Well?

It's a great listen.

The album has a very warm feel to it. I hope this gets released on viynl eventually, the crackle of my record player will probably compliment this album well.

I think what I like the most about this record is that it is vastly different from what I'd expect from a solo Ed project. It sounds nothing like Pearl Jam...and I think that is a good thing in this case.

The story obviously dictated the content and feel of the record...but the fact that it is neither punky or Pearl Jammy...is a welcome additon.

I think it's a really solid effort on Ed's part. I would have liked to seen Setting Forth and No Ceiling be extended into full length songs because they show so much promise. I also would have liked to see End of the Road being fit with lyrics. The music by itself is beautiful and haunting, but I know Ed could have put some amazing lyrics to mix with the music. Maybe another song or two would have been nice to make it a little longer but this is a good start.

I had my heart set on another beautiful song that Ed is known for (Thumbing My Way or Long Road) and I wasn't let down w/ Guaranteed.

They are full length songs. They just dont have the unecessary bridge that most listenres are accustomed to, thank god.

Or guitar solo for that matter.

I have managed to listen through once and listened to rise and setting forth a few times as they were my favourites. I didn't fancy some of Ed's uke stuff but 'rise' is great, love it.

The vocal melodies are really solid and interesting on the record, and as noted before not too pearl jammy. There are fewer 'guitar hooks' to rely on so the vocals had to be great.

i spent most of my weekend listening to it. I wanted to get a few spins in before I actually wrote on it, I wanted to nail my review. Since this basically is a Ed solo record. I was pretty impressed how it came out, despite the simplicity of it. I didn't think i would like the record as much as I do.

While the album is influenced by the into the wild story. I feel like this record is about finding your own space. I made sure when i listened to it that I was in a quite place. Because that is what the record is about. Being in a quiet place, a place where you can be with your thoughts, deal with the happiness or sadness you are feeling and find your way through it. the album deals with isolation and being lost. Using that isolation to come out with a clearer view on your thoughts. Unfortunately with the movie, the ending isn't happy.

I feel ed puts a positive spin on what he saw. And I believe he completely nails it. From setting fourth through through rise. This album is simply ed at his best is his own comfort space. While I don't feel long nights fit where it is placed on the record. I do like the song. What impresses me even more is how much ed's guitar playing has imporved. How far he has come. That is clearly evident on Tuolume. Hard Sun And Society are a amazing one-two punch towards the end of the record. I particuarly think ed nailed Society, It's such has such emotional lyrics. I feel Ed nailed the emotions in his voice. Ed's vocals have been amazin since 2005, previously, it just seemed to me he mailed them in on yield through riot act. The album ends with a somber tone from the wolf through gurantee.

In my conclusion, Ed shows the high notes of of going on his own and leaves you wanting more.

Great post.

I've also been impressed w/ Ed's guitar work on this album. Tuolumne is a great example as is the end of "Hard Sun". The tone of the electric at the end is pure Mike and Ed does a great job pulling it off.

It wasn't horrible, but I wasn't blown away either.

Tracks that stood out for me were:
-No Ceiling
-Far Behind
-Rise
-End of the Road

2 stars.

I'm rating is as Ed's solo album inspired by Into The Wild and as such it has exceeded my expectations. I give it 5 stars.

I've wondered what an Ed solo project would sound like for a while. I imagined, from a production standpoint, a relatively simple album with a focus on quieter, more reflective material and the sound of Ed's voice being a bigger part of it than a Pearl Jam record. Upon a couple listens that's exactly what I got. Into the Wild hasn't taken root with me yet but it has the potiential to do so. I can't get too excited over it but my only real complaint is that it does seem too short. A solid four out five. Not to echo everyone else but I really like Society, Guaranteed and Far Behind.
And I will probably see the movie too, and I don't know if I would have done so otherwise.

"You have a band for a reason"

The only two really good songs are covers.

3.5 *'s

my .5 comes in to the fold because I didn't expect it to be worth repeating, and in fact, it is, and I did, but I don't deem it a "very nice" listen. No promises on much play for me, but it'll get some; still when observed through the lens of the music's purpose--as the score for a film.... good job Eddie. I would have liked for a "Kevin Drew" type album, but that's not what you were up to with this record and I clearly recognize that.

I gave it 3 stars. It exceeded my expectations, and I like this more than Avocado, although that's not saying much. I wish No Ceiling was longer.

Wow.

I've never understood the hate Avocado gets.

that would be a great thread title.

On first listen:

Long Nights, Tolumne, and Hard Sun stuck out the most. It is no surprise Hard Sun is the single here- Nothing else on the record seemed to come close to grabbing me as much as this song did on first listen. And the two songs leading into it are strong as well (I do quite like guitar instrumentals). I'm thinking that run of songs in the middle is really the anchor of the album.

I am not fond of his vocals throughout much of the record. This is most apparent on The Wolf, which is a song he is supposed to be using his voice as an instrument on, but it just fails. Arc it ain't, and I have a feeling it was supposed to be similar in how it is supposed to make you feel something, to give you chills. At times throughout the album his voice is actually nearly grating.

That said, this album has some warmth. Not sure what they did or how they recorded it, but this may be the most "warm" record anyone in PJ has been associated with.

I was surprised at the song lengths here when I ripped it to my computer, but as I listened I can't say I really noticed it, which says something about Eddie's ability to make a song "feel" complete. Surprisingly, it is Hard Sun that seems to falter here, as I think it goes on just a bit too long at the end. But then again, that's one of the cover songs here...

I like the book and lyrics transcribed over the film images, though I can also say I was kind of hoping he would try something a bit different with the layout than what we've seen in the last few records. (This has probably been answered, but I'll ask anyway- is the 10C version different than the retail release? The Gorge thing really soured me on purchasing albums from the 10C.)

Not ready to rate it yet, but I'm neither disappointed nor impressed. Middle of the road so far.

I've had two and a half listens. It's alright.

Into the Wild ended up being a four star album that had the potential to be 5 stars.

Musically I was very impressed--eddie did much better than I expected. The fast songs move well, the introspective songs don't feel weighted down, and there are some really lovely melodies here.

Vocally this is a fantatic album. Other than Rise and Setting forth (more on that later) I think he nails every single part. It is obvious that he is invested in this material and it shows. Plus he really uses his voice as an extra instrument throughout the record--something he has not done in earnest in a long time. It really plants him in the driver seat of every song and gives them a more complete feeling. In fact, I'd say this his finest work vocally since VItalogy

Lyrically it is hit or miss. there are some really wonderful lines throughout the record, but for much of the time he trades subtley and sophsticiation for enthusiasm and earnestness. His performance is so moving that it is sometimes hard to notice but he can do better. There are not many lyrics here that I would hold up as great stand alone writing

Setting Forth: I should like this more than I do, given the REM vibe to this song, but for whatever reason it feels a bit disposable. It's not the length per se, since even the stuff that is here doesn't really wow me (unlike no ceiling). It ends at the right time, but i also don't think it went anywhere while it was happening. Kind of ironic given the fact that this is a song about starting a journey. I think the problems are that the lryics here are totally forgettable and I don't think he can hit these high notes anymore, at least in this context. They sound way too strangled for a song about open spaces and movement. He can still soar (whcih is what this needs) while pitching his voice down to a level he can manage (see something like hard sun).

No Ceiling: I love this one. A really great melody that I don't think we've really gotten from him before. It has the sense of horizons that the lyrics convey. As is often the case, these aren't very good stand alone lines, but he delivers them so well and they match up so well with the lyrics that you don't know unless you pay attention. The one exception is the absoltuely fantastic final lyric, which conveys so much with so little in an unexpected way. I do wish No Ceiling was longer, only becuase I enjoy it so much, and it makes this really profound observation and then abruptly ends. I wish it came earlier and was explored a bit more

Far Behind: Another short one, but it's just the perfect length. Simple, muscular, and this song does everything that Setting Forth tried to do but couldn't quite pull off. This song sounds like movement and possibilites. The empty pockets lyric is veyr strong, the bridge is nicely done (it could be ennunciated better, but this is eddie vedder we're talking about), and the chorus is also one of the better ones on the record (I like the image of his only companion being his shadow, but that this is somehow enough). I could do wtihout the book upon the shelf lyric since we've gotten the exact same sentiment the exact same way in sometimes (this has been happening with some regularity since Riot Act)

Rise Up: If this didn't sound so much like a ukelee I might enjoy this more (I know it is a mandolin). Good chorus, decent verses but it has the usual problem on this record of a nice sentiment conveyed a bit too generically (just where to put all your faith, and how will it grow--I think he can do better than this). My main problem here is that I want a bit more energy out of the chorus. Given the sentiment I'd hope for something a little more inspiring and a little less matter of fact

Long Nights: This one is just gorgeous--a wonderful atmopshere that doesn't drown under the weight of its own importance. This is what nighttime contemplation sounds like. He just nails it. One of Eddie's best vocal performances in years to boot. The chorus is simple but remarkably effective. I like the way in which the sense of falling, usually implying disaster and danger, is cushioned here--rather than falling it feels more like descending from heights you were never comfortable with. And the little cymbal flourish at the end closes the whole thing nicely

Tuolaumne: I'm assuming this word means something but I'm not familair with it. A very simple, very pretty piece. Normally I don't go in for instrumentals, but this one is lovely and never wears out its welcome

Hard Sun: This is the highlight of the record for me. The lyrics aren't that great but Eddie is just amazing here. The verses sound determined, the chorus is just amazing (I don't like Corin Tucker normally but she complements Eddie perfectly here) and the music sounds like it matters. Probalby the most self-assured song on the record. It's got a wonderful sense of fullness and richness. It just envelopes you with this sense of future possibilites. And the vocal fills that Eddie uses here just really empahsize how much I've missed them. It amazes me that he did this all himself. Lyrics aside, this is really one of the finest things I think he's ever done. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this song

Society: Great mood, really nice music, and an absolutley convincing and moving vocal performance that obscures the fact that a lot of these lyrics are really bad. I do like the way in which this song feels like a regretful goodbye, rather than a full fledged condemnation--an acknwledgment that he will always be an outsider, feeling sad and guilty about the fact while determined not to compromise himself. Eddie captures the sentiment perfectly, and conveys it so sincerely that it gets by with the subpar writing

The Wolf: This is amazing--everything Arc never managed to be for me. The organ conveys this really powerful sense of expansive loss, and Eddie's howls manage to be both primal and world weary at the same time. he can't hit the high notes here either, but his failure to do so adds to the piece. It makes sense here in a way it didn't during setting forth

End of the Road: I really like the musical accents here, but for whatever reason this one bores me a bit. I think the problem here is the main melody. It doesn't sound like anything is really at stake here, even though the stuff he surrounds and colors the main part with clearly want to convey a sense of danger and finality. It would probably work better as a closer. Guaranteed feels a bit awkward after this

Guaranteed: I love this one too. Easily the best writing on the record, a simple but catchy melody, and Eddie doesn't oversell this one. It's a summation of one man's worldview, and Eddie presents it with a dignity and respect. He doesn't ask us to judge, or celebrate, but to undderstand and accept the choices he made as the only ones that would work for him.

5 Stars: Hard Sun, The Wolf
4.5 Stars: Long Nights, guaranteed
4 Stars: society, far behind, no ceiling
3 Stars: setting forth, tuolumne
2.5 Stars: Rise, end of the road