No Code: Official Album Thread

[Anders]

Listened to the first three tracks of Gigaton after No Code today, and I’m afraid it wasn’t in the same league. Still good, but not No Code great.

[ghost]

That's because No Code is perfect.

[Monkey_Driven]

Listened to the first three tracks of Gigaton after No Code today, and I’m afraid it wasn’t in the same league. Still good, but not No Code great.

Only one of Gigaton's best songs is in that initial stretch (Dance), where No Code comes out of the gates swinging.

[RockPusher]

Listened to the first three tracks of Gigaton after No Code today, and I’m afraid it wasn’t in the same league. Still good, but not No Code great.

Only one of Gigaton's best songs is in that initial stretch (Dance), where No Code comes out of the gates swinging.

Yeah, that was a really weird basis for comparison.

[Anders]

Listened to the first three tracks of Gigaton after No Code today, and I’m afraid it wasn’t in the same league. Still good, but not No Code great.

Only one of Gigaton's best songs is in that initial stretch (Dance), where No Code comes out of the gates swinging.

Yeah, that was a really weird basis for comparison.

I have seen numerous posts about how the first four or first six songs on Gigaton are the best songs or the best stretch on the album.

Anyway, the comparison goes for the entire album, not just the first three.

Buckle Up is amazing though.

[PHATJ]

No Code is very good, but Gigaton is better.

[Anders]

I wish that was true. I would be as happy as you.

[PHATJ]

I wish that was true. I would be as happy as you.

It’s totally true! But then again No Code has never been one of my favorite PJ albums.

[Anders]

I heard No Code today, and it was as amazing as ever. A remarkable album, easily my favorite. I can understand those that have arguments against I’m Open, and those that don’t like Stone singing on Mankind, that Lukin is too quick, and I’ve even seen people not liking Habit. But that opening stretch is unbeatable,

[PHATJ]

I heard No Code today, and it was as amazing as ever. A remarkable album, easily my favorite. I can understand those that have arguments against I’m Open, and those that don’t like Stone singing on Mankind, that Lukin is too quick, and I’ve even seen people not liking Habit. But that opening stretch is unbeatable,

1. Sometimes is a good song but near the bottom of my favorite openers and I almost never seek it out.
2. Hail Hail kicks ass.
3. Who You Are is a cool song, but not a really special song.
4. In My Tree has slowly come down the ranks for me over the years. Still a good song, but not the juggernaut I once thought it was.
5. Smile has never been anything more than a middle of the pack PJ song for me.
6. Off He Goes is basically the same situation as Smile, good song, never loved it.
7. Habit is another middle of the pack song with a blazing outro, but is clunky in other areas.
8. Red Mosquito used to sit in my top 20 for sure, maybe top 10. It’s not close to that anymore for me. I still think the outro is aces.
9. I love Lukin and have zero complaints about it.
10. Present Tense is easily my favorite song on No Code.
11. Mankind is better than I remember and better than a novelty song, but less than a standout.
12. I’m Open doesn’t really do much for me, but I also don’t hate it.
13. Around the bend is a pretty song, maybe even beautiful in parts, but it also remains an easily forgotten song that doesn’t quite stack up to most PJ album closers.

Ultimately No Code has a bunch of songs I enjoy but are middle of the pack PJ songs, a couple I really love, and I few that just don’t matter much to me. And ultimately No Code is a middle to lower half PJ album in my rankings. Very good, but probably not great.

[RockPusher]

Listened to the first three tracks of Gigaton after No Code today, and I’m afraid it wasn’t in the same league. Still good, but not No Code great.

Only one of Gigaton's best songs is in that initial stretch (Dance), where No Code comes out of the gates swinging.

Yeah, that was a really weird basis for comparison.

I have seen numerous posts about how the first four or first six songs on Gigaton are the best songs or the best stretch on the album.

Anyway, the comparison goes for the entire album, not just the first three.

Buckle Up is amazing though.

I feel like songs 3-6 are Gigaton's best stretch.

[taffer]

No Code is very good, but Gigaton is better.

welp, duh

[VinylGuy]

Its tricky to put Gigaton against No Code. No Code has been with me for so long.

[PHATJ]

Its tricky to put Gigaton against No Code. No Code has been with me for so long.

That’s the one thing No Code has going for it in that debate: Longevity/Familiarity.

[VinylGuy]

Its tricky to put Gigaton against No Code. No Code has been with me for so long.

That’s the one thing No Code has going for it in that debate: Longevity/Familiarity.

yes, at the same time that longevity for me its based on how much i love the album. Gigaton is too new for me to decide that. I have the feeling its their best since Binaural, but im still enjoying it too much to really force its place against their catalogue.

[Anders]

Listened to the first three tracks of Gigaton after No Code today, and I’m afraid it wasn’t in the same league. Still good, but not No Code great.

Only one of Gigaton's best songs is in that initial stretch (Dance), where No Code comes out of the gates swinging.

Yeah, that was a really weird basis for comparison.

I have seen numerous posts about how the first four or first six songs on Gigaton are the best songs or the best stretch on the album.

Anyway, the comparison goes for the entire album, not just the first three.

Buckle Up is amazing though.

I feel like songs 3-6 are Gigaton's best stretch.

3-4 and 8-10 for me.

[RockPusher]

Following PHATJ's exercise:

1. Sometimes is a neat little opener but wouldn't work nearly as well if it didn't have Hail, Hail after it. In that way, it is similar in my mind to Alright on the new album, which owes some of its success to its placement between Quick Escape and 7:00.
2. Hail, Hail is an absolutely fantastic song on pretty much every level.
3. Who You Are is symbolic of a type of experimentation that I love in Pearl Jam, and that you hear on Vitalogy, No Code, and Yield. In that way, I think I value it higher than most.
4. In My Tree blew my mind completely when I first heard it, but I'm still challenged by its weird section (bridge?) with the lyrics that AZlyrics has as "(eddie's down in his home) (oh, the blue sky it's his home)"
5. Smile is one of my favorites. So crunchy, so Neil.
6. Off He Goes is one of those alt-country PJ songs that I genuinely dig but usually doesn't move into transcendent territory.
7. Habit is not my cup of tea, but when the solo really starts blazing I love it.
8. Red Mosquito seems to leave way more of an impression on others than me. Kind of feels like generic Pearl Jam, with Mike distinguishing himself with some extra effort.
9. As an artistic statement that was important to Ed, I appreciate Lukin. As a song, I detest it. Just screaming. If this was how Pearl Jam generally sounded, I would not be a fan.
10. Present Tense is fantastic and DAMN do I wish they could play it live half as good as it is on the album.
11. Mankind is a cute joke, and I tolerate it but I don't see it as anywhere near the level of most of this album.
12. I can understand why some would not be big fans of "I'm Open" as it is basically atmospheric spoken word. With me and a pair of headphones, this thing works really, really well.
13. Around the Bend is nice, but Pearl Jam is so good at closers that this is middle-of-the-pack or maybe even on the low end.

If I'm taking sentimentality and emotional response into account, No Code is a PJ masterpiece for me. It loses a little of the shine if I try to evaluate it by any kind of metric. My best friend and fellow PJ fan and I both agree that Gigaton is reminiscent of No Code in places, particularly that open-ended, empowered and energetic sense of "this could go anywhere."

[Norah]

We're really drilling down on this comment

it is quite traggish

[Anders]

[Anders]

That's because No Code is perfect.