Song of the Moment: Mind Your Manners

[Kevin Davis]

I can't wait for the Pearl Jam Porn Parody album.

Real talk: I had a dream last night where 10C implemented a "Mind Your Manners" parody contest, and McParadigm won with a song about "Full House" called "Mind Your Tanners." Then stip wrote a review of it. I'm not making this up.

[MemoFromTurner]

Alright, guys, here it is. My review of "Mind Your Manners", for those who were asking about it.

It takes the song as a starting point for a longer analysis of the band's career as a whole. It doesn't look like many of you will agree with me.

Great read. In My Tree is my favorite also. I consider Vitalogy through No Code the summit of Pearl Jam's career. I don't however follow the same path of perception as you after No Code. Yield is a tug between the experimental detour of No Code and a panicked return to rock middle ground. It suffers from this confused dynamic. At the time it hurt my feelings that Pearl Jam wasn't on top of the heap anymore. I desired a popular audience to follow PJ's every idiosyncratic whim the way the Beatles could make left turns into Norwegian Wood and Tomorrow Never Knows and and the mainstream would embrace these explorations. Only in retrospect can I say proudly that if a large audience doesn't get Sometimes, Hail Hail, and In My Tree: fuck em. My expectations needed to grow up. Binaural and Riot Act should have been the high points of the band's career. They clearly had stopped caring about writing for the masses or were so far from the mainstream it didn't matter. But their journey into the hinterland of irrelevance seemed also to sap them of their vitality. Apparently an audience to Pearl Jam is hair to Samson. I loved much of the music during Binaural - Riot Act but even I recognized, and missed to an extent, the visceral charge of their earlier work and the electricity of them being the it band.

From your essay, and from what other fans have pointed out, Pearl Jam is navigating a difficult path. For us all to be happy Pearl Jam must deliver the immediacy of Ten and Vs—which they tried with middling success to recapture on ST—while also branching out artistically for the "true fans" who desire the offbeat adventures of the middle phase of legitimate artistic expression. ST is less than the sum of its parts because strong melodies and riffs go down heavily without any novel flourishes (not to mention uninspired lyrical content). I am more forgiving of Backspacer because even if it moved away from what so many want from this band it was almost a success on its own terms. Backspacer is so short it could not afford to have any duds. It has duds.

I don't think Mind Your Manners portends anything good or bad about the next album. A punk mint can fit pretty nicely in any kind of Pearl Jam record. It's not the boundary pusher that some fans would want but whatevz, I wouldn't have expected twelve surprises. I realize nobody tells Mike anything but he promised Pink Floyd. A sonic soundscape sounds just about right.

[McParadigm]

I can't wait for the Pearl Jam Porn Parody album.

Real talk: I had a dream last night where 10C implemented a "Mind Your Manners" parody contest, and McParadigm won with a song about "Full House" called "Mind Your Tanners." Then stip wrote a review of it. I'm not making this up.

Goddamn, I want to read that review.

[malice]

I can't wait for the Pearl Jam Porn Parody album.

Real talk: I had a dream last night where 10C implemented a "Mind Your Manners" parody contest, and McParadigm won with a song about "Full House" called "Mind Your Tanners." Then stip wrote a review of it. I'm not making this up.

Goddamn, I want to read that review.

and the follow-up SOTM thread discussing its relevance in modern day american politics, as well as at what point during his daughter's bedtime rituals it will normally be played? (I'm hoping right after bath time and just before story time)

[BurtReynolds]

I'm a little more on board with the "Rawk" Pearl Jam, in part because I don't think its a bad word (I'm someone who thinks The Sword is one of the best bands of the last decade) and in part because I think they can actually pull it off. Well, not that much faith. My faith reserve with this band is dangerously low. After ST and the pitiful mid tempo songs like Amongst the Waves, I'm not so sure anymore. But MYM sounds a little more in their range, even if it might be hobbled a little by their new found desire to please.

They've always been dabblers. They have always been more than willing to tweak their sound, which has lead to some great places. I have no problem calling this band experimental. But they've moved so far and so fast away from their core strengths that they've been copying without understanding at this point, and don't seem willing to to do the work necessary to learn the why, just the how. It makes them sound like amateurs many times, especially recently.

I think moving back a little could help them consolidate these new experiments into their core. People always seem terrified of them repeating something, but iterating isn't a bad thing.

[darthvedder81]

That's a great review of MYM. I still don't like the song at all but I thought his assessment of it and the band as a whole was spot on. I thought it was a little harsh on the S/T though. There's a lot more of experimenting PJ going on there than with Backspacer . Overall I like every album the band has released so some of the criticisms are lost on me. I do worry sometimes that the more recent media exposure has taken something away from my love of the band. Back in the late 90's to early 00's they were so elusive that anytime you heard an inkling of an a interview or appearance of some kind it was such a big deal. Now that the band is with the times embracing social media it's taken away a lot of the mystery.

[harmless]

That's a great review of MYM. I still don't like the song at all but I thought his assessment of it and the band as a whole was spot on. I thought it was a little harsh on the S/T though. There's a lot more of experimenting PJ going on there than with Backspacer . Overall I like every album the band has released so some of the criticisms are lost on me. I do worry sometimes that the more recent media exposure has taken something away from my love of the band. Back in the late 90's to early 00's they were so elusive that anytime you heard an inkling of an a interview or appearance of some kind it was such a big deal. Now that the band is with the times embracing social media it's taken away a lot of the mystery.

Maybe you can take comfort in the fact that they do this terribly?

[dimejinky99]

So MYM has over a million views on YouTube?

Is there anyway to find out numbers for LB preorder sales? And MYM iTunes downloads?

[BurtReynolds]

That's a great review of MYM. I still don't like the song at all but I thought his assessment of it and the band as a whole was spot on. I thought it was a little harsh on the S/T though. There's a lot more of experimenting PJ going on there than with Backspacer . Overall I like every album the band has released so some of the criticisms are lost on me. I do worry sometimes that the more recent media exposure has taken something away from my love of the band. Back in the late 90's to early 00's they were so elusive that anytime you heard an inkling of an a interview or appearance of some kind it was such a big deal. Now that the band is with the times embracing social media it's taken away a lot of the mystery.

Maybe you can take comfort in the fact that they do this terribly?

so true.

[Walker Bait]

So MYM has over a million views on YouTube?

Is there anyway to find out numbers for LB preorder sales? And MYM iTunes downloads?

I would be VERY interested in this. Supposedly it's climbing the radio charts as well...

[BurtReynolds]

seems like it would do well on the alt rock stations.

[dimejinky99]

We're a tiny market here bit huge in terms of per capita numbers and MYM is doing really well on radio. 3 million people here listen to the radio everyday. That's 3 out of 4 million of the whole population. And happily Pj are doing well.

[Walker Bait]

seems like it would do well on the alt rock stations.

My local "rock" station here, 99.5 KISS hasn't played a "new" Pearl Jam song since Brother. And before that WWS. They refused to play anything off Backspacer and now will not play MMY. I hate them. lol And they're the only rock station in San Antonio, other than the classic rock station which plays more Pearl Jam than KISS. lol Fuck I'm old.

[dimejinky99]

seems like it would do well on the alt rock stations.

My local "rock" station here, 99.5 KISS hasn't played a "new" Pearl Jam song since Brother. And before that WWS. They refused to play anything off Backspacer and now will not play MMY. I hate them. lol And they're the only rock station in San Antonio, other than the classic rock station which plays more Pearl Jam than KISS. lol Fuck I'm old.

Is it because of the religious commentary?

[@SkitchP]

That's a great review of MYM. I still don't like the song at all but I thought his assessment of it and the band as a whole was spot on. I thought it was a little harsh on the S/T though. There's a lot more of experimenting PJ going on there than with Backspacer . Overall I like every album the band has released so some of the criticisms are lost on me. I do worry sometimes that the more recent media exposure has taken something away from my love of the band. Back in the late 90's to early 00's they were so elusive that anytime you heard an inkling of an a interview or appearance of some kind it was such a big deal. Now that the band is with the times embracing social media it's taken away a lot of the mystery.

Maybe you can take comfort in the fact that they do this terribly?

so true.

Yeah, just because mike gets on twitter occasionally to pimp a crohns charity, or post a studio picture doesn't mean they've "embraced" social media. They are all terrible to follow on twitter because they add absolutely nothing. They don't seem to interact at all.

[Walker Bait]

seems like it would do well on the alt rock stations.

My local "rock" station here, 99.5 KISS hasn't played a "new" Pearl Jam song since Brother. And before that WWS. They refused to play anything off Backspacer and now will not play MMY. I hate them. lol And they're the only rock station in San Antonio, other than the classic rock station which plays more Pearl Jam than KISS. lol Fuck I'm old.

Is it because of the religious commentary?

No it's becuase they think that People here don't want to hear new music. I actually got an email to day from one of the djs....here it is..


Hey Charles--

Right now, here at KISS, we don't play brand new current songs. It has to be certfied a "hit" before we can add it. I know, it sucks, but that's what is working for us here in San Antonio. We used to add new stuff all the time, but our listeners were not sticking around to listen. Ratings took a dive, so we had to stop. I'm hoping things change, but for now "the powers that be" prefer we stick to songs that are proven to he a huge hit. Here's the link to the Rock Report page where I've posted the song.

They play mostly Papa Roach, Disturbed, Theory of a Deadman...blah blah blah...

[dimejinky99]

Yeah. I'd find a new station. Get onto the Internet or use digital radio.

[McParadigm]

seems like it would do well on the alt rock stations.

My local "rock" station here, 99.5 KISS hasn't played a "new" Pearl Jam song since Brother. And before that WWS. They refused to play anything off Backspacer and now will not play MMY. I hate them. lol And they're the only rock station in San Antonio, other than the classic rock station which plays more Pearl Jam than KISS. lol Fuck I'm old.

You never know what will happen. KTBZ in Houston and KLAQ in El Paso are two of the singles biggest pushers right now. Maybe if it gains enough traction nationwide it'll end up bleeding over.

[Walker Bait]

Yeah. I'd find a new station. Get onto the Internet or use digital radio.

Oh yeah, one step ahead of ya. I got XM radio recently and listen to a lot of Slacker and Pandora. I was just trying to promote MYM locally and see if they'd actually play it. You'd be amazed at how many people here locally ONLY listen to regular local radio. It's sad really, they don't get any exposure to new music and it's a reeeeaaal possibilityyyy that they never will on this station.

[Thejambi]

I listen to maybe 15 minutes of radio a day. 10 of that consists of at least one ac/dc, metallica and early RHCP song a day.