Binaural: Official Album Thread

[Strat]

Listened to this album again and I still stand by my statement that the album should have been stripped of the first 3 songs, and open with Light Years.

The album I hated on my first listen but I think the first 3 tracks (Which IMO are 3 of PJ's least memorable songs in their entire catalog - seriously nothing adds anything new at all - besides maybe Evacuation and NOT in a good way) set the complete wrong tone for the rest of the album.

The album isn't awful when bookended by the quieter songs like Light Years - in fact it could be kind of interesting...

They set the tone badly with those three songs and it makes you expect something different from the rest of the album, so the good tracks that come later are treated more as outliers. If they focused on the sound of Light Years and NAIS I think this album becomes much stronger...there are actually good tracks on here. I really like Thin Air.

You are a mess

[mikejasond]

My absolute favorite album. I really think that the Harmony instrumental from Touring Band could have been one of the best songs in the catalog. So heavy, so Soundgarden'y, but so good. I really want Ed to add some vocals to it if there's ever another Lost Dogs, it could be an amazing song. Foldback is also great, but it sounds like it may have become Man of the Hour.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsCJzE-5piY

Love it everytime. Has the band ever mentioned these two songs in any interviews?

And Binaural has a staggering amount of songs, when you add the B-sides. Could have been a great double album.

1. Breakerfall
2. God's Dice
3. Evacuation
4. Light Years
5. Nothing As It Seems
6. Thin Air
7. Insignificance
8. Of The Girl
9. Grievance
10. Rival
11. Sleight of Hand
12. Soon Forget
13. Parting Ways
14. Strangest Tribe
15. Fatal
16. Sad
17. In The Moonlight
18. Education

I'm not counting Hitchhiker, Sweet Lew, or the instrumentals.

18 songs. And there could have been more. Most PJ albums tend to be 10-12 songs, but I love over indulgent double albums. More songs the better.

Ooh it could get even better if they cut the first 3 tracks, opened with Light Years, and later replaced them with Fatal, Sad, and In The Moonlight....then again Sad to me sounds kind of repetitive with Insignifigance and Grievance...so maybe Strangest Tribe, Fatal, and In The Moonlight...or replace Grievance with Sad. Yes...I think the album is much better if it goes like that.

1. Light Years
2. Nothing As It Seems
3. Thin Air
4. Insignificance
5. Of The Girl
6. Sad
7. Rival
8. Sleight of Hand
9. Strangest Tribe
10. Fatal
11. In The Moonlight
12. Soon Forget
13. Parting Ways

Something like that...I dunno where to put the extra songs so stuck them near the end...

[mikejasond]

Listened to this album again and I still stand by my statement that the album should have been stripped of the first 3 songs, and open with Light Years.

The album I hated on my first listen but I think the first 3 tracks (Which IMO are 3 of PJ's least memorable songs in their entire catalog - seriously nothing adds anything new at all - besides maybe Evacuation and NOT in a good way) set the complete wrong tone for the rest of the album.

The album isn't awful when bookended by the quieter songs like Light Years - in fact it could be kind of interesting...

They set the tone badly with those three songs and it makes you expect something different from the rest of the album, so the good tracks that come later are treated more as outliers. If they focused on the sound of Light Years and NAIS I think this album becomes much stronger...there are actually good tracks on here. I really like Thin Air.

You are a mess

I just dont get the first 3 songs...I cant remember how God's Dice goes despite listening to the album many times....Evacuation is just annoying...Breakerfall is one of their worst songs like it...it seems to be in the style of many PJ album openers but is much worse than Brain of J and Life Wasted

This should have just been a quieter PJ album...I think the tracklist as given before has a lot of character to it.

How you open an album is important for setting a tone...something PJ usually does very well (amazingly well with Once, Go, Last Exit, Sometimes, and Life Wasted). In fact I think that this is the only album where the opener is just...wrong. Light Years sets a tone that matches what the album does well, and should be trying to get across.

[LoathedVermin72]

Despite how much I love all threee, Light Years > NAIS > Thin Air seems like an alienating and oppressive way to open an album. The current tracklist makes sense to me. Binaural's production/sound is very deep, spacey, and waterlogged - the album needs bursts of energy to propel it, especially right out of the gate.

[mikejasond]

Despite how much I love all threee, Light Years > NAIS > Thin Air seems like an alienating and oppressive way to open an album. The current tracklist makes sense to me. Binaural's production/sound is very deep, spacey, and waterlogged - the album needs bursts of energy to propel it, especially right out of the gate.

Id rather have a good mellow album than a horrible energetic album. The problem is those 3 bursts of energy are bad songs, and they set the tone for the rest of the album. The strengths of Binaural are not the bursts of energy besides maybe Insignificance...its everything besides that. Just like I like Sometimes as an opener for No Code, as it sets the tone for the album, where the strengths are the quieter songs (Present Tense, Off he Goes, Who We Are). Whereas Go is a balls to the wall crazy song to match the strengths of Vs. (Well Vs. also has great soft songs...)

Im just saying I think the opener sets the tone for the album and Breakerfall sets the tone for the wrong album...the album it sets the tone for is not Binaural. Riot Act had a more fitting opener in Cant Keep...too bad its like the best song on the album <_<

[LoathedVermin72]

Despite how much I love all threee, Light Years > NAIS > Thin Air seems like an alienating and oppressive way to open an album. The current tracklist makes sense to me. Binaural's production/sound is very deep, spacey, and waterlogged - the album needs bursts of energy to propel it, especially right out of the gate.

Id rather have a good mellow album than a horrible energetic album. The problem is those 3 bursts of energy are bad songs, and they set the tone for the rest of the album. The strengths of Binaural are not the bursts of energy besides maybe Insignificance...its everything besides that. Just like I like Sometimes as an opener for No Code, as it sets the tone for the album, where the strengths are the quieter songs (Present Tense, Off he Goes, Who We Are). Whereas Go is a balls to the wall crazy song to match the strengths of Vs. (Well Vs. also has great soft songs...)

Im just saying I think the opener sets the tone for the album and Breakerfall sets the tone for the wrong album...the album it sets the tone for is not Binaural. Riot Act had a more fitting opener in Cant Keep...too bad its like the best song on the album <_<

I'm sure a big part of this is that I just disagree with you about the quality of the songs. I like all three, especially "Evacuation".

[mikejasond]

What about doing

Light Years
Thin Air
Sad
Nothing as It seems

or

Light Years
Insignificance
Thin Air
Nothing As It Seems

Something like that...I agree NAIS is a bit dense for the second song.

[mikejasond]

Ooh...Of The Girl can work as an opener....listening to it now I could see that being a very cool opener to make you say "hmm...what is this new sound?"

Somebody better than me could probably rearrange the tracks, but I think replacing Grievance with Sad, and then adding those 3 songs mentioned above over the 3 opening tracks (or just removing the 3 opening tracks altogether if we arent going to consider the B-sides), and rearranging the album afterwards it becomes a much stronger installment in their catalog.

I think Riot Act is better at introducing things with Cant Keep...Riot Act doesn't have the identity problems that Binaural does, but Riot Act doesn't have enough good songs to sustain itself

[LoathedVermin72]

[Strat]

We should start a thread about retracking Binaural!

Thats actually not a bad idea

[Strat]

Also, guys, once you realize that Binaural is perfect as is, your life will be complete

[E.H. Ruddock]

We should start a thread about retracking Binaural!

Thats actually not a bad idea

[mikejasond]

Also, guys, once you realize that Binaural is perfect as is, your life will be complete

I still can't see a defense for those first 3 songs...I honestly like most PJ albums...even Backspacer has grown on me. Riot Act and Binaural are the only two that haven't, but I think Binaural was savable. Riot Act.....yeahhh....though I think the first 3 tracks are good, the last 2 (1/2 full, all or none) are good, and I LOVE Thumbing My Way. If only that was the entire album <_<

But Binaural has a lot of good stuff hidden! and those B-sides are good too

[Jorge]

"Evacuation" is one of their all-time great songs.

[Norah]

This guy has awful taste and everyone should ostracize him for it.

[mikejasond]

I guess I just don't get that song. I just hear "EVACUAAAAATIONNNNN" really shrill. Doesn't leave much of an impression. I feel like a lot of the rock songs in this era just sorta....float there. Maybe it would be better at a different part of the album like Rival. Maybe it is only bad because it comes after Breakerfall and God's Dice

[mikejasond]

On the other hand, I find Soon Forget to be a delightful interlude later in the album...I think they should do more of these types of songs. The ukelele album is just TOO much of it, but I loved Soon Forget, and Sleeping With Myself.

[Jorge]

<_<

[Norah]

Has this guy met stip?

[LoathedVermin72]

Eddie's uke album should have been called Sleeping with Myself