Red Mosquito

theplatypus wrote:

southp wrote:

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

Nice review. I appreciated the long tangent into the golden era of No Code.
I would only challenge you on the "depth and nuance" that you feel is lacking on MYM compared to their other rockers from 1994-2005. It's obviously a subjective thing, but there's a quality in Ed's voice, and also something interesting with the multiple melodic/chorus parts that make MYM a step apart, and a slight departure.

No, it's not "In My Tree II: On a Higher Branch", but for those of us who love the band because of those years of "fist-pumping, flannel-clad and self-loathing" this song still brings something new enough and certainly on par or better than a lot of songs in the catalog.

Thanks! Fucking love No Code.

This is a fair point and I'll elaborate on this further when I'm not hurrying out to go to work. I guess briefly, to me, even their brawniest early rockers had more of an intensity and character to them, be it in the arrangement-- like those final arpeggiated notes in "Hail Hail" and the winding-down drum part letting the air out of such an oppressive, claustrophobic song, or Stone's great counterpoints in "Gods Dice"-- or in the songwriting itself, that elevates them. To my ears, though a good rockin' track, "MYM" is all direct and straightforward, with very little in the way of detail. There's some of it, like the quieter palm-mute near the end that mirrors the intro, but for the most part there's not a lot to discover. Which is great for what the song is trying to be, by the way.

bodysnatcher wrote:what the hell is that first sentence?

darthvedder81 wrote:I honestly have no idea what the song is about. I hear vague allusions to religion but without official lyrics I have no idea what Ed is saying here. I still think his anger sounds forced and not purposefully sarcastic. I think a lot of people are putting their own sociopolitical spin on it but I don't hear a strong central message. The song just feels overstuffed with words to me without a clear target.

southp wrote:"Try my patience...My patience tried"

Would you guys say that line is more suitable for an "Eddie head shake" or a classic "Eyes rolling back in the head"?

tacvbo wrote:

southp wrote:"Try my patience...My patience tried"

Would you guys say that line is more suitable for an "Eddie head shake" or a classic "Eyes rolling back in the head"?

eye roll definitely!

Angus wrote:So, after forcing myself to give this 5 listens the last couple of days, I think I like the Fixer more. I'm wondering if I'm being too critical just because it's Pearl Jam. Strange feeling.

Pearl Jam release surprise new single ‘Mind Your Manners’ that doesn’t suck

If you had told me last night that Pearl Jam were to sneakily release a new single, I would not have believed you. If you had told me, then, that they would be releasing a song that sounds like the Dead Kennedys, I would still not have believed you.

The big surprise here is Eddie Vedder, who sounds, oh, I don’t know, so aliiiiiiiiiiive. The song comes entirely out of left field and shockingly the whole thing works in a kind of late-period-Incubus-covering-Dead-Kennedys sort of way.

“Alternative rock” seems to have gone completely the way of the dinosaur and for good reason; nobody wants to hear about the plight of white dudes with electric guitars anymore whining about their love lives (at least for the time-being), so white dudes had to get angrier to make it more interesting. Which is good for Pearl Jam in 2013 as “Mind Your Manners” somehow makes it all work… it’s angry and weird and interesting enough for it to be special.

LetMeSleep wrote:Or maybe some openly dislike the track and are trying discover why there is almost unwavering love for it. It's confusing to me.

harmless wrote:

LetMeSleep wrote:Or maybe some openly dislike the track and are trying discover why there is almost unwavering love for it. It's confusing to me.

People are totally entitled to their hatred for this song, but don't pin it on ridiculous reasons like not knowing what this song is about, yanno? Anyone who has any experience of dogmatic religion and dogmatic religious people should have a sense of what this song is targeting. I mean, I'm not even American and it's relatable to middle-class religious England.