Dance of the Clairvoyants

[Anders]

This is great. Up there with Army Reserve, Force of Nature, Parachutes and Marker In The Sand, as one of the best Pearl Jam songs post Riot Act.

I agree with all those song comparisons except for “Force of Nature” which is one of the most generic songs the band has ever produced and it’s widespread accolades around here continue to astound me.

That's harsh, but I can see there is no convincing you, so we'll have to agree to disagree.

[PHATJ]

Ed sounds great. The guitar is tasty. The drums have a nice crunch to them. But I think the song is really lacking in terms of interesting musical ideas: the chorus is a huge let-down, the bridge is is very static, it feels like it needs more parts to elevate it out of molasses territory.

I think my take is almost the complete opposite of this; I think it's an extremely well-assembled song, both as a written composition and as a studio construction, but I'm having a hard time hearing what about Eddie's voice people think sounds better than it has for the past ten years. Apart from the David Byrne impressions (which seem deliberate and unabashed), he sounds about like I expected him to.

In any case, I am not one to look a gift horse in the mouth: I spent 10 years clamoring for Pearl Jam to do something different, and this is definitely that (thanks for listening!). They sound committed to, and in control of, something beyond their comfort zone in a way that they haven't for a long time, and are also using the studio as an instrument in a way that way overshoots what I ever expected them to attempt again -- that outro with the vocal rounds is not going to be easy to replicate out on a stage in center field at Fenway Park, and I love that that doesn't seem to be a creative limitation here.

So, does the finished product land? More or less, and against all odds, I think it does. I like the internal logic of the song, the way it flows through itself; I'm not sure I really find myself thinking about the individual parts in terms of what's supposed to be a chorus, a pre-chorus, a bridge, etc. -- however one chooses to term the individual pieces, I never find myself at a point where I feel like I'm stalled in a quicksand-like musical passage that feels inappropriately disjointed from the rest of the song (which is a problem with a lot of PRAMG-era PJ songs, i.e. the chorus to "Amongst the Waves," the chorus to "Infallible," etc.). Furthermore, I think this is the first song I've heard where I've really walked away feeling like the modern iteration of the band -- the middle-aged, outwardly-focused, celebrity-schmoozing version of the band -- could have something to offer that is unique and separate from, and not just a pallid recreation of, what they accomplished as a younger, more intuition-based band. The 1996-2003 run will probably always be untouchable for me. However, I don't think that band could have made this song. I don't think I would have said that about a single song on Lightning Bolt.

I basically agree. More enthusiastically.

[PHATJ]

Stand back when the spirit comes
Stand back!

[Jorge]

Are you digging the Zooropa vibes?

[PHATJ]

Are you digging the Zooropa vibes?

I was looking forward to talking to macphisto about some similarities, yes.

[Sgt. Crackpot]

Well, holy shit. 22 pages.

I played this in the car a few times. First impressions, wow actually quite enjoyable. Not terrible. Good production, though my least favourite part is the drums but I can see how they tie in with the song. The bass is damn good, surely this is a Jeff song.

I'm loving the change in direction. There's some Bowie vibes I'm getting from this one, which I really fucking adore.

A far better launch single than CDM. PJ listened and delivered, albeit from left field.

So fucking keen for the album now.

[Ensign9]

Damn folks even Ensign showed up! How are ya Jeff?

And who are you? Username and avatar changes should be banned.

meatwad/towelie and probably a few others I can’t remember.

Ooooooooh, what’s up, dude? Bring back meatwad!

[Anders]

Well, holy shit. 22 pages.

I played this in the car a few times. First impressions, wow actually quite enjoyable. Not terrible. Good production, though my least favourite part is the drums but I can see how they tie in with the song. The bass is damn good, surely this is a Jeff song.

I'm loving the change in direction. There's some Bowie vibes I'm getting from this one, which I really fucking adore.

A far better launch single than CDM. PJ listened and delivered, albeit from left field.

So fucking keen for the album now.

I thought I read it was Stone on bass and Jeff on keys. Matt came up with the early part, Stone with the bass, then Jeff with the keys, Mike with some guitar, and Ed with the lyrics at the end.

[PHATJ]

Well, holy shit. 22 pages.

I played this in the car a few times. First impressions, wow actually quite enjoyable. Not terrible. Good production, though my least favourite part is the drums but I can see how they tie in with the song. The bass is damn good, surely this is a Jeff song.

I'm loving the change in direction. There's some Bowie vibes I'm getting from this one, which I really fucking adore.

A far better launch single than CDM. PJ listened and delivered, albeit from left field.

So fucking keen for the album now.

I thought I read it was Stone on bass and Jeff on keys. Matt came up with the early part, Stone with the bass, then Jeff with the keys, Mike with some guitar, and Ed with the lyrics at the end.

Correcto

[Sgt. Crackpot]

Well, holy shit. 22 pages.

I played this in the car a few times. First impressions, wow actually quite enjoyable. Not terrible. Good production, though my least favourite part is the drums but I can see how they tie in with the song. The bass is damn good, surely this is a Jeff song.

I'm loving the change in direction. There's some Bowie vibes I'm getting from this one, which I really fucking adore.

A far better launch single than CDM. PJ listened and delivered, albeit from left field.

So fucking keen for the album now.

I thought I read it was Stone on bass and Jeff on keys. Matt came up with the early part, Stone with the bass, then Jeff with the keys, Mike with some guitar, and Ed with the lyrics at the end.

Correcto

[ABNorman]

Just woke up and spun this a few times.

I am fully on board.

[Coach]

There is still life in the sleeping giant

Approve!

[Sgt. Crackpot]

I can see how this track is going to be polarising.

Though these days, no matter what kind of single PJ release it will probably always be polarising.

[Birds in Hell]

I had some work stuff going on this afternoon so only managed to hear this now. I haven’t read the thread nor anyone’s reactions yet.

Holy shit! As wildly improbable as this seemed until a few weeks ago, Pearl Jam have stumbled their way into being a good band again. The song is fantastic.

[Kevin Davis]

I can see how this track is going to be polarising.

Though these days, no matter what kind of single PJ release it will probably always be polarising.

It's nice to have something polarizing again, instead of something everyone just immediately hates.

[PHATJ]

I had some work stuff going on this afternoon so only managed to hear this now. I haven’t read the thread nor anyone’s reactions yet.

Holy shit! As wildly improbable as this seemed until a few weeks ago, Pearl Jam have stumbled their way into being a good band again. The song is fantastic.

I couldn’t agree more, spenno

[Birds in Hell]

I appreciate also that Ed totally knocked this one out of the park. He sounds great and his phrasing is absolutely spot on.

[scrub12]

I really we get a Stone breakdown of every song for this album. I loved listening to the Vs. anniversary because of that.

[Lounge Lizard]

When the past is the present
And the future's no more
Every tomorrow is the same as before

That strikes a very close chord with me.
Loving the guitar work around the mid-section, right after the second chorus.

Also my pre-launch prediction was almost on point - it is something David Bowie could write!

[Sgt. Crackpot]

"'Dance' was a perfect storm of experimentation and real collaboration...We’ve opened some new doors creatively and that’s exciting." - Jeff Ament

This makes me so fucking hard.