Harmless writes a drum review and finds closure

[stip]

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[stip]

This thread will be unlocked when Harmless is ready to start his next great undertaking, and ONLY then

[E.H. Ruddock]

This thread will be unlocked when Harmless is ready to start his next great undertaking, and ONLY then

This thread can also be unstickied until then, don't you think?

[stip]

He needs to know that it is here waiting for him...


Frankly I'm disappointed he hasn't started.

[stip]

This might happen today

[harmless]

So I've started thinking about this. But as usual, when I start to think about wanting to make a piece of writing good, the anxiety has kicked in, what to say, when to say it, how much to say about what, what decisions to take or leave. Just know that I've started thinking.

[malice]

So I've started thinking about this. But as usual, when I start to think about wanting to make a piece of writing good, the anxiety has kicked in, what to say, when to say it, how much to say about what, what decisions to take or leave. Just know that I've started thinking.

just start writing. the critical thoughts and editing can come afterwards...

[harmless]

Crashing, Stormy Waves: a Drum Review of Pearl Jam’s Lightning Bolt (part I)

I tend to listen to songs from the ground up. By this I mean that although I don't only listen to the rhythm section, forgiving a whole host of other sins (in fact, I sometimes find myself forgiving the rhythm section because everything else overcompensates, and we'll get to that regarding Lightning Bolt), the rhythm section will be my first "hook" into a song. This means that my music taste can stretch to a million genres, as long as the musical / instrumental elements are doing things I enjoy listening to. Therefore, consequently, I find it much easier to follow Pearl Jam through all of their musical contrivances and self-indulgences. It has always been this way, and remains that way now: I always said that Pearl Jam can go "pop" if they want, as long as they go for it 100%. If they sound like they're into it enough to grab my attention. And if the rhythm section (drums and bass) sound like they're enjoying themselves. Even Nicki Minaj is thoroughly enjoyable because she's unapologetic. She doesn't give a shit, and goes for the excess and self-indulgence with her whole being. These boxes weren't all ticked for Backspacer. Most of them are here.

But I digress. I know that a song at least deserves my attention if it makes me think "I'd love to play the drums to this myself." If I can imagine myself on the drum stool for any given song, I might have a winner on my hands. How interested I stay in the long-term will be very much (though not entirely) dependent on whether the rhythm section is making none, some, most, or all of the decisions I too would make for the song. Pearl Jam's rhythm section has generally not mirrored my thoughts on everything that should be done to a song since the days of Dave A and Jeff (as a singular entity). After Dave A. left, Pearl Jam remained my favourite band despite the fact that they had now joined a list of great bands whose drummers were perfectly serviceable, even solid, but not amazingly full of character (R.E.M, Radiohead and Counting Crows also come to mind). Pearl Jam still had Eddie Vedder, Jeff Ament, a couple of good guitarists, and a vast array of my favourite songs ever. This is how I feel about Pearl Jam to this day.

Since Dave A. left the band (and with him what I considered to be the “archetypal” PJ-rhythm sound – an often harsh, metallic and groovy influence on a wide range of otherwise “classic rock” genres), I've had to make various adjustments, first to Jack Irons' looser, less complex style of playing (which I grew to appreciate for enhancing their more garage-band, jam-band and country-folk tendencies), and then to Matt's generally more robotic, pulsing, metronomic style of playing, which generally lacks most of the funk, ghost-notes, cymbal-play, and all-around joyful excess that so influenced me as a young drummer. As many have said, by and large, Matt’s playing suits a driving, metal-infused behemoth of a song a la Soundgarden more than a lot of Pearl Jam songs, especially those “written” by Dave A. or Jack Irons. Pearl Jam's songs tend to be more simply structured than Soundgarden's, with far less low-end support given to the rhythm section (either with atmospherics, or with aggressive guitarists that know how to crank up the bass and treble); there's a lot of "middle" in Pearl Jam music now, what I tend to call "musical Umami", when I often want salt and intensity. I often find that Matt doesn't know what to do with all the space left in Pearl Jam’s relatively simpler, unassuming songs, and that rather than thinking “outside the box” and courageously inventing a lead drum part for a song that's more bare (as Dave A. used to do a lot – in live versions of “Black”, for example), he will often take a more diplomatic, subtle "supporting" role as a metronome for the band, a connector between the parts the band is playing, but little more (he pretty much confirmed this in one of his new Lightning Bolt interviews, the Judd Apatow one I think). It frustrates me that he so often takes this traditional approach to Pearl Jam, knowing what he can do for Soundgarden.

Since Lightning Bolt "rises from the ashes" of the largely-retrospective PJ20, and is purported to be (amongst other things) the "logical extension of Backspacer", my review will be set largely against those contexts: how successful is it as a summation of Pearl Jam's sound over the years (and the best of that sound now), and how successful is it as a "logical extension of Backspacer"? Most importantly, if you ended up judging Backspacer as a well-meaning but fleeting pleasure (as I did), has this "logical extension" extended the right elements of Backspacer, and in the right ways?

At least rhythmically, my answer to both questions, on the whole, is yes. I’ve recently described Lightning Bolt as the album Pearl Jam should have made after Riot Act; as if Backspacer gave Binaural and Riot Act a hug (my two favourite Matt records, and contenders for top-spot), and told them to cheer up, wipe the tears from their eyes, and enjoy themselves. Aside from the problematic, overbearing production of Brendan O’Brien (which, apart from one song, doesn’t really affect the rhythm section negatively), it feels as if some of my favourite elements from that excellent “middle-period” stretch -- particularly Yield, Binaural and Riot Act -- have been carried forward into the “pop” aesthetic established by Backspacer. My main issue with Backspacer (and S/T, frankly) ended up being that my preferred elements of Pearl Jam were just not really present in it. They had almost created Backspacer in a vacuum. The drums were tinny -- all treble -- and lacking in resonance. Not as much with Lightning Bolt.

As soon as possible, I’ll get to a song-by-song review, but I thought I’d post this to get us started.

[Mike]

Looking forward to the song by song review.

[hlniv]

Sounds juicy..can't wait for the rest... You have successfully piqued my interest, and many others' as well, I'm sure

[Rob]

His Backspacer drum review was awesome. Looking forward to this.

[harmless]

I might do this one song a day (on whichever days I feel like it). I also think that I'll give a more general impression, rather than going through pieces of each song in chronological order as I listen, which is what I did during Backspacer. That was arduous and, quite frankly, I don't have the energy these days.

Getaway

Rhythmically, this song has the stomping arrogance of the Rolling Stones' "Start Me Up" on just a lick of speed. From its slightly bland intro (snare stabs on 1 and the *and* of 2 of each bar during the riff), to its driving, hard but ultimately very simple support of the riff, this rhythm section very quickly announced an identity (or so I thought) that I could easily embrace. Straight away, it was what I'd imagined I wanted from Lightning Bolt: classic rock, made by excellent but ageing musicians, that had a deep appreciation for that genre, and all of its subgenres. Getaway (and the album in general) also has the *groove* that hasn't been evident in Matt's playing since Riot Act. There is attitude and swagger in spades here. The drum tones (when that slighty tinny, Backspacer-ish intro is over and the band kicks in) have the thickness and robustness of the more "roomy" expanse of Riot Act (reminiscent of songs like "Can't Keep", "You Are" and "Help, Help") but in the context of a more "chipper", melodic song. And last but not least, the problem I mentioned above, of spaces not being filled with funk and general rhythmic interest, isn't present here: Matt *is* using ghost-notes, relatively interesting fills (not *very* interesting; this is Matt we're talking about) and a restrained swagger (I know, I've used that word twice, I can't find another one) never present in Backspacer, and confusingly absent on songs that should've been funky on S/T, like "Severed Hand" (which I enjoy, if not for the fact that Matt doesn't really show up until the jam-filled ending). The star of the show here, though -- like in much of Lightning Bolt -- is Jeff. His stylishly over-the-top, duck-walking bassline, locked in with both the guitar riff and Ed's sung melody, goes even further to accentuate the funkiest elements of Matt's groove. All of that, topped off by Ed's convincingly snarky, playfully angry attitude, means at least 4 star Pearl Jam for me... 5 star in terms of post-Riot Act Pearl Jam. This is the first song about which I'd say that it could've comfortably sat on Riot Act and been quite at home. And that, being the kind of fan that I am, makes me thrilled and interested in this album from the get-go. Luckily there were more highlights like this to come, so I'll write about those next time... including some disappointments, for the curmudgeons of the forum who like reading that shit.

[Jorge]

Spoiler alert.

Future Days: No drums here. Wait, is that... ? Nope. Definitely no drums.

[harmless]

[harmless]

Oof, I forgot to mention that I actually hate the Rolling Stones. So once again, this is Pearl Jam taking the best elements of something I didn't like and making them great. When modern-day Pearl Jam fails for me, it's because they've just taken some... elements... from other stuff... and zzzzzz.

[stip]

I am very much looking forward to this. Thanks Harmless

Release_Me---use this as your model.

[digster]

I'm a little disappointed in Matt's drums on Getaway. I don't have harmless' terminology to back me up on this, but it's less that it's bad and more that some opportunities seem wasted. The whole thing seems to be begging for a more garage rock, swinging feel to it (think of that moment where everything but drums and vox drop out). It's the perfect moment to kind of throw in some groove to it, but Matt plays it straight through).

[harmless]

Well, he's Matt.

[zeb]

I normally disagree with Harmless re: Matt Cameron and this thread has not disappointed thus far.

[Tj]

Harmless,I Like to hearing your thoughts as a drummer. Maybe you can explain why what Jeff and Matt are doing on Getaway reminds me so much of something Dave and Jeff would have done on Vs. I can'y figure out or nail this down, but it is there. Do you have any ideas.