Red Mosquito

Just to reiterate an earlier post - and completely contradicting my comments about the UK music press - the reviews editor of Q magazine has tweeted that he rates LB amongst the best albums of the year so far. So looks like there will be a very positive review of the album in next month's Q.

harmless wrote:

Heathen wrote:

harmless wrote:This review basically said that PJ are an incredible, even legendary rock band that we all love... but look, they're actually a bit shit aren't they, and here's why. Any praise he gives them is obligatory media arse-kissing.

So every positive line in the review doesn't count because it's mandatory and he doesn't mean it anyway and a few songs that the guy likes a bit less means he calls them shit? Come on harmy. I wonder what it's gonna be if there's an actually dismissive review at some point.

I may have overestimated my case, used a little hyperbole, but I absolutely expected a lacklustre review from a London exclusive club open to no one but professional journalists. I am merely saying that every fan saying "Oh no, I'm worried now" needn't be worried based on a London journalist's review, and everyone who is bored of PJ saying "Haha! I told you, this is going to fucking suck!" are probably wrong as well. This review won't be altogether trustworthy.

When are reviews altogether trustworthy though?

stupidmop wrote:This article seems pretty normal/ actually kinda good to me. And his summary of the album pretty much matches that alternativenation dudes. The general vibe it seems to be getting is 'eeh?'

I have read some retarded PJ related articles From the british media but this aint one of them. They didnt mention how kurt cobain was better at all the things ever, they didnt mention the band being too sincere for them, they didnt mention eddie being too overdramatic/stupid/hippie ish etc etc etc

The review might end up being totally right.

I just don't trust it just because of what it says, because it ends up looking quite snotty, dismissive and underhand: snotty.

The irony is that not everyone reads Brendan O'Brien's comments as any of that, but everyone here does. If you go to the Pit, there are people who've given some good, respectful, measured responses to Brendan O'Brien's interviews. A lot of people who haven't are generally bored of Pearl Jam anyway. It's just text, and we'll all interpret it differently yeah, since we weren't there in person so didn't get any tone of voice.

Heathen wrote:

harmless wrote:

Heathen wrote:

harmless wrote:This review basically said that PJ are an incredible, even legendary rock band that we all love... but look, they're actually a bit shit aren't they, and here's why. Any praise he gives them is obligatory media arse-kissing.

So every positive line in the review doesn't count because it's mandatory and he doesn't mean it anyway and a few songs that the guy likes a bit less means he calls them shit? Come on harmy. I wonder what it's gonna be if there's an actually dismissive review at some point.

I may have overestimated my case, used a little hyperbole, but I absolutely expected a lacklustre review from a London exclusive club open to no one but professional journalists. I am merely saying that every fan saying "Oh no, I'm worried now" needn't be worried based on a London journalist's review, and everyone who is bored of PJ saying "Haha! I told you, this is going to fucking suck!" are probably wrong as well. This review won't be altogether trustworthy.

When are reviews altogether trustworthy though?

Virtually never.

igotworms wrote:Just to reiterate an earlier post - and completely contradicting my comments about the UK music press - the reviews editor of Q magazine has tweeted that he rates LB amongst the best albums of the year so far. So looks like there will be a very positive review of the album in next month's Q.

Maybe it all depends on how you respond to cheese.

But because he reads Swallowed Whole as like another Backspacer cut, I'm not entirely sure I agree with him about anything else sounding like Backspacer, because that one really doesn't. Into The Wild is a better comparison.

I'm sad about My fathers son sounding even vaguely backspacerish. I thought we we're gonna get bushleaguer weirdness dammit, i was poised to have my mind blown/thoroughly confused.

That review made me mildly more interested in LB especially the Infallible>Pendulum>SWhole run. It certainly wasn't negative and gave more than I thought a UK review would.

btw I listened to all 5 studio tracks today after a 3 day rest and it was worse than I remembered. Getaway and Swallowed Whole are at least listenable.

stupidmop wrote:This article seems pretty normal/ actually kinda good to me. And his summary of the album pretty much matches that alternativenation dudes. The general vibe it seems to be getting is 'eeh?'

I have read some retarded PJ related articles From the british media but this aint one of them. They didnt mention how kurt cobain was better at all the things ever, they didnt mention the band being too sincere for them, they didnt mention eddie being too overdramatic/stupid/hippie ish etc etc etc

love the avatar

You still might, stupidmop. He's not mentioned Matt's rhythms anywhere here, has he? I might've missed something. But as far as I can tell, rhythm is a major part of the apparently weirder tracks.

What do you think he means by "synths" anyway? When I read that word I think Kraftwerk or Jean Michel-Jarre.

I think it was another first impression that doesn't give much of any useful information.

Dr. Van Nostrand wrote:

stupidmop wrote:This article seems pretty normal/ actually kinda good to me. And his summary of the album pretty much matches that alternativenation dudes. The general vibe it seems to be getting is 'eeh?'

I have read some retarded PJ related articles From the british media but this aint one of them. They didnt mention how kurt cobain was better at all the things ever, they didnt mention the band being too sincere for them, they didnt mention eddie being too overdramatic/stupid/hippie ish etc etc etc

love the avatar

Stip was getting bored of angry faceless posters shitting on LB and realising afterward they were all me.

Wait there's totally a lightning bolt on it isn't there? I didnt put it there/realise! happy coincidence.

stupidmop wrote:

Dr. Van Nostrand wrote:

stupidmop wrote:This article seems pretty normal/ actually kinda good to me. And his summary of the album pretty much matches that alternativenation dudes. The general vibe it seems to be getting is 'eeh?'

I have read some retarded PJ related articles From the british media but this aint one of them. They didnt mention how kurt cobain was better at all the things ever, they didnt mention the band being too sincere for them, they didnt mention eddie being too overdramatic/stupid/hippie ish etc etc etc

love the avatar

Stip was getting bored of angry faceless posters shitting on LB and realising afterward they were all me.

Wait there's totally a lightning bolt on it isn't there? I didnt put it there/realise! happy coincidence.

we've had so many conflicting impressions of My Father's Son.

Infallible and Pendulum sound like the most universally appreciated tracks.

Between this review and the radio guy saying future days was his favorite (and mirella saying it was a good song on the record) that might actually work out.

harmless wrote:

igotworms wrote:Just to reiterate an earlier post - and completely contradicting my comments about the UK music press - the reviews editor of Q magazine has tweeted that he rates LB amongst the best albums of the year so far. So looks like there will be a very positive review of the album in next month's Q.

Maybe it all depends on how you respond to cheese.

But because he reads Swallowed Whole as like another Backspacer cut, I'm not entirely sure I agree with him about anything else sounding like Backspacer, because that one really doesn't. Into The Wild is a better comparison.

Q reviewer LOVES the title track. So that already puts him at loggerheads with this latest review, which was lukewarm about it.

I suspect that overall the reviews will pretty much reflect how the fanbase will react to it - some will love it, some will hate it, most will think it's a mixed bag.

stip wrote:we've had so many conflicting impressions of My Father's Son.

Infallible and Pendulum sound like the most universally appreciated tracks.

Between this review and the radio guy saying future days was his favorite (and mirella saying it was a good song on the record) that might actually work out.

I'm freaking out that it has violin on it. Jesus Christ. Violin. *shudder*

Heathen wrote:

harmless wrote:

Heathen wrote:

every time they cross your path you cannot help but fall in love with them all over again. That’s the magic of being a great rock band I guess, and Pearl Jam have always been a great rock band.

Wow yeah this guy sounds so dismissive

This sentence was an obligatory one. There are just as many sentences you could've picked out to prove my point. I know the general feeling about PJ here.

I really don't see it. Show this review to anyone who isn't a PJ fan and they'll never think of it as dismissive or condescending or as an example of journalists hating the band.

I am a fan of pearl jam and I thought this review was fine. Some songs he liked. Some songs he didn't. Caveat that there was only one listen to the record. Overall it was positive, if not glowing.

Heathen wrote:

harmless wrote:

Heathen wrote:

harmless wrote:This review basically said that PJ are an incredible, even legendary rock band that we all love... but look, they're actually a bit shit aren't they, and here's why. Any praise he gives them is obligatory media arse-kissing.

So every positive line in the review doesn't count because it's mandatory and he doesn't mean it anyway and a few songs that the guy likes a bit less means he calls them shit? Come on harmy. I wonder what it's gonna be if there's an actually dismissive review at some point.

I may have overestimated my case, used a little hyperbole, but I absolutely expected a lacklustre review from a London exclusive club open to no one but professional journalists. I am merely saying that every fan saying "Oh no, I'm worried now" needn't be worried based on a London journalist's review, and everyone who is bored of PJ saying "Haha! I told you, this is going to fucking suck!" are probably wrong as well. This review won't be altogether trustworthy.

When are reviews altogether trustworthy though?

it only there was some way to aggregate them for a general impression!

I can see getting feedback from people from the listening party on their first impressions. I think its retarted though for someone to go out and write a review after one puplic listen. You can't get too hung up on the reviewers thoughts. I'm not blindly defending the album. It may blow but it can't be properly reviewed after one listen.

Also... PJ has been around for 20+ years and this taints every new album that comes out at first listen. I have been disapointed in every album at first listen since Vitalogy. Just emotionally because A) it didn't sound the way maybe i had expected it to in my head and B) because it didn't emediately invoke the feeling of joy I get from listening to my "old favs".

I've been through this merry-go-round enough to realize this. Listening to new pearl Jam causes a cascade of emotions regardless of how good the music is. You need to get past that before any decent review can be made.

stupidmop wrote:

Dr. Van Nostrand wrote:

stupidmop wrote:This article seems pretty normal/ actually kinda good to me. And his summary of the album pretty much matches that alternativenation dudes. The general vibe it seems to be getting is 'eeh?'

I have read some retarded PJ related articles From the british media but this aint one of them. They didnt mention how kurt cobain was better at all the things ever, they didnt mention the band being too sincere for them, they didnt mention eddie being too overdramatic/stupid/hippie ish etc etc etc

love the avatar

Stip was getting bored of angry faceless posters shitting on LB and realising afterward they were all me.

Wait there's totally a lightning bolt on it isn't there? I didnt put it there/realise! happy coincidence.

don't you feel better having one, though

For some reason after reading a couple of these Sirens reviews that indicate its cheesiness and/or 80's ballad I'm expecting it sound exactly like When I See You Smile and John Waite doing the background vocals.

When I hear your sirens
I can face the world
Oooh..you know i can do anything.
When I hear your sirens

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Anyhow, it worries me a little that the cheesiness is so apparent.