Lament wrote:stip wrote:Still, the stuff you flagged are some of their weakest songs in the past decade, and hardly emblematic of the good 'we can still rock' songs. They're the first decade equivalent of soon forget or I'm open.
Big Wave always struck me as a retread of Do The Evolution. I'm not sure what I think Supersonic or Ole descend from. I don't know that I think songs like that have a true precedent in the PJ catalog. Song like Whipping and Blood are too self-righteous to compare them to, and Lukin at least has a narrative. Even Soon Forget and I'm Open have more of a narrative than Supersonic or Ole. Maybe All Night, but even that has what at the time would have been covering some new ground for them (specifically all of the vocal layering in the latter part of the song).
You know what, I think your comparison may actually be better than I thought. Pre-2003 Pearl Jam probably felt a need to show depth for sake the sake of depth at times, and that probably manifested itself in the Soon Forgets and I'm Opens of the catalog. Post-2003 Pearl Jam would probably have the opposite insecurity and feel the need "rock for the sake of rocking," hence the Supersonics and Oles. So I can get on board with linking those songs to a certain extent.
You, Leatherman, and Mankind all seem like they anticipate Supersonic or Ole or Big Wave (which other than the fact that they are enviornmentalish I don't think has much in common with DTE). Even all night, I suppose, although that song is vastly superior to the rest. So those songs dont' feel new to me, although I don't know why they feel the need to include big wave or supersonic on a record (I felt that way about Mankind too). Ole, to be fair, is a one off track (assuming it is not on the album).
So I guess I don't see that pearl jam is including songs that show off their ability to rock. If that was the point than a song like GSMF certainly demonstrates that more than Supersonic. For some baffling reason they want those songs there.
You could make the case, obviously, that pearl jam shouldn't be writing loud and aggressive songs anymore because they can't pull them off (I disagree, but that's irrelevant). But that's a much bigger net than Ole and Supersonic. Then you're pulling in GSMF, Got Some, Life Wasted, Comatose, WWS, etc. And those are some excellent songs.
