Red Mosquito

bada wrote:I *think* Stone does the morse-code part.

It's Mike

I know nothing.

I thought it was stone. I figured it was mike, but it looked like stone when they played it on SNL

regardless, morse code is a great description of what is maybe my favorite bit in the song

As much as I'd like to, I can't give "Avocado" full credit for my flagging faith and declining fandom for Pearl Jam. By the time 2006 rolled around I was burnt out on the band from several years of binge listening, and I was no longer sure if they were my favorite band, but as of yet, nothing had stepped in to fill the void. When live versions of "Crapshoot Rapture" began circulating, I was excited, but couldn't form an opinion due the low quality.

I was also, at this time, getting into a great deal of new-to-me music; Arcade Fire, The Mars Volta, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Sigur Ros, Explosions in the Sky, Radiohead, Oceansize, Broken Social Scene, and many more. Some flings were more fleeting than others, (and several have stayed on as favorites to this day) and this is what the new, impending PJ record was slated to compete against.

I can't remember now if I heard any studio cuts before I downloaded the album (yeah, I never bought this one, or any of the subsequent releases, so far), but I do know that the excitement I had built up through that late winter and early spring was smashed upon listening to the album. It wasn't what I wanted, and it wasn't what I expected. I was never a big fan of PJ's heavier, harder, faster tendencies, and those where in evidence all over this record, save a few choice spots. So, just like that, it was done. There was so much else in music beyond Pearl Jam, and if they couldn't scratch that itch for me, so be it. No, "Avocado" isn't single-handedly responsible for diminishing my enjoyment of this band, but it played it a significant and impossible to ignore part.

I listened to the album a few times on a road trip recently, and it's not changed in my esteem. In fact, I've been waffling for a little while with dumping it below Backspacer in my rankings; I guess I'll wait to LAL that one before deciding. I did notice in those listening sessions, though, that some songs have redeemed themselves a bit (the aforementioned "Comatose," for one), while others have flagged and fallen by the wayside. I'll try to remember to mention which is which when I give individual thoughts.

After blasting Binaural and Riot Act I finally get to listen to an album that I actually really like!

Life Wasted: I have so much to say about this song. I think Pearl Jam has had a lot of pretty good openers through their discography. Once, Go, Last Exit, and Brain of J especially. I also like Sometimes and Can't Keep a lot. This one to me is one of the best ones by far. As a song I think it may be the best one. I dunno. Once and Go are the only two that maybe surpass it to me.

To me Pearl Jam had a certain sound for their first three albums I loved, but then after that they sort of changed, and Binaural and Riot Act especially had a very uninspired drone-y kind of sound to me for the most part. Backspacer was a bit too poppy for my liking, and I was sure I didn't like any modern Pearl Jam. But THIS song to me is what MODERN Pearl Jam should sound like. In a way it's even more classic rock-y than their original stuff, but it has so much energy and life to it, and the riffs while simple crunch away and pack a punch. It feels a lot more dynamic and alive to me than songs like Breakerfall, and sort of reminds me of the Who in a weird way. It just feels crisp, and I like it. It sounds so clear and less messy in a good way. I just wanna nod my head to it and feel the energy.

I think the riff is such a PERFECT way to start this album, and I love how it starts with guitar alone, but then the drums instantly come in before the measure's even over. And then before you know it Eddie's in there too. It wastes no time.

This doesn't sound very much like their other songs. It sounds to me like they just emerged from the murky tunnel of their middle years, and exploded out with a bang. Unfortunately, I do think they took this too far by Backspacer. But for now, this song sounds great.

I dunno if it sounds better with headphones, but listening to it on Spotify, the balance is a little worse than I remember it being. I dunno if there's a better quality version or something. Hm. I don't remember it sounding so thin, either on the radio or on my iPhone. That's pretty weird. Maybe I just remember it differently, but I've listened to it a lot of times before and never thought this, so I dunno what's up.

I really like the vocal melody on this song, it's just cool. The middle slower sections are also very cool, and I like that there's a guitar solo which seemed rarer after the first couple albums. It's not amazing, but its good enough, and satisfying. I dunno, I just really like the chorus of this song, and the crisp chords that make up the main riff, as well as the vocal melody. It just sounds good. So yeah a great song to open the album, and a song that sounds to me like it's bringing us into a new era of Pearl Jam.

World Wide Suicide: To me this song at the beginning sounds like a mix of Whipping and Satan's Bed. But while it's less wild than those songs, and less raw, it's to me just overall much better. I don't know why this song isn't mentioned as one of Pearl Jam's overall best rockers. I've always thought it was.

I think the Pearl Jam rockers have always been best with some groove to them. While this bounciness is a different groove than the one they had on Ten and Vs., it also works much better than the rockers in their mid years, besides Save You which also had that going for it. I think the section before the chorus with the guitar and vocals is one of the coolest musical moments in the entire catalog. This has one of my favorite guitar parts in general in their catalog, the guitars sound awesome.

Somehow the mixing is terrible on Spotify. Im not sure why because on the radio it is definitely not this bad, nor on my iPhone. Same as before. The mix sounds so thin here, with the guitars way too far in the background, and Eddie too loud. I don't remember ever hearing it this way before, so either my ears have never worked or Im just really confused or something. I dunno. I know people talk about the mixing of this album a lot, but I've never had a problem with it until right now so I dunno waht's up with that.

Anyways this is just a cool energetic crunchy rocker and its pretty great. A highlight of the album, and a great direction for the band, they seem completely re-energized and made over

so far I love you. don't fuck this up

WWS to me is one of the bigger letdowns they have. They probably have worse choruses, but the verse and pre-chorus do such a good job of building momentum that it feels like they've fallen right into a crater at the chorus.

Comatose: They've done many songs like this, Spin the Black Circle being the closest one...but I once again think that they pull it off better here. I dunno why really. It feels less forced somehow. I don't think it's necessarily a better song, I just think they pull off the style better. I just really love the arrangements on this album, a lot of cool crunchy guitar stuff and simple but effective riffs. I love the punch of the guitars...and well, everything I guess. Feels like they're just punching along at rapid speed.

I think the intro of the song with the chords, and then the way everything cuts out besides Eddie and a guitar (dunno whose) only to punch back in is awesome.

I also really like the wild vocals on the verses and the vocals on the chorus which are sort of quirky in a "fun" way if that makes sense. I dunno why that's a good thing but it just works. The song doesn't overstay it's welcome, and has cool guitar interludes and a cool solo. Also a really great bridge that suspends forever before resolving into a really quick solo. I wouldn't say it's an A plus song or anything, but I just think they pull it off well. The first three songs in general on this album are really really great, and like I said, really sound like a new direction for the band which is better than the one they had before, and while not better than their original sound, different in a good way that I think they could have sustained.

Severed Hand: I'll fully admit that I don't pay as much attention to lyrics in songs unless they're really good or really bad. Like I've said before, the lyrics of Black, Elderly Woman, and Corduroy absolutely put those songs over the top and make them 11/10, but I am mostly listening for how the song sounds before all else.

I think I've heard this one has good lyrics, but I've never paid much attention to them personally, and they don't jump out at me, so I'd have to look them up.

I like the intro, although I often forget what song is coming on when I hear it.

I don't like that this song sounds so similar to Porch. I dunno, I think it's maybe because the last two songs in my opinion had some elements that did remind me of other songs even if in minor ways, and now reminding me of Porch pretty directly is kind of taking me out of it. Not that this song is similar to Porch, it just has a similar main guitar riff.

I do think that the verses sound pretty good, but the "Porch-esque" part is my least favorite part of the song. I like the other parts of it...I don't know how to describe the structure that well, but my favorite part is when Eddie is singing " I've no fear but for falling down." I dunno if that's the pre-chorus or the chorus or what...but whatever it is I love how it rises. Very cool. Compared to the rockers on the previous couple albums, this feels so much cleaner, and yet more interesting at the same time, and leaves more pauses and interesting space in the music and arrangement.

This song grew on me a lot, I didn't used to like it, and still don't love it. But it grew on me. And man, the ending just comes out of nowhere. McCready gets showcased...and I think the ending solo saves this song a lot.

Marker in the Sand: I think the album loses a bit of momentum here for a reason I don't really know. But at the same time I think this song is better than it has any right being. I don't like the chorus very much at all, but the verse is pretty frickin catchy. I love the guitar riff especially when the chorus transitions into it. I wish the drums hit a bit harder here, but I always find myself moving to that part. It doesn't really help the song all that much, because it feels like there isn't very much to it.

Oh the drums do hit harder at the end...I forgot that. Cool, yeah that sounds pretty nice.

Basically I like every part where the guitar is doing that cool syncopated (I think, Im not great on terminology) riff including when Eddie sings with it, and I don't really like all the rest of the parts of the song. But I don't really dislike it, it just doesn't leave much of an impression. In the terms of the album it works ok, but as a song by itself I can't really see anybody really liking it or picking it out to listen to it.

Parachutes: I love this song.

Yeah, I dunno. Ive always been a fan of the softer songs, and this one sounds different from any ones they've done before. I love that slow laid-back bouncy guitar with the stress on the off beats. I love how the song keeps transitioning, and floating from chord to chord, rising and falling, with no real structure. It's like drifting down a river or something. Or floating down on a parachute? I dunno, again, I don't really know what he's singing about but I just know it sounds great.

I love so much of this song. It doesn't do what you expect it to ever, and it creates a dream-like quality or something. Very relaxing or something. For example after they complete the first part, there's a long pause....then JUST the guitar comes in, back to that simple bouncy part, which is unexpected, and then Eddie comes in pretty much right away just when you think youre going to get a couple bars of instrumental. My favorite part is definitely the whole "IIii don't NEEEEEeeeed nothing else cause when I---" part. What a cool melody. One of the best songs they made, and one of the most underrated I think

Unemployable: Some cool drums to start this off. Actually cool drums through the whole song. I really like the spaces at the beginning of the measures, and I like the harmonies. But overall I don't really see much in this song. It's not unpleasant or anything, or outright bad, it's just nothing special. With the one exception I like the "OH OH OH OH" part. Not enough to make the song very great or anything, but it is a nice moment in the song. But then that's really all there is to it.

Big Wave: I remember not liking this song like at all. Like I remember thinking it was pretty bad.

But right now I really don't dislike it. I think it's the guitar once again that I like. Both the solo and the energetic chords. But like Unemployable it seems sorta inconsequential to me.

So far this album hasn't had any song I've DISLIKED. It's had songs I thought were merely ok, but nothing that I actively disliked. That's a good sign.

It is a pleasure to read your posts, mikejasond

Gone: I think this is a song that a lot of people don't like.

I know that a lot of people don't like the "Gas in my tank feels like money in the bank" line. I agree it sticks out a bit, but it doesn't influence me too heavily.

I honestly do like this song a lot. It reminds me of In hiding, with the more reserved verses, leading up to a soaring chorus.

I don't like the pre-chorus much since it seems a bit harsh, and a little unpleasant to listen to, because of Eddie, but it resolves nicely into the chorus, which I do like.

I think the chorus does make the song, because I do think Eddie sounds pretty great on it. And it's just got a great soaring melody. When Eddie sings stuff like that he really gets you. This sounds to me like a song they could have done in the past, and maybe would have been better. But I like it. Funnily enough, I used to think for the longest time Eddie was singing "Im goone, so gooone, this time I aaaam Goo-eee-ay-ooooooone" as in a weird Vedder-fied version of the word "Gone." It wasn't until much later that I realized that those are words. ("This time Im letting go of it all"). Honestly I think it sounds less like that than it does the word "Gone" and I liked it better when it was the word "Gone." lol...I don't know why. I just liked that part. Oh well.

Wasted Reprise: Is this song really necessary? Not really, but it's fine. If anything the only problem I have with it is it makes me think I've come full circle and am approaching the end of the album. But I'm really not just yet, since there's still 3 more songs. I dunno why Pearl Jam always does stuff like this at the end of their albums. The end of No Code was really strange too, and threw off the pacing a bit to me. I would like this if it was signifying that the album was almost over. The transition into Army Reserve is so strange to me. If the end of the album was Wasted Reprise - Come Back - Inside Job, or even maybe Come Back - Wasted Reprise - Inside Job, then I'd be like yeah, cool I like that...a slower version of the opener, it sounds cool and brings the album full circle. But going into Army Reserve is just a bit weird to me. I dunno...the transition just feels a little wrong somehow.

In general I do like this though, and I think it ended up being used to great effect live as an intro to Life Wasted, and as background to his speech at the start of an encore. So they definitely got use out of this, which they can't say for many of their 'filler' tracks. Anyways, yeah, I think this overall is pretty cool. Just like usual, I think the end of the album was strangely constructed.

If nothing is everything, mikejasond will have it all.

Army Reserve: As I said before, I think this throws off the pacing of the end of the album. It also tips the scale in terms of inconsequential songs on the album just a little bit heavily. I think in general you want the number of those songs to be significantly less than the really standout ones. And there's not much special about this song. Unemployable and Big Wave were sort of like this, and while I think Gone was good, this comes pretty quickly after those other two. The chorus is pretty cool, and it does sort of sound like it belongs towards the end of an album, but it just doesn't fit because they already have Come Back and Inside Job to do that and they don't need it. I honestly think this song could have been cut completely. It's again, not bad though. Just not really good.