in your head and swells into an emotionally charged finale. From there, Jeff and Matt keep this song from flying off the rails, in an understated, loose-rolling way, but the cymbals keep your ears "centered". It's a song that has an immediacy on the surface, with beautiful tones and emotion, but the real treasures are discovered underneath. I've heard it countless times and still give it focused listens now and again to see what new sounds and accents I've been missing. At 4 and a half minutes, it never feels long enough. It's definitely in my top 5 favorite songs of all time by anyone.

I'll definitely do it tonight, and I agree it's one of my favorite songs ever written.

[evenslow]

I really hope digster finds the time to comment on why Insignificance is one of, if not, the very best Pearl Jam songs.

I can't find the words at the time.

I feel like it was written so thoroughly that it also sounds as if it was just jammed out when they were in the zone one day in the studio. The guitars are symbiotic, and this is where my knowledge gets murky, but I hear four or five consecutive and unique chord progressions(?) to start the song before transitioning into the bridge that bounces around in your head and swells into an emotionally charged finale. From there, Jeff and Matt keep this song from flying off the rails, in an understated, loose-rolling way, but the cymbals keep your ears "centered". It's a song that has an immediacy on the surface, with beautiful tones and emotion, but the real treasures are discovered underneath. I've heard it countless times and still give it focused listens now and again to see what new sounds and accents I've been missing. At 4 and a half minutes, it never feels long enough. It's definitely in my top 5 favorite songs of all time by anyone.

Agreed on a lot of this.

The only thing I would add is when I think of Insignificance, I think of the word "cerebral." I almost have to decide to listen to this song and focus on what's happening, which is something you normally associate with progressive rock. It doesn't come naturally. That's not a bad thing, it just doesn't leap to the forefront when I think of favorite Pearl Jam songs.

But a very good case can be made that it's their best "musical" moment as a band.

[E.H. Ruddock]

It doesn't come naturally. That's not a bad thing, it just doesn't leap to the forefront when I think of favorite Pearl Jam songs.

This is exactly how I feel about it. I must be too dumb for some Pearl Jam.

[tommymtcom]

Exactly

[tommymtcom]

Although in this case you actually made the right decision.

[E.H. Ruddock]

Exactly

well I feel better now

[LetMeSleep]

This is easy for me, but that's because I think Insignificance is the best thing this band has done.

Can you explain to LoathedVermin72 why you think it's so good?

Yeah I'd like to hear the case for why it's best ever.

Best ever is a bold statement, but I do think it's definitely up there with the best of them. I could perhaps be sold on it being the best by the band, but right now, that distinction goes to In My Tree.

While In My Tree appears to be a favourite among certain RMers, year after year it fails to break the top 8. Maybe it's like NAIS and SoH where it's either the favourite or just a top 20 song. Whereas a Corduroy is a consistent top 5 or ten across the board.

[epilogue]

This is easy for me, but that's because I think Insignificance is the best thing this band has done.

Can you explain to LoathedVermin72 why you think it's so good?

Yeah I'd like to hear the case for why it's best ever.

Best ever is a bold statement, but I do think it's definitely up there with the best of them. I could perhaps be sold on it being the best by the band, but right now, that distinction goes to In My Tree.

While In My Tree appears to be a favourite among certain RMers, year after year it fails to break the top 8. Maybe it's like NAIS and SoH where it's either the favourite or just a top 20 song. Whereas a Corduroy is a consistent top 5 or ten across the board.

Yep. And I'm the weirdo here. IMT, SoH, NAIS, they're all far more interesting and moving to me than Corduroy. But that's why we do this tournament, right? If we all liked the same songs in the same order there would hardly be any point to all this.

And really IMT is only a favorite for a very very very small contingent of RMers. It might be a lot more top 20s or something, but very few around here have it at #1. And as you say, it continues to fail time and time again to crack the top 8 in March Madness. You can see why I continue to get frustrated when people call it "overrated."

I mean, I'm certainly not gonna sit here and tell anyone that Corduroy is overrated. That's absurd. I just don't seem to get it the way others do.

[LoathedVermin72]

IMT, SoH, NAIS, they're all far more interesting and moving to me than Corduroy.

I completely agree with this

[Kevin Davis]

IMT, SoH, NAIS, they're all far more interesting and moving to me than Corduroy.

I completely agree with this

I do too.

As for "Insignificance," I agree with what Kaius said about the song's many changing chord patterns, and would add that those varying progressions are also defined by their unique patterns of picking/fingering/strumming -- the song starts with those jazzy, muddy chords ringing out over the rhythm, and then moves into the more carefully arpeggiated verse part, to alternating between that crunching power chord and that chiming major-seventh note (the major seventh being one half-step short of the octave, giving the impression that the guitar is straining to reach a note that is ever-so-slightly out of range), to the punkish power chords in the choruses, to a fairly free-flowing middle section reminiscent of some of Sonic Youth's noodlier moments. And each individual part has its own unique musical tensions -- individual notes that are just slightly "off," cadences that shift course at the last second, etc. The song is full of little harmonic and rhythmic surprises, but maintains a constant mood of nervous yet very controlled tension -- it never allows you to quite get comfortable with it, but never completely jars your attention either.

Of course, if none of this hits you in your gut, I doubt there's any "explaining" the song into your good graces, but that's why I think the song works on the part-cerebral, part-visceral level it does for its admirers. Personally I don't rank it among my very all-time favorites, but I do think it's an example of the band operating very effectively on multiple levels, and would vote for it over many other songs in this round. But not over "Hail Hail."

[Norah]

IMT, SoH, NAIS, they're all far more interesting and moving to me than Corduroy.

I completely agree with this

I do too.

As for "Insignificance," I agree with what Kaius said about the song's many changing chord patterns, and would add that those varying progressions are also defined by their unique patterns of picking/fingering/strumming -- the song starts with those jazzy, muddy chords ringing out over the rhythm, and then moves into the more carefully arpeggiated verse part, to alternating between that crunching power chord and that chiming major-seventh note (the major seventh being one half-step short of the octave, giving the impression that the guitar is straining to reach a note that is ever-so-slightly out of range), to the punkish power chords in the choruses, to a fairly free-flowing middle section reminiscent of some of Sonic Youth's noodlier moments. And each individual part has its own unique musical tensions -- individual notes that are just slightly "off," cadences that shift course at the last second, etc. The song is full of little harmonic and rhythmic surprises, but maintains a constant mood of nervous yet very controlled tension -- it never allows you to quite get comfortable with it, but never completely jars your attention either.

Of course, if none of this hits you in your gut, I doubt there's any "explaining" the song into your good graces, but that's why I think the song works on the part-cerebral, part-visceral level it does for its admirers. Personally I don't rank it among my very all-time favorites, but I do think it's an example of the band operating very effectively on multiple levels, and would vote for it over many other songs in this round. But not over "Hail Hail."

There's a reason why modern live versions of Insignificance have mostly sucked. Modern Pearl Jam can't handle a song like this.

[Kaius]

Awesome. Thanks for fleshing out that "chord change" comment, KD.

[Strat]

IMT, SoH, NAIS, they're all far more interesting and moving to me than Corduroy.

I completely agree with this

I do too.

As for "Insignificance," I agree with what Kaius said about the song's many changing chord patterns, and would add that those varying progressions are also defined by their unique patterns of picking/fingering/strumming -- the song starts with those jazzy, muddy chords ringing out over the rhythm, and then moves into the more carefully arpeggiated verse part, to alternating between that crunching power chord and that chiming major-seventh note (the major seventh being one half-step short of the octave, giving the impression that the guitar is straining to reach a note that is ever-so-slightly out of range), to the punkish power chords in the choruses, to a fairly free-flowing middle section reminiscent of some of Sonic Youth's noodlier moments. And each individual part has its own unique musical tensions -- individual notes that are just slightly "off," cadences that shift course at the last second, etc. The song is full of little harmonic and rhythmic surprises, but maintains a constant mood of nervous yet very controlled tension -- it never allows you to quite get comfortable with it, but never completely jars your attention either.

Of course, if none of this hits you in your gut, I doubt there's any "explaining" the song into your good graces, but that's why I think the song works on the part-cerebral, part-visceral level it does for its admirers. Personally I don't rank it among my very all-time favorites, but I do think it's an example of the band operating very effectively on multiple levels, and would vote for it over many other songs in this round. But not over "Hail Hail."

There's a reason why modern live versions of Insignificance have mostly sucked. Modern Pearl Jam can't handle a song like this.

it's not that tough to play on guitar. They just play it too fast and remove all the subtlety with it. Like every other song they play live.

[Norah]

IMT, SoH, NAIS, they're all far more interesting and moving to me than Corduroy.

I completely agree with this

I do too.

As for "Insignificance," I agree with what Kaius said about the song's many changing chord patterns, and would add that those varying progressions are also defined by their unique patterns of picking/fingering/strumming -- the song starts with those jazzy, muddy chords ringing out over the rhythm, and then moves into the more carefully arpeggiated verse part, to alternating between that crunching power chord and that chiming major-seventh note (the major seventh being one half-step short of the octave, giving the impression that the guitar is straining to reach a note that is ever-so-slightly out of range), to the punkish power chords in the choruses, to a fairly free-flowing middle section reminiscent of some of Sonic Youth's noodlier moments. And each individual part has its own unique musical tensions -- individual notes that are just slightly "off," cadences that shift course at the last second, etc. The song is full of little harmonic and rhythmic surprises, but maintains a constant mood of nervous yet very controlled tension -- it never allows you to quite get comfortable with it, but never completely jars your attention either.

Of course, if none of this hits you in your gut, I doubt there's any "explaining" the song into your good graces, but that's why I think the song works on the part-cerebral, part-visceral level it does for its admirers. Personally I don't rank it among my very all-time favorites, but I do think it's an example of the band operating very effectively on multiple levels, and would vote for it over many other songs in this round. But not over "Hail Hail."

There's a reason why modern live versions of Insignificance have mostly sucked. Modern Pearl Jam can't handle a song like this.

it's not that tough to play on guitar. They just play it too fast and remove all the subtlety with it. Like every other song they play live.

That doesn't contradict anything I just said.

[Strat]

IMT, SoH, NAIS, they're all far more interesting and moving to me than Corduroy.

I completely agree with this

I do too.

As for "Insignificance," I agree with what Kaius said about the song's many changing chord patterns, and would add that those varying progressions are also defined by their unique patterns of picking/fingering/strumming -- the song starts with those jazzy, muddy chords ringing out over the rhythm, and then moves into the more carefully arpeggiated verse part, to alternating between that crunching power chord and that chiming major-seventh note (the major seventh being one half-step short of the octave, giving the impression that the guitar is straining to reach a note that is ever-so-slightly out of range), to the punkish power chords in the choruses, to a fairly free-flowing middle section reminiscent of some of Sonic Youth's noodlier moments. And each individual part has its own unique musical tensions -- individual notes that are just slightly "off," cadences that shift course at the last second, etc. The song is full of little harmonic and rhythmic surprises, but maintains a constant mood of nervous yet very controlled tension -- it never allows you to quite get comfortable with it, but never completely jars your attention either.

Of course, if none of this hits you in your gut, I doubt there's any "explaining" the song into your good graces, but that's why I think the song works on the part-cerebral, part-visceral level it does for its admirers. Personally I don't rank it among my very all-time favorites, but I do think it's an example of the band operating very effectively on multiple levels, and would vote for it over many other songs in this round. But not over "Hail Hail."

There's a reason why modern live versions of Insignificance have mostly sucked. Modern Pearl Jam can't handle a song like this.

it's not that tough to play on guitar. They just play it too fast and remove all the subtlety with it. Like every other song they play live.

That doesn't contradict anything I just said.

I never said it did, chuddo.

[Norah]

IMT, SoH, NAIS, they're all far more interesting and moving to me than Corduroy.

I completely agree with this

I do too.

As for "Insignificance," I agree with what Kaius said about the song's many changing chord patterns, and would add that those varying progressions are also defined by their unique patterns of picking/fingering/strumming -- the song starts with those jazzy, muddy chords ringing out over the rhythm, and then moves into the more carefully arpeggiated verse part, to alternating between that crunching power chord and that chiming major-seventh note (the major seventh being one half-step short of the octave, giving the impression that the guitar is straining to reach a note that is ever-so-slightly out of range), to the punkish power chords in the choruses, to a fairly free-flowing middle section reminiscent of some of Sonic Youth's noodlier moments. And each individual part has its own unique musical tensions -- individual notes that are just slightly "off," cadences that shift course at the last second, etc. The song is full of little harmonic and rhythmic surprises, but maintains a constant mood of nervous yet very controlled tension -- it never allows you to quite get comfortable with it, but never completely jars your attention either.

Of course, if none of this hits you in your gut, I doubt there's any "explaining" the song into your good graces, but that's why I think the song works on the part-cerebral, part-visceral level it does for its admirers. Personally I don't rank it among my very all-time favorites, but I do think it's an example of the band operating very effectively on multiple levels, and would vote for it over many other songs in this round. But not over "Hail Hail."

There's a reason why modern live versions of Insignificance have mostly sucked. Modern Pearl Jam can't handle a song like this.

it's not that tough to play on guitar. They just play it too fast and remove all the subtlety with it. Like every other song they play live.

That doesn't contradict anything I just said.

I never said it did, chuddo.

Shut up and kiss me.

[Strat]

mmmm darling!