Red Mosquito

tragabigzanda wrote:yeah I'm not giving it to people with 0-1 posts.

I've been giving to everyone, it's good PR for RM.

this is likely a consequence of eddie writing in the studio but the lyrics seem full of phrasing that has a small lyrical change that produces a significant change in meaning. he has always used that to great affect and I love to see it so prevelant here

lecherouslittlestump wrote:This the record they were trying to make with Ten, but they fell short.

Finally, after more than 3 decades, they've done it

Waiting for Wotman

Just A/B'ed the intro drums from "Dark Matter" from the leak with the official YouTube version, and the leak is very distorted in the low end in comparison to the single.

tragabigzanda wrote:

EBowie wrote:

wilkins wrote:Imagine what people would rate this if the production was much less 2024.

Also, Eddie just announced that PJ is playing Obana the first and third nights and Neil Young & Crazy Horse the middle night!

Californication came out in 1999 and that album sounds like shit. Avocado 2006. Both those sound way worse to me than Dark Matter.

Californication is indisputably loud, and helped herald in the era, but I think it generally sounds great. The Chris Bellman LP pressing opens up the dynamic range a good bit and it is pretty enjoyable.

Maybe that's where our opinions differ because the loudness is the thing that bothers me most regarding production issues in general. It's painful to listen to - physically, not emotionally. Californication is the single worst sounding record I've ever heard. It's a shame because I love the songs.

Been excitedly reading lots of comments here about the new album and heard it last night at the theater and felt excited to join the forum and partake in the discussion surrounding DM. Loving the insight and takeaways you all are providing about the album. Sorry in advance for such a long winded post.

My first thought after leaving the theater last night was how blessed we all are to have this band creating amazing music at 60 years of age. I tried to think of another band that had put out anything of real substance at that age that was a really worthwhile record and struggled to find any comparison. Most are going through the motions and checked out in terms of a sound change by that point and just rolling out the same record with a different shade of lipstick. This album is anything but that. It was fresh and vibrant and different than anything they have released but Pearl Jam at the same time. Like Fattie_Vedder expressed in his review, I also feel as much as Gigaton was the record we needed at the onset of the pandemic in 2020, this is the album we needed, and most importantly, the band needed now. Having them all thrown into the studio together with only a riff or a melody was a brilliant move by Watt to rekindle the spark and excitement for the band and take them outside of their comfort zone of the way they have done things the last few albums. You can hear everyone on every song (maybe with the exception of Something Special) on the album. We can only hope the enjoyment they had with the process as evidenced in the interviews and the short length of time it took them to bang out the songs when they were together, will translate into a shorter time frame between albums and perhaps an extra album or two than we might have otherwise.

As for the songs themselves, I had refrained from listening to the phone leaks or the snippets before the theater and only heard Dark Matter and Running. I am glad I waited. The first listen was overwhelming with completely new songs, but also how much there was to take in with each song. I found that during the 2nd listen I could really start to absorb and appreciate what they had put together knowing a little of what to expect after the 1st listen and could zero in on what I liked or liked less. There was not a song that I would say was bad or that I would be compelled to move the needle and pass over while listening to the album but there are definitely songs I feel were much stronger.

After the 2 listens I would rank them (and this will definitely change the more it is spun):

Waiting For Stevie (think it will settle as a very top tier PJ track for me)

Upper Hand
Setting Sun
Wreckage

Gotta Give
Won’t Tell
Dark Matter

Scared of Fear
Running
Something Special
React, Respond

Waiting For Stevie for me was everything I love about their music. I was almost worried before I heard it given the praise and revelation that it sounded like early singles era PJ. On the 2nd listen it really clicked and I felt as though we are really lucky to have this track at this point in the journey, which is the same way I felt about Seven O’Clock when Gigaton came out. As others have articulated it has early PJ vibes ala Breath, the soaring solo like Alive and drawn out Eddie vocals. It has such an amazing flow and vibe to it that I could just listen to it on repeat over and over. Just a diamond.

Upper Hand gave me Floyd almost Time vibes at one point in the intro which was amazing, and just was such a well put together track.Definitely need a lot more listens on this one to take in all that is going on and could settle in as a top tier PJ track for me.

Setting Sun was the best closer I think we have seen this century from them and ended the album on a perfect vibe.There were moments where Eddie’s inflection in his voice reminded me of Cornell.The drumming at the start of the song brought No Code and particularly In My Tree to mind.

Wreckage was a fantastic and super catchy track that had Petty vibes all over the place, especially Learning To Fly, and would make a great radio single as others have mentioned. Really love the flow of this song.

Gotta Give was one I enjoyed way more than I was expecting as it has been a little under the radar here with more discussion about some of the other tunes. It had Springsteen meets The Who influences for me as others have mentioned also and was a perfect set up to the closer SS.

Won’t Tell was an interesting track and one I need a few more listens to really take it in. It had so many vibes for me. Ones that jumped out at me at different points were Duran Duran, The Cure and U2 like others also mentioned.

Dark Matter placed with the other tracks measured up more me and I thought belonged in the middle tier of the tracks. It is the most radio friendly for a single and doesn't seem as such an odd ball choice after hearing the rest.

Scared of Fear was a nice, catchy energetic opener but wasn’t close to the strongest or most memorable tracks for me. It was better on the 2nd listen and will probably grow on me and be more appreciated.

Running is such a catchy tune and I think serves its purpose where it is placed after the band let its wings out on 5-7. I do like the song for what it is but not close to my fav or some of the other tracks.

Something Special was better than expected given some of the opinions on it, but seemed a little out of place to me on the album, especially following Running. I do like the song and think it is a great gift to his daughters, and very relatable to me as a father, but it is not as strong as a number of the other tracks on the album, but is very catchy and radio friendly.

React, Respond was not a song that I disliked, but to me is the weakest song on a very strong album. I appreciate the energy, but not a fan of the chorus and how repeated it is, and it falls short for me of the other really uptempo songs. Perhaps it is one that will grow on me with more listens.

Overall, I think this album ranks for sure in the top half of the catalog, and in my 2nd tier which is with Yield and Gigaton, but behind my top tier PJ albums, which to me are Ten, No Code, VS and Vitalogy. Obviously that can change with many more spins. Such a good album, and even more remarkable given their age and that it is towards the dawn.

tragabigzanda wrote:yeah I'm not giving it to people with 0-1 posts.

Working on it moving forward.

Hello to everyone. I would love to have a link please !!
Thanks in advance!!

welcome to the board, ABIH - we are happy to have you here

McParadigm wrote:Binaural, Riot Act: A little bit lost. Realizing they don’t have an “and then” in mind. Not sure about what comes next.

S/T, Backspacer, LB: Faking it til they make it. Trying to patch the holes in the armor by telling you whatever they think you want to hear, and with studies of craft. Not ever pulling it off, but learning some good lessons along the way.

Gigaton, DM.

Perhaps a little bit lost during Binaural and Riot Act sure, but ultimately to good effect though... Ed in his searching was a prolific songwriter during that period.

I’d love a link as well. Listened to the album last night in the theater and loved it. Upper hand and Waiting for stevie were standouts.

i am struck at how effortless this all sounds

WtOB? wrote:

flyingtheflannel wrote:Someone take pity on a poor lurker who has been reading this thread since page 1. Your brother in Pearl Jam.

prove it with this simple quiz. which board member had the most breakdowns and board exits during the lead up to this record?

haha, I was thinking of asking something very similar

tragabigzanda wrote:

EBowie wrote:

tragabigzanda wrote:

EBowie wrote:

wilkins wrote:Imagine what people would rate this if the production was much less 2024.

Also, Eddie just announced that PJ is playing Obana the first and third nights and Neil Young & Crazy Horse the middle night!

Californication came out in 1999 and that album sounds like shit. Avocado 2006. Both those sound way worse to me than Dark Matter.

Californication is indisputably loud, and helped herald in the era, but I think it generally sounds great. The Chris Bellman LP pressing opens up the dynamic range a good bit and it is pretty enjoyable.

Maybe that's where our opinions differ because the loudness is the thing that bothers me most regarding production issues in general. It's painful to listen to - physically, not emotionally. Californication is the single worst sounding record I've ever heard. It's a shame because I love the songs.

Oh loudness definitely hurt my ears too... But loud AND bright, that's way worse. This new album is crushing me.

Maybe our ears are just sensitive in different ways because nothing has ever hurt my ears as bad as Californication (Avocado a close second). All good. It's an interesting topic.

Coach wrote:

tragabigzanda wrote:yeah I'm not giving it to people with 0-1 posts.

I've been giving to everyone, it's good PR for RM.

I live to serve. I refuse to listen to this thing until every single man, woman and child is satisfied.

RM is the center of the universe today.

To those harkening a Yield vibe I don’t get that comparison at all.

This is more like Lightning Bolt with a producer that inspired them to make a better batch of songs. Yield had a superb buttery warmth and spaciousness to it that this album simply lacks. I’m enjoying it thus far. Upper Hand is great. Gotta get more familiar with the songs and album sequence before making my ultimate decision. Don’t think it is ambitious as Gigaton was but it’s on par in terms of initial quality of songs.

A solid late era Pearl Jam album. A hair below S/T and Gigaton for me, for now. It could move up with more familiarity but I think it’s impossible for it slide to Lightning Bolt or Backspacer territory.