Red Mosquito

JimX6 wrote:

Release_Me wrote: I am genuinely enjoying what they have been putting out from S/T onwards.

S/T was okay to me.. Recently BS is where I started to feel the way I do now. It was admittedly after a long break from Pearl Jam I had listened to all their albums again and found I don't like Backspacer much. I do love some of it, but as a whole it's not for me. Interesting enough my taste in PJ has changed since the last time I posted a lot on this board. Riot Act is my favorite followed closely by Vitalogy and No Code.

harmless wrote:

JimX6 wrote:

Release_Me wrote: I am genuinely enjoying what they have been putting out from S/T onwards.

S/T was okay to me.. Recently BS is where I started to feel the way I do now. It was admittedly after a long break from Pearl Jam I had listened to all their albums again and found I don't like Backspacer much. I do love some of it, but as a whole it's not for me. Interesting enough my taste in PJ has changed since the last time I posted a lot on this board. Riot Act is my favorite followed closely by Vitalogy and No Code.

MemoFromTurner wrote:

harmless wrote:

JimX6 wrote:

Release_Me wrote: I am genuinely enjoying what they have been putting out from S/T onwards.

S/T was okay to me.. Recently BS is where I started to feel the way I do now. It was admittedly after a long break from Pearl Jam I had listened to all their albums again and found I don't like Backspacer much. I do love some of it, but as a whole it's not for me. Interesting enough my taste in PJ has changed since the last time I posted a lot on this board. Riot Act is my favorite followed closely by Vitalogy and No Code.

Riot Act is savagely underrated by humans.

harmless wrote:

Release_Me wrote:

JimX6 wrote:

Release_Me wrote:

JimX6 wrote:

Release_Me wrote:But it's just so much cooler when the songs are sad, dark and brooding. Can't they just get angry at something?

It's not that it's much cooler, it's whats established. To me, the themes in LB are just cheesy and NOT Pearl Jam. FD has kind of grown on me with more listens, and I can accept it for what it is. Lightning Bolt on the other hand, sounds like the kind of crap Bon Jovi would be singing about. That's not pearl jam (IMHO). Pearl Jam's themes in the past have been deeper and more serious.

Maybe it's not the Pearl Jam you're holding on to?

It absolutely isn't. It's hard to just accept that and move on though. I'm sure I'm not the only one. Since I was 8, Pearl Jam has been my favorite band. I had all their cassettes, went to shows, learned everything they did on guitar. They influenced me to play and write my own music. They got me through tough times.

Now, I find myself listening to the back catalog. Not because of nostalgia, but because since Just Breathe most of their new stuff isn't what I personally like. I always held onto Pearl Jam because while other favorites (Metallica, Weezer, etc) were falling behind when it came to new output, Pearl Jam was still releasing things that were interesting. Now, sadly, they're in danger of becoming something they were against only 10 years ago.

I can understand that what they are doing now may not click or resonate with you. I don't agree that they've suddenly become some sort of mainstream pop band either, if that's what you mean by what they were against 10 years ago. They wrote difficult, inaccessible music from 96-02 and have gone back to songs with more hooks, except this time the themes aren't as dark. The first three albums had their fair share of hooks and poppy songs but the mood was generally dark. That resonated with me too back in the day and I still enjoy listening to those songs. I recognize the first three albums as PJ at their best. The era after that did nothing for me. I am genuinely enjoying what they have been putting out from S/T onwards.

This is actually a really good dispassionate unpacking of what's probably happening. In their own minds they're doing what they always did when they were less challenging, but generally without that dark edge.

JimX6 wrote:

MemoFromTurner wrote:

harmless wrote:

JimX6 wrote:

Release_Me wrote: I am genuinely enjoying what they have been putting out from S/T onwards.

S/T was okay to me.. Recently BS is where I started to feel the way I do now. It was admittedly after a long break from Pearl Jam I had listened to all their albums again and found I don't like Backspacer much. I do love some of it, but as a whole it's not for me. Interesting enough my taste in PJ has changed since the last time I posted a lot on this board. Riot Act is my favorite followed closely by Vitalogy and No Code.

Riot Act is savagely underrated by humans.

MemoFromTurner wrote:

harmless wrote:

Release_Me wrote:

JimX6 wrote:

Release_Me wrote:

JimX6 wrote:

Release_Me wrote:But it's just so much cooler when the songs are sad, dark and brooding. Can't they just get angry at something?

It's not that it's much cooler, it's whats established. To me, the themes in LB are just cheesy and NOT Pearl Jam. FD has kind of grown on me with more listens, and I can accept it for what it is. Lightning Bolt on the other hand, sounds like the kind of crap Bon Jovi would be singing about. That's not pearl jam (IMHO). Pearl Jam's themes in the past have been deeper and more serious.

Maybe it's not the Pearl Jam you're holding on to?

It absolutely isn't. It's hard to just accept that and move on though. I'm sure I'm not the only one. Since I was 8, Pearl Jam has been my favorite band. I had all their cassettes, went to shows, learned everything they did on guitar. They influenced me to play and write my own music. They got me through tough times.

Now, I find myself listening to the back catalog. Not because of nostalgia, but because since Just Breathe most of their new stuff isn't what I personally like. I always held onto Pearl Jam because while other favorites (Metallica, Weezer, etc) were falling behind when it came to new output, Pearl Jam was still releasing things that were interesting. Now, sadly, they're in danger of becoming something they were against only 10 years ago.

I can understand that what they are doing now may not click or resonate with you. I don't agree that they've suddenly become some sort of mainstream pop band either, if that's what you mean by what they were against 10 years ago. They wrote difficult, inaccessible music from 96-02 and have gone back to songs with more hooks, except this time the themes aren't as dark. The first three albums had their fair share of hooks and poppy songs but the mood was generally dark. That resonated with me too back in the day and I still enjoy listening to those songs. I recognize the first three albums as PJ at their best. The era after that did nothing for me. I am genuinely enjoying what they have been putting out from S/T onwards.

This is actually a really good dispassionate unpacking of what's probably happening. In their own minds they're doing what they always did when they were less challenging, but generally without that dark edge.

I'd guess that PJ is currently reaching for the anthemic highs of the Who. The Who remained a brawny rock band while delivering hooks and the lyrical content was never especially interesting or experimental. I can't say Ed is succeeding or failing but it's possible the attack on musical and lyrical content is more about what Ed was doing before than anything inherently embarrassing with the recent song structure and lyrics.

evenslow wrote:

JimX6 wrote:

MemoFromTurner wrote:

harmless wrote:

JimX6 wrote:

Release_Me wrote: I am genuinely enjoying what they have been putting out from S/T onwards.

S/T was okay to me.. Recently BS is where I started to feel the way I do now. It was admittedly after a long break from Pearl Jam I had listened to all their albums again and found I don't like Backspacer much. I do love some of it, but as a whole it's not for me. Interesting enough my taste in PJ has changed since the last time I posted a lot on this board. Riot Act is my favorite followed closely by Vitalogy and No Code.

Riot Act is savagely underrated by humans.

I don't know man. Have you ever tried playing this thing from top to bottom for a normal human? You know, like, not one of us?

They're usually asleep by I Am Mine.

It's a good album and all, and I like it, but it just doesn't move people all that much.

VinylGuy wrote:

evenslow wrote:

JimX6 wrote:

MemoFromTurner wrote:

harmless wrote:

JimX6 wrote:

Release_Me wrote: I am genuinely enjoying what they have been putting out from S/T onwards.

S/T was okay to me.. Recently BS is where I started to feel the way I do now. It was admittedly after a long break from Pearl Jam I had listened to all their albums again and found I don't like Backspacer much. I do love some of it, but as a whole it's not for me. Interesting enough my taste in PJ has changed since the last time I posted a lot on this board. Riot Act is my favorite followed closely by Vitalogy and No Code.

Riot Act is savagely underrated by humans.

I don't know man. Have you ever tried playing this thing from top to bottom for a normal human? You know, like, not one of us?

They're usually asleep by I Am Mine.

It's a good album and all, and I like it, but it just doesn't move people all that much.

pretty much this. I like some of the moments from that album, but im really happy they dont albums like that one these days.
Im happy enough the new material seems to interest me a lot more than some of the songs from that album.

harmless wrote:Riot Act is much more interesting than Binaural. *cough*

warehouse wrote:

harmless wrote:Riot Act is much more interesting than Binaural. *cough*

sure, but binaural has better songs

harmless wrote:

warehouse wrote:

harmless wrote:Riot Act is much more interesting than Binaural. *cough*

sure, but binaural has better songs

Not really.

Thejambi wrote:

harmless wrote:

warehouse wrote:

harmless wrote:Riot Act is much more interesting than Binaural. *cough*

sure, but binaural has better songs

Not really.

I'd take NAIS, Grievance, Of the Girl, Insignificance, Sleight of Hand and Parting Ways over anything off of Riot Act.

Thejambi wrote:

harmless wrote:

warehouse wrote:

harmless wrote:Riot Act is much more interesting than Binaural. *cough*

sure, but binaural has better songs

Not really.

I'd take NAIS, Grievance, Of the Girl, Insignificance, Sleight of Hand and Parting Ways over anything off of Riot Act.

VinylGuy wrote:

Thejambi wrote:

harmless wrote:

warehouse wrote:

harmless wrote:Riot Act is much more interesting than Binaural. *cough*

sure, but binaural has better songs

Not really.

I'd take NAIS, Grievance, Of the Girl, Insignificance, Sleight of Hand and Parting Ways over anything off of Riot Act.

yeah, Binaural is better in my book. Not only because of the songs, but for the idea of the album. RA seems so..mm boring..so unfinished.

harmless wrote:

warehouse wrote:

harmless wrote:Riot Act is much more interesting than Binaural. *cough*

sure, but binaural has better songs

Not really.

warehouse wrote:

harmless wrote:

warehouse wrote:

harmless wrote:Riot Act is much more interesting than Binaural. *cough*

sure, but binaural has better songs

Not really.

yes, really.

harmless wrote:

warehouse wrote:

harmless wrote:

warehouse wrote:

harmless wrote:Riot Act is much more interesting than Binaural. *cough*

sure, but binaural has better songs

Not really.

yes, really.

Yeah, OK. Really.

harmless wrote:

Thejambi wrote:

harmless wrote:

warehouse wrote:

harmless wrote:Riot Act is much more interesting than Binaural. *cough*

sure, but binaural has better songs

Not really.

I'd take NAIS, Grievance, Of the Girl, Insignificance, Sleight of Hand and Parting Ways over anything off of Riot Act.

Not me. But they are good songs. Thing is, I don't get why people find Riot Act any more or less boring than Binaural, an album which is full of mostly mid-tempo halfway house stuff.

harmless wrote:

Thejambi wrote:

harmless wrote:

warehouse wrote:

harmless wrote:Riot Act is much more interesting than Binaural. *cough*

sure, but binaural has better songs

Not really.

I'd take NAIS, Grievance, Of the Girl, Insignificance, Sleight of Hand and Parting Ways over anything off of Riot Act.

Not me. But they are good songs. Thing is, I don't get why people find Riot Act any more or less boring than Binaural, an album which is full of mostly mid-tempo halfway house stuff.