Binaural: Official Album Thread

[evenslow]

Wonder where Lisa was that day?

Praying for Prince to call about a Y2K gig.

[mikejasond]

Im still trying to nail down what it is about this album that I just dont like. I keep trying to nail down what that 'static' feel is to me.

I feel like there's just a lot of times where the vocal melodies, and the chords are just monotone...like hitting the same chord over and over, or singing a vocal melody with very little variation. Like occupying a very narrow musical space...Like Gods Dice has a bunch of those spots where its just the same chord over and over again, the chorus of Evacuation is mostly just the same chord over and over again...I think thats even what I don't like about Light Years

When I hear Light Years live, they do a new guitar line for the intro that has more motion and bounce and I love it, but then we go into the verse and it seems like Stone just keeps playing the same chord over and over and over again too....Same with on the chorus I just keep hearing the same chord again and again and again...

NAIS same thing the chorus just seems to move very little, like moving by very small steps and just droning and seeming so repetitive....the Breakerfall verses....again Eddie just barely leaving the same note. Like Lukin but not as good.

Thin Air is one of the only songs that seems to have life to it. Thin Air, Rival, Of the Girl I like. Soon Forget I like. But most of these songs just don't do much for me.

I think this is why Life Wasted was such a breath of fresh air with the vocal line and chords jumping all over the place and giving some life

[LoathedVermin72]

tl;dr

[Jorge]

Like Gods Dice has a bunch of those spots where its just the same chord over and over again

What the fuck are you talking about, this is completely untrue. Just in terms of chord structure that song has more movement in it than most any rocker in Avocado, Backspacer or Lightning Bolt.

https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/p/pear ... ce_crd.htm

[Strat]

Like Gods Dice has a bunch of those spots where its just the same chord over and over again

What the fuck are you talking about, this is completely untrue. Just in terms of chord structure that song has more movement in it than most any rocker in Avocado, Backspacer or Lightning Bolt.

https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/p/pear ... ce_crd.htm

I dont think mikeshasndlx actually knows how to play guitar. Or knows anything at all, really.

[Leatherhead]

Im still trying to nail down what it is about this album that I just dont like. I keep trying to nail down what that 'static' feel is to me.

I feel like there's just a lot of times where the vocal melodies, and the chords are just monotone...like hitting the same chord over and over, or singing a vocal melody with very little variation. Like occupying a very narrow musical space...Like Gods Dice has a bunch of those spots where its just the same chord over and over again, the chorus of Evacuation is mostly just the same chord over and over again...I think thats even what I don't like about Light Years

When I hear Light Years live, they do a new guitar line for the intro that has more motion and bounce and I love it, but then we go into the verse and it seems like Stone just keeps playing the same chord over and over and over again too....Same with on the chorus I just keep hearing the same chord again and again and again...

NAIS same thing the chorus just seems to move very little, like moving by very small steps and just droning and seeming so repetitive....the Breakerfall verses....again Eddie just barely leaving the same note. Like Lukin but not as good.

Thin Air is one of the only songs that seems to have life to it. Thin Air, Rival, Of the Girl I like. Soon Forget I like. But most of these songs just don't do much for me.

I think this is why Life Wasted was such a breath of fresh air with the vocal line and chords jumping all over the place and giving some life

Learn how to be comfortable in one sort of headspace for a few minutes. Sounds to me like you need a lot of distractions in the music to enjoy it. Maybe smoke some weed, put on headphones, maybe close your eyes, and just chill out. Try not to think too hard about what you're listening to, just listen. Let the mood sink in. If something is a bit off-putting to you, a little odd sounding, like it doesn't quite fit right, don't immediately dismiss it as an inferior way of doing something, but rather could be an interesting decision that keeps you surprised and engaged. Oh and I'm pretty sure LW has like 2 or 3 chords in the whole song.

[Strat]

Im not sure how anyone could get bored listening to Evacuation. That is the most interesting guitar work in any pj song in my opinion.

[bune]

Im still trying to nail down what it is about this album that I just dont like. I keep trying to nail down what that 'static' feel is to me.

I feel like there's just a lot of times where the vocal melodies, and the chords are just monotone...like hitting the same chord over and over, or singing a vocal melody with very little variation. Like occupying a very narrow musical space...Like Gods Dice has a bunch of those spots where its just the same chord over and over again, the chorus of Evacuation is mostly just the same chord over and over again...I think thats even what I don't like about Light Years

When I hear Light Years live, they do a new guitar line for the intro that has more motion and bounce and I love it, but then we go into the verse and it seems like Stone just keeps playing the same chord over and over and over again too....Same with on the chorus I just keep hearing the same chord again and again and again...

NAIS same thing the chorus just seems to move very little, like moving by very small steps and just droning and seeming so repetitive....the Breakerfall verses....again Eddie just barely leaving the same note. Like Lukin but not as good.

Thin Air is one of the only songs that seems to have life to it. Thin Air, Rival, Of the Girl I like. Soon Forget I like. But most of these songs just don't do much for me.

I think this is why Life Wasted was such a breath of fresh air with the vocal line and chords jumping all over the place and giving some life

Did you get a boring job in March?

[LoathedVermin72]

basically you just want songs to go up and down more, or have more build-up

[wease]

When I hear Light Years live, they do a new guitar line for the intro that has more motion and bounce and I love it, but then we go into the verse and it seems like Stone just keeps playing the same chord over and over and over again too....Same with on the chorus I just keep hearing the same chord again and again and again...

My god. What are you actually listening to? The song you're describing is not Light Years at all.

Maybe your copy has the tracks listed in the wrong order and you've been confusing the songs and titles...

[mikejasond]

Like Gods Dice has a bunch of those spots where its just the same chord over and over again

What the fuck are you talking about, this is completely untrue. Just in terms of chord structure that song has more movement in it than most any rocker in Avocado, Backspacer or Lightning Bolt.

https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/p/pear ... ce_crd.htm

yes there are, but it sticks on those A5 chords for ages. Over and over again the same A5 chord.

Similarly the chorus is a ton of F5s and then a ton of C5s all in a row

[mikejasond]

When I hear Light Years live, they do a new guitar line for the intro that has more motion and bounce and I love it, but then we go into the verse and it seems like Stone just keeps playing the same chord over and over and over again too....Same with on the chorus I just keep hearing the same chord again and again and again...

My god. What are you actually listening to? The song you're describing is not Light Years at all.

Maybe your copy has the tracks listed in the wrong order and you've been confusing the songs and titles...

Id need to see a guitar tab but there's a couple particular chords that Stone keeps finding his way back to

[mikejasond]

Also Life Wasted has a small amount of chords, but those chords arent the same chord played over and over again in a row. They actually move, as does Eddie.

[Strat]

Also Life Wasted has a small amount of chords, but those chords arent the same chord played over and over again in a row. They actually move, as does Eddie.

wut?

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now

[wease]

When I hear Light Years live, they do a new guitar line for the intro that has more motion and bounce and I love it, but then we go into the verse and it seems like Stone just keeps playing the same chord over and over and over again too....Same with on the chorus I just keep hearing the same chord again and again and again...

My god. What are you actually listening to? The song you're describing is not Light Years at all.

Maybe your copy has the tracks listed in the wrong order and you've been confusing the songs and titles...

Id need to see a guitar tab but there's a couple particular chords that Stone keeps finding his way back to

Like, maybe D? Since that's the key the song is in.

[Kevin Davis]

I think I get what MJD is getting at here; I was disappointed when I first heard Gods' Dice too, because it sounded so simple compared to everything they'd done before. I eventually fell in love with Matt's fills, which are pretty impressive. But it sounds like he's saying the riffs are too unimaginative, which I could understand.

"Gods' Dice" was easily the least gratifying song for me when I first got "Binaural." Ed's melody isn't particularly gripping, and rhythmically it feels like a pretty run of the mill punky number. But there are interesting things happening in it -- Jeff's chords are very Cobain-esque, in the spirit of the way he would create chord sequences that didn't make logical musical sense by reducing them to power (or "5" chords, as the tabs say, basically taking away everything except the root note and the fifth), thereby freeing them from harmonic constraints and opening up endless chord combinations. There's a live version from 2006 where Eddie forgets to come in on cue and you hear the chords banging away uncluttered for a few seconds, and it really highlights this. The argument that there's no motion in the song just because it hangs on one chord for a few bars strikes me as pretty short-sighted.

[evenslow]

I think I get what MJD is getting at here; I was disappointed when I first heard Gods' Dice too, because it sounded so simple compared to everything they'd done before. I eventually fell in love with Matt's fills, which are pretty impressive. But it sounds like he's saying the riffs are too unimaginative, which I could understand.

"Gods' Dice" was easily the least gratifying song for me when I first got "Binaural." Ed's melody isn't particularly gripping, and rhythmically it feels like a pretty run of the mill punky number. But there are interesting things happening in it -- Jeff's chords are very Cobain-esque, in the spirit of the way he would create chord sequences that didn't make logical musical sense by reducing them to power (or "5" chords, as the tabs say, basically taking away everything except the root note and the fifth), thereby freeing them from harmonic constraints and opening up endless chord combinations. There's a live version from 2006 where Eddie forgets to come in on cue and you hear the chords banging away uncluttered for a few seconds, and it really highlights this. The argument that there's no motion in the song just because it hangs on one chord for a few bars strikes me as pretty short-sighted.

Am I wrong in saying the music on this always reminded me of a less snarly Hail Hail (another Jeff song)?

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now

[Kevin Davis]

I think I get what MJD is getting at here; I was disappointed when I first heard Gods' Dice too, because it sounded so simple compared to everything they'd done before. I eventually fell in love with Matt's fills, which are pretty impressive. But it sounds like he's saying the riffs are too unimaginative, which I could understand.

"Gods' Dice" was easily the least gratifying song for me when I first got "Binaural." Ed's melody isn't particularly gripping, and rhythmically it feels like a pretty run of the mill punky number. But there are interesting things happening in it -- Jeff's chords are very Cobain-esque, in the spirit of the way he would create chord sequences that didn't make logical musical sense by reducing them to power (or "5" chords, as the tabs say, basically taking away everything except the root note and the fifth), thereby freeing them from harmonic constraints and opening up endless chord combinations. There's a live version from 2006 where Eddie forgets to come in on cue and you hear the chords banging away uncluttered for a few seconds, and it really highlights this. The argument that there's no motion in the song just because it hangs on one chord for a few bars strikes me as pretty short-sighted.

Am I wrong in saying the music on this always reminded me of a less snarly Hail Hail (another Jeff song)?

Some of the same devices at play, for sure.