It's fitting that Pearl Jam's self-titled eighth album will hit stores the same day as Tool's 10,000 Days: Both bands are household names whose actual appeal is limited to niche audiences (albeit arena-size niche audiences); neither one is a threat to release a top-10 single or play alongside the flavors of the day. That's OK for Tool—dark, difficult prog rock isn't expected to make concessions to the mainstream—but Pearl Jam play meat-and- potatoes rock 'n' roll—à la Springsteen or Neil Young, or even Wilco or The Strokes—and as such, they should probably throw in a sing-along melody here and there, an anthem, a great ballad, a classic. Yet Pearl Jam contains none of the above. That's not to say the album is flat or lazy. Take the song "Comatose," for instance: It's furious, impassioned, played with technical proficiency and breakneck abandon. Yet it's dull as dirt. The same can be said of most of Pearl Jam. It's an overtly political record—every song has a capital-S Statement in its olive-drab grooves—but frontman Eddie Vedder is neither a particularly gifted poet nor an especially compelling analyst, and as such, his lyrics fall in a murky middle ground. In spite of all this, the album has its moments: Lead single "World Wide Suicide" is an absolute charger; the Lennon-esque "Parachutes" is pretty and starkly different, if not exactly memorable; "Unemployable"—the best song here—has a snaky and seductive guitar line and a smoother-than-usual Vedder vocal. But it tails off from there: The final third of Pearl Jam is meandering and unlistenable, offering nothing resembling a hook. Pearl Jam deserve credit for stretching their boundaries over the last 15 years, instead of rehashing the sound that made them famous. However, nothing on Pearl Jam sounds truly adventurous, and the band should absolutely not be credited for bringing to the table their blandest, least accessible material and assuming their extremely devoted fans will accept it. Pearl Jam should be thanking their lucky stars for that estimable following, because right now, they're not relevant to anyone else in the world.
—Michael Patrick Nelson
_________________ No matter how dark the storm gets overhead They say someone's watching from the calm at the edge What about us when we're down here in it? We gotta watch our backs
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 12:47 am Posts: 46000 Location: Reasonville
corduroy_blazer wrote:
but frontman Eddie Vedder is neither a particularly gifted poet nor an especially compelling analyst, and as such, his lyrics fall in a murky middle ground.
i mean...what?
_________________ No matter how dark the storm gets overhead They say someone's watching from the calm at the edge What about us when we're down here in it? We gotta watch our backs
but frontman Eddie Vedder is neither a particularly gifted poet nor an especially compelling analyst, and as such, his lyrics fall in a murky middle ground.
i mean...what?
I'll agree that when it comes to politics, Ed is not an "especially compelling analyst." But generally, he is a "gifted poet."
they should probably throw in a sing-along melody here and there, an anthem, a great ballad, a classic. Yet Pearl Jam contains none of the above.
Pearl Jam deserve credit for stretching their boundaries over the last 15 years, instead of rehashing the sound that made them famous.
ive never seen more contradictory statements in a review. the only way youre gonna get "hooks" (i put that in parenthases because i think the album is full of great ones) is if they rehash ten. the hooks theyre looking for are songs that sound like alive and even flow. so shitting on the band for not writing catchy pop tunes and then saying they deserve credit for not rehashing their early sound is fucking retarded. it's called proofreading, jackass.
PEARL JAM PEARL JAM (J RECORDS) 3/10 Pearl Jam should be thanking their lucky stars (their extremely devoted fans) for that estimable following, because right now, they're not relevant to anyone else in the world.
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 4:02 am Posts: 44183 Location: New York Gender: Male
the fact that WWS was a number 1 hit seems to belie his beleif that they have no current relevancy. 3 seems low for someone who liked at least a few songs on the record.
_________________ "Better the occasional faults of a Government that lives in a spirit of charity than the consistent omissions of a Government frozen in the ice of its own indifference."--FDR
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 4:02 am Posts: 44183 Location: New York Gender: Male
I wonder if this guy is still pissed about bushleaguer from a few years ago.
_________________ "Better the occasional faults of a Government that lives in a spirit of charity than the consistent omissions of a Government frozen in the ice of its own indifference."--FDR
It's fitting that Pearl Jam's self-titled eighth album will hit stores the same day as Tool's 10,000 Days: Both bands are household names whose actual appeal is limited to niche audiences (albeit arena-size niche audiences); neither one is a threat to release a top-10 single or play alongside the flavors of the day. That's OK for Tool—dark, difficult prog rock isn't expected to make concessions to the mainstream—but Pearl Jam play meat-and- potatoes rock 'n' roll—à la Springsteen or Neil Young, or even Wilco or The Strokes—and as such, they should probably throw in a sing-along melody here and there, an anthem, a great ballad, a classic. Yet Pearl Jam contains none of the above. That's not to say the album is flat or lazy. Take the song "Comatose," for instance: It's furious, impassioned, played with technical proficiency and breakneck abandon. Yet it's dull as dirt. The same can be said of most of Pearl Jam. It's an overtly political record—every song has a capital-S Statement in its olive-drab grooves—but frontman Eddie Vedder is neither a particularly gifted poet nor an especially compelling analyst, and as such, his lyrics fall in a murky middle ground. In spite of all this, the album has its moments: Lead single "World Wide Suicide" is an absolute charger; the Lennon-esque "Parachutes" is pretty and starkly different, if not exactly memorable; "Unemployable"—the best song here—has a snaky and seductive guitar line and a smoother-than-usual Vedder vocal. But it tails off from there: The final third of Pearl Jam is meandering and unlistenable, offering nothing resembling a hook. Pearl Jam deserve credit for stretching their boundaries over the last 15 years, instead of rehashing the sound that made them famous. However, nothing on Pearl Jam sounds truly adventurous, and the band should absolutely not be credited for bringing to the table their blandest, least accessible material and assuming their extremely devoted fans will accept it. Pearl Jam should be thanking their lucky stars for that estimable following, because right now, they're not relevant to anyone else in the world.
—Michael Patrick Nelson
i would like to smash this chump with repeated knees the face
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 12:47 am Posts: 46000 Location: Reasonville
Max Power wrote:
corduroy_blazer wrote:
"...neither one is a threat to release a top-10 single..."
I guess it was too much trouble to check the singles chart this week.
where did WWS hit again?
_________________ No matter how dark the storm gets overhead They say someone's watching from the calm at the edge What about us when we're down here in it? We gotta watch our backs
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 12:47 am Posts: 46000 Location: Reasonville
if you guys can get me a source/link for WWS tearing shit up, i'll write in to this jackass
_________________ No matter how dark the storm gets overhead They say someone's watching from the calm at the edge What about us when we're down here in it? We gotta watch our backs
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 12:47 am Posts: 46000 Location: Reasonville
how's this:
Mr. Michael Patrick Nelson,
You know journalists are supposed to do research, right?
In a recent review of of the new, self-titled Pearl Jam album, you wrote this about the new Tool and Pearl Jam material: "Neither one is a threat to release a top-10 single," and Pearl Jam is "Not relevant to anyone else in the world."
Well then, I suppose you would be shocked to hear Pearl Jam's first single off their new album, World Wide Suicide, spent nine weeks atop the Billboard Modern Rock chart. And at this point in time, it's at number four. And, album sales have been soaring for the band that has, while making good music, spent 10 years in the dark of rock music rejecting publicity and marketing.
I have a feeling you hold some sort of grudge against Pearl Jam. Surely someone who liked a few songs on the album would give it higher than 3/10, no? Does the Riot Act song Bushleaguer still rub you the wrong way?
_________________ No matter how dark the storm gets overhead They say someone's watching from the calm at the edge What about us when we're down here in it? We gotta watch our backs
You know journalists are supposed to do research, right?
In a recent review of of the new, self-titled Pearl Jam album, you wrote this about the new Tool and Pearl Jam material: "Neither one is a threat to release a top-10 single," and Pearl Jam is "Not relevant to anyone else in the world."
Well then, I suppose you would be shocked to hear Pearl Jam's first single off their new album, World Wide Suicide, spent nine weeks atop the Billboard Modern Rock chart. And at this point in time, it's at number four. And, album sales have been soaring for the band that has, while making good music, spent 10 years in the dark of rock music rejecting publicity and marketing.
I have a feeling you hold some sort of grudge against Pearl Jam. Surely someone who liked a few songs on the album would give it higher than 3/10, no? Does the Riot Act song Bushleaguer still rub you the wrong way?
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 12:47 am Posts: 46000 Location: Reasonville
suggestions?
_________________ No matter how dark the storm gets overhead They say someone's watching from the calm at the edge What about us when we're down here in it? We gotta watch our backs
oh God...the guy who did this review has a weekly column in the LI Press and it FUCKING SUCKS. It's the most boring crap I've ever read. This review is pretty much worse that that. What a clown.
_________________ “You’re good kids, stay together. Trust each other and be good teammates to one another. I believe there is a championship in this room.”
-Ernie Accorsi in his final address to the NY Giants locker room before retiring as GM in January of 2007
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 12:47 am Posts: 46000 Location: Reasonville
Ricardo Tubbs wrote:
oh God...the guy who did this review has a weekly column in the LI Press and it FUCKING SUCKS. It's the most boring crap I've ever read. This review is pretty much worse that that. What a clown.
yea...nelson ravings or something? i pick up the paper once in awhile because a friend of mine is their web news editor and i like to see if he's written anything. this guy nelson is one of the founding editors of the paper so he's not going anywhere...but i'd love to bust his chops for writing a shit ass review.
_________________ No matter how dark the storm gets overhead They say someone's watching from the calm at the edge What about us when we're down here in it? We gotta watch our backs
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