Song of the Moment: Pendulum

[Norah]

All of those things that McParadigm said are what I refer to as the intangibles. Only because I have a very hard time finding the words to describe the small things in music and sound that really get me off.

[McParadigm]

I just use sex as a standby reference point for whenever I get lost trying to explain it

[harmless]

All of those things that McParadigm said are what I refer to as the intangibles. Only because I have a very hard time finding the words to describe the small things in music and sound that really get me off.

Midi-chlorians.

[McParadigm]

All of those things that McParadigm said are what I refer to as the intangibles. Only because I have a very hard time finding the words to describe the small things in music and sound that really get me off.

Midi-chlorians.

[Thejambi]

All of those things that McParadigm said are what I refer to as the intangibles. Only because I have a very hard time finding the words to describe the small things in music and sound that really get me off.

Midi-chlorians.

but

[harmless]

This song might've been a b-side way back in the day. But now? God, I'm so glad to have something of this style on a PJ album. Really good song.

[stupidmop]

I wish the bass didn't drop out for a while during/after 'nothing works for me anymore'. That dum dum dum dum whatever that jeffs playing before that might be my favourite part of the song. It comes back at the end though.

And wow someone mentioned it before, but that fade after 'my shadow left me long ago' is weird. Everything under that guitar echo drops to completely nothing real fast.

[sward]

I wish the bass didn't drop out for a while during/after 'nothing works for me anymore'. That dum dum dum dum whatever that jeffs playing before that might be my favourite part of the song. It comes back at the end though.

And wow someone mentioned it before, but that fade after 'my shadow left me long ago' is weird. Everything under that guitar echo drops to completely nothing real fast.

Overall an awesome song and the bass-line you are referring to is a highlight. This is probably the first album for me, by any artist, where I am fascinated with what is going on with the bass in general. Definitely an Ament highlight album.

[WaitingForBluey]

"I'm in the fire but I'm still cold..."

[darth_vedder]

Thanks chud and McParadigm.

[harmless]

I wish the bass didn't drop out for a while during/after 'nothing works for me anymore'. That dum dum dum dum whatever that jeffs playing before that might be my favourite part of the song. It comes back at the end though.

And wow someone mentioned it before, but that fade after 'my shadow left me long ago' is weird. Everything under that guitar echo drops to completely nothing real fast.

Yeah, I noticed this, but it wasn't cut, it was a natural stop. You can hear Matt stop on a floor tom.

[darth_vedder]

I wish this song was a bit longer. It leaves me wanting more, just like Rival.

[numbers]

I wish this song was a bit longer. It leaves me wanting more, just like Rival.

I feel like this could have used another verse.

[Okonkwo]

This song needs a little Jack Irons on it.

[Birds in Hell]

And wow someone mentioned it before, but that fade after 'my shadow left me long ago' is weird. Everything under that guitar echo drops to completely nothing real fast.

Yeah, one of the other things I don't really like about the production on the song. Though I've made this comment about other songs too, it applies equally here - I want to hear the room on this one, not a bunch of isolated and discreet parts layered on top of one another, existing in their own space.

It's not as though I don't think there's a place for records that sound nothing like a bunch of musicians playing a song in a room, I just think that's where this band's strengths lie.

I've really enjoyed what I've heard of the live versions of this song on YouTube, I wish they'd managed to work that seem feel into the studio recording (cue "that's what young people do").

[VinylGuy]

Love this one...not only the song, but how it sounds...that eerie intro, the bass..ed too.

[AndySlash]

i'm finally starting to wade through the song threads after waiting to listen to the album until release day. pendulum was the first song i wanted to read about. i'm glad to see so many people think this is one of if not the strongest track on a varied record. with 'of the girl' being my favorite pearl jam song (a hearty "wtf, dude???" to whoever was dissing it earlier), i'd have loved to be at the pittsburgh show for that 1-2 punch.

the production of 'Pendulum' is impeccable.
O'Brien did good here.

someone else earlier in the thread mentioned o'brien on springsteen's more recent moodier stuff, and i immediately went to the song 'paradise' from the rising, which is my favorite song on that album. like 'pendulum', 'paradise' is a song that sticks out the record because it isn't like anything else contained on the lp, and they both evoke the dark, moody atmosphere i wish the respective bands would do more of.

[stupidmop]

And wow someone mentioned it before, but that fade after 'my shadow left me long ago' is weird. Everything under that guitar echo drops to completely nothing real fast.

Yeah, one of the other things I don't really like about the production on the song. Though I've made this comment about other songs too, it applies equally here - I want to hear the room on this one, not a bunch of isolated and discreet parts layered on top of one another, existing in their own space.

It's not as though I don't think there's a place for records that sound nothing like a bunch of musicians playing a song in a room, I just think that's where this band's strengths lie.

I've really enjoyed what I've heard of the live versions of this song on YouTube, I wish they'd managed to work that seem feel into the studio recording (cue "that's what young people do").

It blows my mind that you wouldn't want a band to sound like that. Especially pearl jam, since their whole 'thing' is ' hey were just a couple of dudes playing some instruments'. Plus they pulled it off on the 90s bob albums well enough.

[Birds in Hell]

And wow someone mentioned it before, but that fade after 'my shadow left me long ago' is weird. Everything under that guitar echo drops to completely nothing real fast.

Yeah, one of the other things I don't really like about the production on the song. Though I've made this comment about other songs too, it applies equally here - I want to hear the room on this one, not a bunch of isolated and discreet parts layered on top of one another, existing in their own space.

It's not as though I don't think there's a place for records that sound nothing like a bunch of musicians playing a song in a room, I just think that's where this band's strengths lie.

I've really enjoyed what I've heard of the live versions of this song on YouTube, I wish they'd managed to work that seem feel into the studio recording (cue "that's what young people do").

It blows my mind that you wouldn't want a band to sound like that. Especially pearl jam, since their whole 'thing' is ' hey were just a couple of dudes playing some instruments'. Plus they pulled it off on the 90s bob albums well enough.

In one of those recent interviews, O'Brien said they often used to use the live tracking takes on the 90s records but they don't do that very much anymore. I have no idea why not.

"Cool, guys, good take. Now, everyone individually re-record all of their parts so none of this sounds anything like a bunch of guys playing that song in a room."

(Also: "seem feel", uh.)

[Birds in Hell]

It's just strange to me.

Jeff, Stone and Ed's solo records all sound fine - relatively unadorned recordings of musicians simply playing songs - but then they make a Pearl Jam record and it comes out sounding like (what I imagine) Kelly Clarkson records sound like.

I don't think you can shelve the blame on O'Brien either, I presume the band must be really happy with how he makes them sound.