Superblood Wolfmoon wrote:OK, I'm inspired tonight so here's my second-listen review. You're welcome.
Who Ever Said: this is really in the same vein as the song "Lightning Bolt," but it's a more fully formed and thought-out take on it. And off the bat, the production on this album is so far superior to maybe anything I've heard Pearl Jam sound like. I'm listening through some decent monitors, and this is a shitty mp3 leak, but wow. The dynamics on this are just incredible. Did you hear the claps The band is just at their best here. It's a standard PJ rocker, but then at around 2:30 we take a turn. And here again, the production just brings this thing to life. Every instrument is so perfectly positioned in the mix, you can pick out each one and focus on it. The vocals at 3:18 are impeccable. Then we get going again...Vedder's delivery is sharper than anything I've heard in a long time. Little lead hiding in the background for a few sections. There's that production again. Dynamics. Matt's just killing it with EV. Ventricles pumpin' overtime. Hey, did you know Matt Cameron is their drummer? And did you realize the whole time this song was on how fucking badass Jeff Ament is? This one won't go down easy...one more burst and we're done.
Superblood Wolfmoon: Not gonna lie, I fucking love this song. It's only gotten better each time I've listened. Let's be honest, it's The Fixer part 2, but it's at least 2-3 times the song that Fixer is. They took the pop edge off just a tad, and again, gave it a little less-slick production, a little heavier verse, and voila. Oh yeah, reminder that Mike McCready is still in this band. Little less Hendrix, little more EVH. The drop after the solo, and oh yeah, I'm Stone fucking Gossard, not sure if you've heard of me but I'm in this band too, and I know a little bit about a thing called fucking guitar tone.
Dance of the Clairvoyants: Again, a few weeks with this one. I liked it so much I intentionally didn't listen to it too much. This is an example of what I've wanted to hear from these guys for a long time. We know you're good at your instruments. Now play them differently. I have to think that maybe not from a songwriting perspective, but from a sonic and philosophical one, this song was a turning point. If there came a time when they scrapped everything they were doing for a new direction, it was when this song came together. Like "Jeremy," I'd offer this up as one of a handful of songs in Pearl Jam's catalog that is really out of the box for what their bread and butter is. And it just all works here. The mix is just flawless. The last couple minutes, Mike's guitar, all the vocals, the drums...there are going to be a lot of bands seeking this guy out after this.
Quick Escape: OK, starts off like you're expecting Rival or something. One of those weird, atonal Stone riffs. Then, what? Zanzibar? Oh, wait, this is Pearl Jam's "Kashmir" I guess. Drums for fucking days. More harmonies...OK, he actually said "Kashmir." They know what they're up to, and they're like, fuck it, we're Pearl Jam. Remember 30 years ago when everyone was saying we were "the next Led Zeppelin" when we only had one record out? Well guess what, we've been around longer than Led Zeppelin was so here you go. Oh yeah, and we got this guy Mike McCready and he has a fuckin' Univibe too. Suck it. This song is fucking awesome. Easily top 10 Pearl Jam. If you disagree, you're a fuckin' noob or something, and I don't know what to tell you. Just stop listening to music. To prove it, here's Mike fucking McCready again (or did they get Jimmy Page on this one?), and don't forget that rhythm section behind him. Oh, you like that? Fuck you, song's over.
Alright: Something different. I like it, nice and lush, even the cymbal flourishes. Mix is on point. Mike on the left with the little feedback licks. I never thought I'd say it, but Brendan O'Brien became a liability for this band. Just made everything kind of stale. Maybe this song isn't any more or less interesting than something like "Pendulum" or "Yellow Moon," but goddamn, Josh just makes everything sound better. This is the first lull for the album after a pretty spectacular opening run. But it's nice. Lush.
Seven O'Clock: Starting off kinda serious...you think it's going one way, but then the verse hits and I guess we're going somewhere else. It's got a nice thing going in the verse, but so do lots of songs, so where's this gonna go? A song like this is betting on the chorus and probably a fair amount on the bridge. Good thing Pearl Jam knows how to write songs. But then, the chorus is just OK. Throw some synths in to give it a little something. But wait, this song is over six minutes long? How's that? OK, this little bit between the first chorus and second verse is huge. Josh knows dynamics...something that's sadly been lost in the last 20 years. I guess it's around the halfway point that you realize this is one of those songs that maybe doesn't grab you right away, but you tuck it away because you know it's going to be that one that after a month or two becomes your favorite song. You hear bits of it, because it's a big meal to digest. Here's that bridge I talked about earlier. Harmonies, recorded and mixed beautifully into the outro. Wow. Eddie hasn't sounded this good in so long. At this point, he's definitely the fucking MVP of this record.
Never Destination: From the start, it feels like the first song on the album that could have been inserted on any of the last three. What you might call "PJ by numbers." Nicely mixed solo from Mike. And again we have that drop out that Josh is clearly very good at. Bring up the bass...Jeff's getting down. OK, maybe this song has a little more that those last few albums. Little delay on the vocals...bring up those guitars. All of a sudden, this song's got its thing going on. One thing that stands out to me is I can't think of another time off the top of my head where Matt and Ed are really playing off each other. Nicely done...by the time this one ends, it's gone a lot further than I thought it would when it started.
Take The Long Way: Alright, this has to be a Matt riff. I think he writes guitar riffs that are awesome but have an ulterior motive...to make you hear what a badass fucking drummer he is. Band is on fire. Backup vocals and the mix on them are awesome, as is the guitar work Mike's bringing. The guitars on this record are maybe the best-sounding of any Pearl Jam record. And at this point I'm comfortable saying this is the best-produced Pearl Jam record. By a fucking mile. This fucking solo...the mix. Again, this guy will be producing a lot of rock records in the next 10 years. I fucking guarantee it. If the next RHCP or QOTSA album isn't produced by Josh I'll eat my hat.
Buckle Up: Cool riff. I like what EV is doing here. This one is making me curious about the lyrics, as what I'm picking up sound interesting. I wouldn't go as far as to call this a dud, but it's the first really one-dimensional song on the record. Still sounds fantastic though.
Comes Then Goes: I once got to go to Vince Gill's house in Nashville, and interview him about his guitar collection he had there (or at least part of it). If you're so inclined, PM me for the link to the video. The first one he picked up was his father's guitar, a beautiful old Gibson, and from there, he played some of the most collectible and sought-after guitars you could ever hear. It's definitely there in the video, but I will never forget standing a couple feet away from him, arguably one of the greatest guitar players alive, and hearing the sound that these instruments made when in the hands of someone so capable. What does this have to do with Pearl Jam? Well, I'm sure that Mike, Stone and Ed own some pretty amazing guitars too. And we've probably heard them before on their albums. But never like this. I think this is a good time to co-nominate Josh Evans as MVP of this album. Whatever expensive Martin Eddie's strumming on this one, it sounds every bit as warm and rich as it would probably sound if you were standing in the room. I know that production and engineering isn't everybody's thing, but it's a huge part of what makes successful records. I would love to know how the guitars were miked on this, and again, Josh Evans' schedule is going to be packed for the next several years, and songs like this are why. By the way, it's an absolutely gorgeous song, and it reminds you of why Eddie Vedder is Eddie Vedder. He is at his absolute best here.
Retrograde: More of that sonic treatment on the 12-string, which I would imagine is Mike. Very nice how this song flows in from the last one. Eddie's on point, and once again the harmonies are mixed perfectly. Beautiful guitar work by Mike and Stone. This song really feels like a band effort...Mike bringing the 12-string guitar, but the verse riff is very Stone, with those Middle-Eastern tinges like Strangest Tribe. It's amazing what some production can do, and I don't know why they haven't done more of this over the years. Adding the echo to the vocals at the end just gives this such a richness. Love it.
River Cross: When the video of Ed's solo performance of this was posted, I didn't make it 20 seconds in. Seriously, no thanks. After less-than-stellar results of solo Ed songs going to the band (I'm looking at you Sleeping By Myself and Speed of Sound), my hopes for this aren't high. But I like what Matt's bringing, and again, the way it's assembled sonically really finds balance between the organ (which can be grating, and probably why the solo version didn't resonate). It brings back some of that 80s feel of DOTC, like a lost Peter Gabriel song from that era. Not my favorite song on the album, but a strong closer and definitely one that I'm going to want to sit with while I read the lyrics.
This album is a high-water mark for this band. My expectations have been completely surpassed. Eddie Vedder is definitely the MVP, followed by Josh Evans behind the board. His sonic contributions are undeniable, and this is, for me, if not the best-sounding Pearl Jam album, then pretty goddamn close. But what also really shines through on this record is the band. Four of the five of them have spent 30 years together making music, and all five have shared 20 of those years. They are loose, they are comfortable, they are in the zone. They are magnificently in step on this album.
I haven't read many of the lyrics yet, but I am a little surprised that the specter of Chris Cornell and his death don't seem to be a big part of this album. Perhaps it was so personal for them that to put it into a Pearl Jam record felt odd, but I think of something like 4/20/02 and am just a little thrown off. Maybe it's in there and I'm just not hearing it yet. Or maybe they felt the best tribute to Chris was to just put their best foot forward in his honor. I can't imagine he wouldn't have enjoyed hearing this.
It's wonderful. Thank you Pearl Jam for keeping the journey interesting after 30 years. Good night RM.
This is the first PJ album maybe ever that I'm actually conscious of not wearing out too quickly. Not even wearing out...I want to take a long time to get to know this album. From the first time I heard the shitty leak I knew this was something different, something special.
I get that we're all different ages and have different life experiences that relate us to this band and their music in different ways. I'm 45...I heard Pearl Jam from the first time Even Flow was played on the local rock station. Your mileage may vary.
I fell in love with this band when Vs. came out...I certainly felt they had the goods from Ten but lots of bands are capable of one good album. I put on Vs. the day it came out on a pair of headphones, just a little over 19 years old, with the thought "OK Pearl Jam, let's see what you got." As the last notes of "Indifference" faded out, I had a new favorite band. I remember feeling such a mixture of excitement and pride at the same time, that a band of people essentially my age (a little older), could create a work of music this good. Now, the first record was no longer an anomaly. With Vs., they proved that they were, indeed, the real deal. I've been here ever since.
So yeah, there's my cred, if you will. I present it more as context, because as I said from the start, I recognize that there were many fans who joined at their own points in not just PJ's catalog, but at unique points in their lives. Because that's music, right? When it hits, you feel no pain.
From my viewpoint as a mid-40s fan with a pretty good sense of my place in rock and roll history and the catalog of this band, and how I have grown and they have grown...I will confirm my early impression of this record: it is among their best pieces of work. If this was their final album, I think it would be as perfect a bookend to 10 as one could want who's been along for the whole ride.
I will attempt a ranking at this point, though this is still very fluid and really based on the time I've spent with each song. It's impossible though because really, every song on this album is fantastic. It really just depends on your mood.
Quick Escape
Seven O'Clock
Comes Then Goes
Who Ever Said
Superblood Wolfmoon
Dance of the Clairvoyants
Never Destination
Alright
Retrograde
River Cross
Take the Long Way
Buckle Up
