I have not posted here in like a year. I kinda lost the reason I started this, and it seemed pointless to contribute to it. Since then, I've thought about a change in approach to what this blog is about. It was initially an attempt by me to explain how an adult with Aspergers approaches music. Unfortunately, it's too difficult for me to describe in words the near-synthesia I experience when I hear amazing sounds. Instead, I have decided to use this as a way to write about what kind of music I have been experiencing. Some of the music may be new, and a lot will be old, but I will try to keep it fun and interesting, and updated regularly. I may even have a contributor joining me.
Farewell, Citizens.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Been a little while...
I decided to take an extended break for the holidays. Christmas, New Year's, Eastern Orthodox Christmas, etc... I find out that Soundgarden announced their reunion on 1/1/10. After 12 years apart, they return for a tour. I'm guessing Chris Cornell's less-than-stellar solo records and the implosion of Audioslave may have contributed to that. Whatever the case, my big fear is how Matt Cameron is going to split the time between Soundgarden, and his day job - Pearl Jam. I guess this remains to be seen. I have my eyes on this...
Farewell citizens.
Farewell citizens.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
One of the best albums you've never heard.
For a band that spent the first couple years of major label backing pissing off the label execs to protect their integrity, peddling a more than adequate product would have been a necessity. After the success of "Gentleman", and the subsequent label baiting by Cincinnati's Afghan Whigs that resulted in less than stellar promotional efforts from Elektra records, a strong follow up would no doubt be on the horizon. In the case of "Black Love", the Afghan Whigs appeared to have just that.
Continuing the cinematic tone set on "Gentlemen" (replete with a 'shot on location' credit in the production notes), "Black Love" unfolds like a film noir murder ballad in 11 parts. Which really isn't surprising considering Greg Dulli, the front man/primary songwriter/producer of the Whigs' output, explored the idea of producing a film noir movie.
"Black Love" was recorded through August and September of 1995 - a little over a year after the nation watched cinema verite play out before it in the form of a low-speed chase involving LAPD cruisers and a white, Ford Bronco. This being the case, it's too easy to picture "Black Love" as a reaction to the O.J. Simpson case, since murder, infidelity, and jilted lovers populate the Afghan Whigs' sexually charged landscape as plentifully as photos of Nicole Brown-Simpson and Ron Goldman populated American television screens in the fall of 1995. And perhaps Dulli did take some inspiration from the cultural zeitgeist, but I imagine that "Black Love" is an attempt to further the Whigs' musico-sexual tension, mining the well for lust and anger, and the occasional piece of quasi-sincerity.
The tone for the record is set with the sprawling and cinematic "Crime Scene Part One". You nearly hear the credits crawl up the mental screen, and see the fade in as ending sound collage gives way to the beginning of the next track, "My Enemy". Opening up with an accusation, and featuring impassioned shouting from Dulli, "My Enemy" is one of the most aggressive, and certainly the most relentless track on the record, as Dulli sings "so get your ass out from behind my back". Dulli's character isn't fucking around, and it's your life if you decide to test him - "I told you once, and I told you all, and I told it like it was".
"Double Day" is the flashback, where the narrator explains that he "came home late, drunk with love, and other things". Taking the aggression down a few notches, the song weaves its way around the arpeggiated guitar riff, until the shouted chorus.
It's on "Blame, Etc." where they funk it up a bit, and give us some of the sexy, slinky grooves that are the Whigs' stock-in-trade. Listen close for the insistently bouncy clavinet, and the seventies soul percussion. Here is Dulli showing some of his strongest influences, while making sure you know that it's him, and not some mere copycat pushing these grooves. Of course, it's just the foreplay for the steamy, sweating love making of "Step Into the Light".
During the post-coital cool-down, we get hit by the dark, yet bouncy, "Going to Town". More than just a bridge between the quiet "Step Into the Light" and "Honky's Ladder", "Going to Town" is a declaration of intent for wrongdoing that can only be resolved when Dulli sings "Got you where I want you, motherfucker, I got five up on your dime" in "Honky's Ladder". Here's the climax, and ultimate confrontation between Dulli's narrator and antagonist. With gun pressed firmly to the head of the antagonist, Dulli monologues to inform the guy that he will not survive the next 4 minutes. Punctuated by McCollum's slide guitar, however, the song takes on an emotional atmosphere of nervous energy, broken only by the soaring choruses. The fadeout of the song robs us of any finality for the situation though, as "Night By Candlelight" bubbles to the surface.
"Night By Candlelight" with its orchestration and tympani maybe the most indulgent track on the record, but this quality helps to preserve the cinematic feel of the record by providing the often inflated-sounding scores present in your standard murder mystery flick.
The jarring changes of "Bulletproof", which fluctuates between pomp-rock swagger and soul-inflected Tamla beats foreshadows the coming denouement - especially where the piano track sounds like it's starting to unravel (check just after the 6 minute mark). "Summer's Kiss" continues the unraveling by beginning with seemingly incongruous riffs, resolving to a frayed rhythm figured barely held together by a refrigerator-falling-down-an-elevator-shaft drum beat. Rising above the tight-but-loose performance is an almost optimistic vocal from Dulli. Did the narrator get away with it, and he takes his best girl off to ride into the sunset? It's implied that this could be the case by a reprise of the train sounds the open the record as "summer's Kiss" flows into "Faded".
"Faded" sounds exactly like the kind of audio montage you get when the screen fades to black, and the screen reads "Cast: in order of appearance" while Dulli pleads with the girl, asking if she believes in him. The piano driven seduction is augmented by McCollum's wah-drenched licks as Dulli delivered what may be his most impassioned vocal on the album. Here's a band saving the best for last - lush background vocals, stacks of melodies, loads of breathing room, with waves of intensity. With a little more then 2 minutes remaining, McCollum's wah-wah guitar part becomes a doubled slide guitar lick. When the wave crests, it breaks into a tinkling piano figure over the sound of an arriving train. Fade to black, get out of your seat, throw your popcorn cup away, leave the theatre, and get the Blu-Ray on release date, etc...
For all the twists and turns Dulli takes in the tone of his lyrics, he delineates clear characters that suggest a plot, but don't quite confirm that the plot is there. Let's face it, "Black Love" is damn near a concept record, missing only a clear-cut narrative to tie everything together. Perhaps what makes this album so successful is the fact that the story is only suggested, allowing you to dig into the song on your own, and see the images the way you feel them, rather than having to follow a heavy handed script with highlighted plot points. Some of the better near-concept albums succeed when the songwriter leaves enough room in the songs for the listener to find their own place in the piece. It's the difference between an album like the Roger Waters' "Radio KAOS", where Waters provides a libretto, and an album like Pink Floyd's "Animals", where a concept is implied, but no narrative crystallized (beyond the obvious reference to Orwell).
But if you put all that aside, this is just a single disc with 11 damn good songs. Any song from "Black Love" can stand on its own, but one cannot deny the power of experiencing them all in sequence. Or, more simply, to paraphrase a colleague of mine, this album is so good that it nearly renders the rest of their catalogue obsolete. And that's really what happened with the 'Whigs, since they only managed to follow the album up with the uneven (yet still enjoyable) "1965", before disbanding. Greg Dulli has since gone on to make a new name for himself with the Twilight Singers, and the Gutter Twins with gravel throated Mark Lanegan, reuniting with his former partners to record a couple tracks for a best-of comp (and let's acknowledge how admirable it is that they did not reform for a bloated reunion tour - it's never the same the second time around).
So get your hands on this one, and give a listen in a dimly lit room, perhaps while burning a stick of incense in the variety of the album's namesake, and let yourself be transported through what might be the Afghan Whigs' darkest, yet most delightful, hour.
Farewell Citizens.
Continuing the cinematic tone set on "Gentlemen" (replete with a 'shot on location' credit in the production notes), "Black Love" unfolds like a film noir murder ballad in 11 parts. Which really isn't surprising considering Greg Dulli, the front man/primary songwriter/producer of the Whigs' output, explored the idea of producing a film noir movie.
"Black Love" was recorded through August and September of 1995 - a little over a year after the nation watched cinema verite play out before it in the form of a low-speed chase involving LAPD cruisers and a white, Ford Bronco. This being the case, it's too easy to picture "Black Love" as a reaction to the O.J. Simpson case, since murder, infidelity, and jilted lovers populate the Afghan Whigs' sexually charged landscape as plentifully as photos of Nicole Brown-Simpson and Ron Goldman populated American television screens in the fall of 1995. And perhaps Dulli did take some inspiration from the cultural zeitgeist, but I imagine that "Black Love" is an attempt to further the Whigs' musico-sexual tension, mining the well for lust and anger, and the occasional piece of quasi-sincerity.
The tone for the record is set with the sprawling and cinematic "Crime Scene Part One". You nearly hear the credits crawl up the mental screen, and see the fade in as ending sound collage gives way to the beginning of the next track, "My Enemy". Opening up with an accusation, and featuring impassioned shouting from Dulli, "My Enemy" is one of the most aggressive, and certainly the most relentless track on the record, as Dulli sings "so get your ass out from behind my back". Dulli's character isn't fucking around, and it's your life if you decide to test him - "I told you once, and I told you all, and I told it like it was".
"Double Day" is the flashback, where the narrator explains that he "came home late, drunk with love, and other things". Taking the aggression down a few notches, the song weaves its way around the arpeggiated guitar riff, until the shouted chorus.
It's on "Blame, Etc." where they funk it up a bit, and give us some of the sexy, slinky grooves that are the Whigs' stock-in-trade. Listen close for the insistently bouncy clavinet, and the seventies soul percussion. Here is Dulli showing some of his strongest influences, while making sure you know that it's him, and not some mere copycat pushing these grooves. Of course, it's just the foreplay for the steamy, sweating love making of "Step Into the Light".
During the post-coital cool-down, we get hit by the dark, yet bouncy, "Going to Town". More than just a bridge between the quiet "Step Into the Light" and "Honky's Ladder", "Going to Town" is a declaration of intent for wrongdoing that can only be resolved when Dulli sings "Got you where I want you, motherfucker, I got five up on your dime" in "Honky's Ladder". Here's the climax, and ultimate confrontation between Dulli's narrator and antagonist. With gun pressed firmly to the head of the antagonist, Dulli monologues to inform the guy that he will not survive the next 4 minutes. Punctuated by McCollum's slide guitar, however, the song takes on an emotional atmosphere of nervous energy, broken only by the soaring choruses. The fadeout of the song robs us of any finality for the situation though, as "Night By Candlelight" bubbles to the surface.
"Night By Candlelight" with its orchestration and tympani maybe the most indulgent track on the record, but this quality helps to preserve the cinematic feel of the record by providing the often inflated-sounding scores present in your standard murder mystery flick.
The jarring changes of "Bulletproof", which fluctuates between pomp-rock swagger and soul-inflected Tamla beats foreshadows the coming denouement - especially where the piano track sounds like it's starting to unravel (check just after the 6 minute mark). "Summer's Kiss" continues the unraveling by beginning with seemingly incongruous riffs, resolving to a frayed rhythm figured barely held together by a refrigerator-falling-down-an-elevator-shaft drum beat. Rising above the tight-but-loose performance is an almost optimistic vocal from Dulli. Did the narrator get away with it, and he takes his best girl off to ride into the sunset? It's implied that this could be the case by a reprise of the train sounds the open the record as "summer's Kiss" flows into "Faded".
"Faded" sounds exactly like the kind of audio montage you get when the screen fades to black, and the screen reads "Cast: in order of appearance" while Dulli pleads with the girl, asking if she believes in him. The piano driven seduction is augmented by McCollum's wah-drenched licks as Dulli delivered what may be his most impassioned vocal on the album. Here's a band saving the best for last - lush background vocals, stacks of melodies, loads of breathing room, with waves of intensity. With a little more then 2 minutes remaining, McCollum's wah-wah guitar part becomes a doubled slide guitar lick. When the wave crests, it breaks into a tinkling piano figure over the sound of an arriving train. Fade to black, get out of your seat, throw your popcorn cup away, leave the theatre, and get the Blu-Ray on release date, etc...
For all the twists and turns Dulli takes in the tone of his lyrics, he delineates clear characters that suggest a plot, but don't quite confirm that the plot is there. Let's face it, "Black Love" is damn near a concept record, missing only a clear-cut narrative to tie everything together. Perhaps what makes this album so successful is the fact that the story is only suggested, allowing you to dig into the song on your own, and see the images the way you feel them, rather than having to follow a heavy handed script with highlighted plot points. Some of the better near-concept albums succeed when the songwriter leaves enough room in the songs for the listener to find their own place in the piece. It's the difference between an album like the Roger Waters' "Radio KAOS", where Waters provides a libretto, and an album like Pink Floyd's "Animals", where a concept is implied, but no narrative crystallized (beyond the obvious reference to Orwell).
But if you put all that aside, this is just a single disc with 11 damn good songs. Any song from "Black Love" can stand on its own, but one cannot deny the power of experiencing them all in sequence. Or, more simply, to paraphrase a colleague of mine, this album is so good that it nearly renders the rest of their catalogue obsolete. And that's really what happened with the 'Whigs, since they only managed to follow the album up with the uneven (yet still enjoyable) "1965", before disbanding. Greg Dulli has since gone on to make a new name for himself with the Twilight Singers, and the Gutter Twins with gravel throated Mark Lanegan, reuniting with his former partners to record a couple tracks for a best-of comp (and let's acknowledge how admirable it is that they did not reform for a bloated reunion tour - it's never the same the second time around).
So get your hands on this one, and give a listen in a dimly lit room, perhaps while burning a stick of incense in the variety of the album's namesake, and let yourself be transported through what might be the Afghan Whigs' darkest, yet most delightful, hour.
Farewell Citizens.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Ruminations on changing band line ups.
If a band has only a single original member remaining in the lineup, who is not the front man, can that band still refer to themselves by the name they were founded with? I don't know that I have the answer to this, but it's a question that has been troubling me since I saw the recent Guitar World with Lynyrd Skynyrd on the cover. At this point in time, Gary Rossington, one of three guitarists, is the only founding member of the band who is still alive. Yes, Ronnie Van Zant was replaced by his brother Johnny, and current guitarist Ricky Medlocke played drums with the band in an early incarnation before fronting Blackfoot (the poor-man's Skynyrd), but is the band still really Lynyrd Skynyrd?
Some of the guys in the band now, have been playing with them for about a decade, making them official members of the band. So, if Gary Rossington dies, does Skynyrd carry on under the familiar Confederate banner? By a similar line of questioning, what if the original front man - who embodied the overall vibe of the band - is gone, but the other sidemen carry on under the name. The prime example would be Thin Lizzy. Phil Lynott WAS Thin Lizzy. He wrote the songs, his personality carried the band. So in his passing, the remaining members may be better off calling themselves Thin Lizzy Tribute?
What if Trent Reznor carries Nine Inch Nails for the next 10 years with the exact same lineup, making his sidemen official members of the band, including them in songwriting duties and granting them carte blanche to represent the band individually in interviews. The Trent decides to call it quits, but the rest of the guys stay together. Can they still be Nine Inch Nails?
Farewell Citizens
Some of the guys in the band now, have been playing with them for about a decade, making them official members of the band. So, if Gary Rossington dies, does Skynyrd carry on under the familiar Confederate banner? By a similar line of questioning, what if the original front man - who embodied the overall vibe of the band - is gone, but the other sidemen carry on under the name. The prime example would be Thin Lizzy. Phil Lynott WAS Thin Lizzy. He wrote the songs, his personality carried the band. So in his passing, the remaining members may be better off calling themselves Thin Lizzy Tribute?
What if Trent Reznor carries Nine Inch Nails for the next 10 years with the exact same lineup, making his sidemen official members of the band, including them in songwriting duties and granting them carte blanche to represent the band individually in interviews. The Trent decides to call it quits, but the rest of the guys stay together. Can they still be Nine Inch Nails?
Farewell Citizens
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Backspacer by Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam has always been a band that firmly looks forward, while walking backward. This is a good thing, really. Let me explain. See, they are forward thinking with their current business model, and the way they want to make albums that are distinct from their previous output, while remaining true to their established ethic. But they walk backward in the sense that they aren't afraid to acknowledge the music from the past that has made the biggest impact on the individual members.
Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard have some punk roots from playing in Green River, Matt Cameron cut his teeth in Soundgarden. Mike McCready has a metal and blues background, and Eddie Vedder brings loads of classic rock and pop sensibilities to the table. Together, they openly pluck bits from their influences, and make a sound that is distinctly Pearl Jam. You can easily point out the influence on any part of a song without that song sounding like a pastiche. Again, this is a good thing.
With eight albums under their collective belts, several concert recordings, a greatest hits comp, and a B-Sides anthology, They could very well start their version of the classic rock retread. However, they hit us with their ninth revolution - a lean, mean, rock and roll snapshot called Backspacer.
For me, listening to a Pearl Jam record (or any record, for that matter) is like unpacking a large box. My ears pass over each song multiple times, combing for the little details, hoping to catch a glint of something shiny. When I find those details and shiny bits, I go over the song again and again. The best part of this approach is that, years later, I'll still find some little lick, snare drum hit, or bass note, or guitar effect that I hadn't noticed before, and it sparks an emotional reaction. Maybe that's just me. I'd like to take this space and opportunity to share what I've picked up from unpacking Backspacer, so far.
1. Gonna See My Friend
Opening with much the same kind of energy as "Breakerfall" from Pearl Jam's Binaural, this song is the first of the three gut-punches that open this record. The rhythm of the song is reminiscent of Iggy and the Stooges' "Search and Destroy" in spots, and it plows straight ahead with a punk rock fury. Cool little ear moment: the spots where it sounds like the bass line is being doubled by a six-string bass (or a baritone guitar).
2. Got Some
The second gut-punch. Jeff Ament plays some bass licks that would make Sting salivate while Mike McCready channels Andy Summers. Do I need to state obvious regarding who is bringing in a bit of Mr. Copeland? This track is more Outlandos d'Amour than Synchronicity. Ear moment(s): The small rack tom taking the place of the high-hat during the intro. The fact there is only one verse, and the rest of the song is a cycle of the "B" and "C" sections of the song. The little "Ahh's" that come in just after the 1 minute mark.
3. The Fixer
The third gut-punch, and another song with a detectable Police edge to it. This could very well be Pearl Jam's first decidedly pop offering. Vedder dishes out his lyrics with an accessible melody, while the rest of the band chigs it out behind him. Ear moments: The intro is in 5/4 time, the verses are in 6/4. You can't tell until you try to dance to it. The guitar in the right channel is treated with a distorted effect that makes it sound synth-like. Jeff ament's bass line during the bridge.
4. Johnny Guitar
The song opens with a subdued version of The Who's bombastic style. Eddie fires off lines clogged with more words than most would try to sing, a la Elvis Costello. This is Pearl Jam having fun with a song about sexuality in the form of a young man falling in love with a girl on an album cover. Gone is the gravitas of songs like Betterman, leaving the once dour Vedder no choice but to sing with a smile. Ear moments: I swear Matt Cameron is singing some back up vocals during the end. The odd-time break in the middle of the song.
5. Just Breathe
A finger picked beauty that would have been at home on The Who By Numbers or Who Are You. Pearl Jam damn near goes country here, and still makes it sound good. Ear moments: The string section throughout. Jeff Ament's bass playing, and the little country double-stops after the bridge.
6. Amongst The Waves
This song could be the hidden gem of this record. Contemplative verses and anthemic choruses give way to a soaring solo. I almost feel the stamp of Neil Finn on this track with Vedder's vocal melodies. Ear moments: The half time feel of the drums during the choruses. The aforementioned solo.
7. Unthought Known
Dynamically, this song is a spiritual successor to Riot Act's "Love Boat Captain", but it smacks of U2 as well. The intro, and the build up, the climbing vocals. All that's missing is some delay, and Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. Ear moments: Every time Eddie hits those notes at the top of his range. The guitar melody that weaves in and out near the end.
8. Supersonic
To sum this song up the simplest way possible - The Ramones with a piano. The song bounces along with a "Cretin Hop" kind of vibe. It's another fun track. Ear moments: The funky breakdown, and the slide guitar during the intro.
9. Speed of Sound
A 12/8 shuffle groove propels this song forward while Eddie sings a melody that would be right at home in the mid-80's. The music itself has the feeling of a Pete Townshend-ish ballad, while the lyrics have a storyteller quality to them. From an instrumental standpoint, this is possibly one of the most layered tunes they've ever put out, which brings me to the ear moments: the here-and-there synthesizers, the vocal harmonies, and Marxophone.
10. Force of Nature
Another rocker with a steady rhythm, and another anthemic chorus. Yet again, I feel a touch of Neil Finn in the vocal performance. As always, Vedder is not afraid to wear his influences on his sleeves. The choruses lift, contrasting the downward cast of the verses. The middle-eight sustain the lift, only to drop back into the verse groove. Ear moments: Cowbell. Mike's solo at the end of the track.
11. The End
Could this be Pearl Jam's "Good Night"? After the high energy riffage of most of this record, Vedder tucks you in at the end with a lullaby in the form of "The End". This is another song that makes tasteful use of orchestration, and fingerpicked guitar lines. Ear moment: The way Vedder's voice cracks in spots. Full of emotion.
So after 18 years together and 9 albums, we finally have, on a studio album, the sound of Pearl Jam having fun. And with that, I'm packing the album back up, and setting it aside to listen to it again tomorrow. Who knows - I may even detect more ear moments.
Farewell citizens.
Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard have some punk roots from playing in Green River, Matt Cameron cut his teeth in Soundgarden. Mike McCready has a metal and blues background, and Eddie Vedder brings loads of classic rock and pop sensibilities to the table. Together, they openly pluck bits from their influences, and make a sound that is distinctly Pearl Jam. You can easily point out the influence on any part of a song without that song sounding like a pastiche. Again, this is a good thing.
With eight albums under their collective belts, several concert recordings, a greatest hits comp, and a B-Sides anthology, They could very well start their version of the classic rock retread. However, they hit us with their ninth revolution - a lean, mean, rock and roll snapshot called Backspacer.
For me, listening to a Pearl Jam record (or any record, for that matter) is like unpacking a large box. My ears pass over each song multiple times, combing for the little details, hoping to catch a glint of something shiny. When I find those details and shiny bits, I go over the song again and again. The best part of this approach is that, years later, I'll still find some little lick, snare drum hit, or bass note, or guitar effect that I hadn't noticed before, and it sparks an emotional reaction. Maybe that's just me. I'd like to take this space and opportunity to share what I've picked up from unpacking Backspacer, so far.
1. Gonna See My Friend
Opening with much the same kind of energy as "Breakerfall" from Pearl Jam's Binaural, this song is the first of the three gut-punches that open this record. The rhythm of the song is reminiscent of Iggy and the Stooges' "Search and Destroy" in spots, and it plows straight ahead with a punk rock fury. Cool little ear moment: the spots where it sounds like the bass line is being doubled by a six-string bass (or a baritone guitar).
2. Got Some
The second gut-punch. Jeff Ament plays some bass licks that would make Sting salivate while Mike McCready channels Andy Summers. Do I need to state obvious regarding who is bringing in a bit of Mr. Copeland? This track is more Outlandos d'Amour than Synchronicity. Ear moment(s): The small rack tom taking the place of the high-hat during the intro. The fact there is only one verse, and the rest of the song is a cycle of the "B" and "C" sections of the song. The little "Ahh's" that come in just after the 1 minute mark.
3. The Fixer
The third gut-punch, and another song with a detectable Police edge to it. This could very well be Pearl Jam's first decidedly pop offering. Vedder dishes out his lyrics with an accessible melody, while the rest of the band chigs it out behind him. Ear moments: The intro is in 5/4 time, the verses are in 6/4. You can't tell until you try to dance to it. The guitar in the right channel is treated with a distorted effect that makes it sound synth-like. Jeff ament's bass line during the bridge.
4. Johnny Guitar
The song opens with a subdued version of The Who's bombastic style. Eddie fires off lines clogged with more words than most would try to sing, a la Elvis Costello. This is Pearl Jam having fun with a song about sexuality in the form of a young man falling in love with a girl on an album cover. Gone is the gravitas of songs like Betterman, leaving the once dour Vedder no choice but to sing with a smile. Ear moments: I swear Matt Cameron is singing some back up vocals during the end. The odd-time break in the middle of the song.
5. Just Breathe
A finger picked beauty that would have been at home on The Who By Numbers or Who Are You. Pearl Jam damn near goes country here, and still makes it sound good. Ear moments: The string section throughout. Jeff Ament's bass playing, and the little country double-stops after the bridge.
6. Amongst The Waves
This song could be the hidden gem of this record. Contemplative verses and anthemic choruses give way to a soaring solo. I almost feel the stamp of Neil Finn on this track with Vedder's vocal melodies. Ear moments: The half time feel of the drums during the choruses. The aforementioned solo.
7. Unthought Known
Dynamically, this song is a spiritual successor to Riot Act's "Love Boat Captain", but it smacks of U2 as well. The intro, and the build up, the climbing vocals. All that's missing is some delay, and Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. Ear moments: Every time Eddie hits those notes at the top of his range. The guitar melody that weaves in and out near the end.
8. Supersonic
To sum this song up the simplest way possible - The Ramones with a piano. The song bounces along with a "Cretin Hop" kind of vibe. It's another fun track. Ear moments: The funky breakdown, and the slide guitar during the intro.
9. Speed of Sound
A 12/8 shuffle groove propels this song forward while Eddie sings a melody that would be right at home in the mid-80's. The music itself has the feeling of a Pete Townshend-ish ballad, while the lyrics have a storyteller quality to them. From an instrumental standpoint, this is possibly one of the most layered tunes they've ever put out, which brings me to the ear moments: the here-and-there synthesizers, the vocal harmonies, and Marxophone.
10. Force of Nature
Another rocker with a steady rhythm, and another anthemic chorus. Yet again, I feel a touch of Neil Finn in the vocal performance. As always, Vedder is not afraid to wear his influences on his sleeves. The choruses lift, contrasting the downward cast of the verses. The middle-eight sustain the lift, only to drop back into the verse groove. Ear moments: Cowbell. Mike's solo at the end of the track.
11. The End
Could this be Pearl Jam's "Good Night"? After the high energy riffage of most of this record, Vedder tucks you in at the end with a lullaby in the form of "The End". This is another song that makes tasteful use of orchestration, and fingerpicked guitar lines. Ear moment: The way Vedder's voice cracks in spots. Full of emotion.
So after 18 years together and 9 albums, we finally have, on a studio album, the sound of Pearl Jam having fun. And with that, I'm packing the album back up, and setting it aside to listen to it again tomorrow. Who knows - I may even detect more ear moments.
Farewell citizens.
Monday, September 21, 2009
So, the new Pearl Jam album...
Absolutely rocks. Period. I will be posting a full report soon, but for now, I just want to share a quote from Pearl Jam front-man Eddie Vedder.
Farewell, citizens.
“There's something about this infusion of energy. It's a tangible thing that gives you as much energy as a drug. It can change the shape of your mood. I think [rock music] is the greatest art form there is, because there's so many elements to it, volume being one of them. But momentum, and rhythm, and the literary side of a good lyric, it can really transport you.”This is true about "Backspacer", and it's true about any good music. I read this quote today, and I felt it. I knew exactly what Eddie meant when he said it. That's all I have for now, but I hope to be able to provide my full opinion of "Backspacer" later this week.
Farewell, citizens.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Trout Mask Replica - Captain Beefheart
I just listened to the Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band album "Trout Mask Replica" earlier today. My final verdict on "Trout Mask Replica" is that it is a sonic sculpture, fashioned from jagged rock, dynamited into shape, with the edges further sharpened. From a distance, it's pleasing to the eyes [ears], but the closer you get the more you realize how dangerous it would be to touch the sculpture. I dug it. It's way the hell out there.
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