Red Mosquito

TTLW remains at the bottom of Gigaton for me, which is basically where its been since it came out. I dont like the vocal melody(verses esp) and really dislike the lyrics. the riff is just okay, and jeff’s bass is missed. bacong vocals are really cool, solo is great, amd outro is pretty good.

its not a song i dislike, and i wont skip it, but i dont thinkive ever sought it out.

never destination was really good live, and I enjoy it quite a bit on gigaton

Running - ND - TTLW

if i had to pick, and i'm not a fan of either, never destination would do it over take the long way.

Running: Such a delight.

With the exception of "Dance of the Clairvoyants," I think "Take the Long Way" is my favorite song on Gigaton. I just love Matt's whole approach to songwriting and always have, ever since "Evacuation" and WWC, and I think "TTLW" fits right in the pocket. "Never Destination" is a little further down the ranking chain but I still like it better than about half of the record.

TTLW could be twins with Big wave for me.. they're from the same catch certainly.

Kevin Davis wrote:With the exception of "Dance of the Clairvoyants," I think "Take the Long Way" is my favorite song on Gigaton. I just love Matt's whole approach to songwriting and always have, ever since "Evacuation" and WWC, and I think "TTLW" fits right in the pocket. "Never Destination" is a little further down the ranking chain but I still like it better than about half of the record.

Ditto on DOC and TTLW.
Maybe "Never Destination" could've been cut a bit shorter and be a better song for it. Maybe.
But for an album packed with solid lyrics, ND has arguably the best closing line:
So I say 'til then, never say goodbye. A little trick I play on my mind.
And I love ND for that.

This is the best song on this record.

Kevin Davis wrote:With the exception of "Dance of the Clairvoyants," I think "Take the Long Way" is my favorite song on Gigaton. I just love Matt's whole approach to songwriting and always have, ever since "Evacuation" and WWC, and I think "TTLW" fits right in the pocket. "Never Destination" is a little further down the ranking chain but I still like it better than about half of the record.

sell me on matt’s approach on ttlw. i like it ok (the bottom moments of gigaton are still pretty good), but its definitely the song that speaks to me the least

stip wrote:

Kevin Davis wrote:With the exception of "Dance of the Clairvoyants," I think "Take the Long Way" is my favorite song on Gigaton. I just love Matt's whole approach to songwriting and always have, ever since "Evacuation" and WWC, and I think "TTLW" fits right in the pocket. "Never Destination" is a little further down the ranking chain but I still like it better than about half of the record.

sell me on matt’s approach on ttlw. i like it ok (the bottom moments of gigaton are still pretty good), but its definitely the song that speaks to me the least

I think we tend to differ on Matt's writing for PJ in general, so I am not sure that this will really feel like a sale, but I like Matt's cerebral, calculated approach to composition, specifically as it stands in contrast to Eddie's more open-ended, feelings-first style (not to say that Matt is soulless and Eddie brainless, just that that's where their songs tend to grow from; I would say Stone and Jeff's songs land somewhere in between, at various points on a spectrum). "TTLW" has a lot of different miniature pieces that all appear in a short period of time -- there is the intro/verse ("you got me through these feelings"), then there is a little instrumental break that follows, then there is the pre-chorus ("I'll break through these feelings" -- this contains arguably my favorite part of the whole song, that little Soundgarden-y note-bend that sounds a bit like a siren, an effect not dissimilar to the one in the chorus of "Say It Ain't So" by Weezer), and then the chorus. I think Matt is an underrated chorus-writer -- he writes these really economical things that always get stuck in my head in sneaky ways (this song, "Get Right," "In the Moonlight"), and they all have this weird sensitivity to them that I can't quite put my finger on. Then finally it has that great grungy outro, which is the kind of thing I wish PJ did more of in general.

Cameron as a writer brings to Pearl Jam some of the musical elements of the Seattle sound that they never really embodied naturally, despite their closeness to so many of those bands and their visibility among that group of artists. Musically it's kind of dark and dingy, but Matt, who seems like a good dude and not an especially dark personality, brings some kind flavors to it -- "Take the Long Way" being a good example, essentially seeming (to me anyway) like a fairly straightforward love song, wrapped in this highly economical punky, grungy mini-suite.

Kevin Davis wrote:

stip wrote:

Kevin Davis wrote:With the exception of "Dance of the Clairvoyants," I think "Take the Long Way" is my favorite song on Gigaton. I just love Matt's whole approach to songwriting and always have, ever since "Evacuation" and WWC, and I think "TTLW" fits right in the pocket. "Never Destination" is a little further down the ranking chain but I still like it better than about half of the record.

sell me on matt’s approach on ttlw. i like it ok (the bottom moments of gigaton are still pretty good), but its definitely the song that speaks to me the least

I think we tend to differ on Matt's writing for PJ in general, so I am not sure that this will really feel like a sale, but I like Matt's cerebral, calculated approach to composition, specifically as it stands in contrast to Eddie's more open-ended, feelings-first style (not to say that Matt is soulless and Eddie brainless, just that that's where their songs tend to grow from; I would say Stone and Jeff's songs land somewhere in between, at various points on a spectrum). "TTLW" has a lot of different miniature pieces that all appear in a short period of time -- there is the intro/verse ("you got me through these feelings"), then there is a little instrumental break that follows, then there is the pre-chorus ("I'll break through these feelings" -- this contains arguably my favorite part of the whole song, that little Soundgarden-y note-bend that sounds a bit like a siren, an effect not dissimilar to the one in the chorus of "Say It Ain't So" by Weezer), and then the chorus. I think Matt is an underrated chorus-writer -- he writes these really economical things that always get stuck in my head in sneaky ways (this song, "Get Right," "In the Moonlight"), and they all have this weird sensitivity to them that I can't quite put my finger on. Then finally it has that great grungy outro, which is the kind of thing I wish PJ did more of in general.

Cameron as a writer brings to Pearl Jam some of the musical elements of the Seattle sound that they never really embodied naturally, despite their closeness to so many of those bands and their visibility among that group of artists. Musically it's kind of dark and dingy, but Matt, who seems like a good dude and not an especially dark personality, brings some kind flavors to it -- "Take the Long Way" being a good example, essentially seeming (to me anyway) like a fairly straightforward love song, wrapped in this highly economical punky, grungy mini-suite.

great post

I'm guessing there is a TTLW demo out there with matts vocals, and ed was faithfully trying to replicate his delivery and phrasing, rather than a reinterpretation. A bit like get right, the results are odd, but they are highlights of the albums for me.

In regards to lyrics, I'm not reviewing or reading them left to right like a book. As long as the words create some kind of imagery or feeling and not sitting too high in the mix i'm good.

I find the lyrics on cavedweller to be just as serviceable as anything on a PRAMG PJ album

(happy to be off topic in this instance lol )

dimejinky99 wrote:This is the best song on this record.

I neither agree nor disagree, and infinite cheers to anyone who knows exactly what I mean.

I love love love this song.

its extremely loveable

Kevin Davis wrote:

stip wrote:

Kevin Davis wrote:With the exception of "Dance of the Clairvoyants," I think "Take the Long Way" is my favorite song on Gigaton. I just love Matt's whole approach to songwriting and always have, ever since "Evacuation" and WWC, and I think "TTLW" fits right in the pocket. "Never Destination" is a little further down the ranking chain but I still like it better than about half of the record.

sell me on matt’s approach on ttlw. i like it ok (the bottom moments of gigaton are still pretty good), but its definitely the song that speaks to me the least

I think we tend to differ on Matt's writing for PJ in general, so I am not sure that this will really feel like a sale, but I like Matt's cerebral, calculated approach to composition, specifically as it stands in contrast to Eddie's more open-ended, feelings-first style (not to say that Matt is soulless and Eddie brainless, just that that's where their songs tend to grow from; I would say Stone and Jeff's songs land somewhere in between, at various points on a spectrum). "TTLW" has a lot of different miniature pieces that all appear in a short period of time -- there is the intro/verse ("you got me through these feelings"), then there is a little instrumental break that follows, then there is the pre-chorus ("I'll break through these feelings" -- this contains arguably my favorite part of the whole song, that little Soundgarden-y note-bend that sounds a bit like a siren, an effect not dissimilar to the one in the chorus of "Say It Ain't So" by Weezer), and then the chorus. I think Matt is an underrated chorus-writer -- he writes these really economical things that always get stuck in my head in sneaky ways (this song, "Get Right," "In the Moonlight"), and they all have this weird sensitivity to them that I can't quite put my finger on. Then finally it has that great grungy outro, which is the kind of thing I wish PJ did more of in general.

Cameron as a writer brings to Pearl Jam some of the musical elements of the Seattle sound that they never really embodied naturally, despite their closeness to so many of those bands and their visibility among that group of artists. Musically it's kind of dark and dingy, but Matt, who seems like a good dude and not an especially dark personality, brings some kind flavors to it -- "Take the Long Way" being a good example, essentially seeming (to me anyway) like a fairly straightforward love song, wrapped in this highly economical punky, grungy mini-suite.

thanks i dont enjoy matt as a lyricist which is a block for me but he does write really earwormy choruses in a good way. i dont credit him enough for that.

I always read TTLW as a song with darker, grasping undercurrents. it is posessive in a vaguely uncomfortable way - at least to me. which is interesting to me. i just dont think its fully executed

Kevin Davis wrote:

stip wrote:

Kevin Davis wrote:With the exception of "Dance of the Clairvoyants," I think "Take the Long Way" is my favorite song on Gigaton. I just love Matt's whole approach to songwriting and always have, ever since "Evacuation" and WWC, and I think "TTLW" fits right in the pocket. "Never Destination" is a little further down the ranking chain but I still like it better than about half of the record.

sell me on matt’s approach on ttlw. i like it ok (the bottom moments of gigaton are still pretty good), but its definitely the song that speaks to me the least

I think we tend to differ on Matt's writing for PJ in general, so I am not sure that this will really feel like a sale, but I like Matt's cerebral, calculated approach to composition, specifically as it stands in contrast to Eddie's more open-ended, feelings-first style (not to say that Matt is soulless and Eddie brainless, just that that's where their songs tend to grow from; I would say Stone and Jeff's songs land somewhere in between, at various points on a spectrum). "TTLW" has a lot of different miniature pieces that all appear in a short period of time -- there is the intro/verse ("you got me through these feelings"), then there is a little instrumental break that follows, then there is the pre-chorus ("I'll break through these feelings" -- this contains arguably my favorite part of the whole song, that little Soundgarden-y note-bend that sounds a bit like a siren, an effect not dissimilar to the one in the chorus of "Say It Ain't So" by Weezer), and then the chorus. I think Matt is an underrated chorus-writer -- he writes these really economical things that always get stuck in my head in sneaky ways (this song, "Get Right," "In the Moonlight"), and they all have this weird sensitivity to them that I can't quite put my finger on. Then finally it has that great grungy outro, which is the kind of thing I wish PJ did more of in general.

Cameron as a writer brings to Pearl Jam some of the musical elements of the Seattle sound that they never really embodied naturally, despite their closeness to so many of those bands and their visibility among that group of artists. Musically it's kind of dark and dingy, but Matt, who seems like a good dude and not an especially dark personality, brings some kind flavors to it -- "Take the Long Way" being a good example, essentially seeming (to me anyway) like a fairly straightforward love song, wrapped in this highly economical punky, grungy mini-suite.

Matt's writing is largely influenced by 60's garage/psych, Prog Rock and jazz with a deep understanding of meter and polyrhythms. While the others are pretty much straight-ahead classic rock and singer-songwriter, stadium ready type stuff. They all have their moments, but Eddie is probably the most bland writer in the band while Matt is the most advanced. It makes for diverse and interesting albums (when they can be bothered to include Matt's stuff or Jeff's similar material) which is a good thing (when it happens), but of course it repulses listeners who want the same from track to track or another Ten, which is most people (not to pick on Stip). And Stone is also in a class of his own but seems to have given way to Eddie's muse.

Bumping this to 5 stars.

there are days im tempted

dimejinky99 wrote:This is the best song on this record.

Lately I've been thinking this might be true. I keep coming back to this video

This live performance makes me like the song much more. I will say that.

Yea that video's great.