Jeff Ament Jan 2024: we made this record like a year ago Jeff Ament Summer 2023: we've got a few things recorded, I really don't know where it's at right now
Jeff Ament Jan 2024: we made this record like a year ago Jeff Ament Summer 2023: we've got a few things recorded, I really don't know where it's at right now
If the 2023 quote is from the interview I think it was, he was also clearly annoyed that Stone had said the album was close to done.
I love Jeff. I don't trust him to tell us the truth on these things.
“We made this record like a year ago," Ament told the audience. “We’ve been sitting on it.”
“Gigaton” surprised many fans and critics with how hard-rocking it was. The new one goes even harder. It's almost athletic in its speed, aggression, and tenacity, sounding like it would make men of their age sore in the aftermath.
While Vedder remains the face and voice of the band, the star of this album is drummer Matt Cameron, who joined the Jam in 1998 after starting out with Soundgarden.
His relentless pounding opens many of the 11 tracks, and drowns out his bandmates' playing and Vedder's vocals at times.
“It's one of the greatest drum records we’ve ever made,” Vedders said to cheers from a crowd that included Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. “Matt Cameron is just playing out of his skull, especially seeing as how it’s our last record.”
Jeff Ament Jan 2024: we made this record like a year ago Jeff Ament Summer 2023: we've got a few things recorded, I really don't know where it's at right now
Jeff Ament Jan 2024: we made this record like a year ago Jeff Ament Summer 2023: we've got a few things recorded, I really don't know where it's at right now
these two statements go together. I'm not in the industry but usually takes a while to release a big band's album with marketing, releases, lining up with a tour. They were talking about recording new music in 2022.
the absolutely do not. "a few things recorded" 6 months after it was "in the can" are not at all the same thing.
Argh. I had a pretty good feeling that if I went over there today, I would have been able to hear this from the back alley. I used to live 1,000 feet from the Troubadour. If I still lived there, it would have been a no-brainer. But for some reason, I decided it wasn't worth risking a 20-minute drive over there without actual knowledge that the event was taking place (which I only sort of had as of early this afternoon). Kicking myself.
Dude i wouldnt worry, hearing an album partially through walls and catching snippets in low quality sound really isnt the way you want to hear the new stuff. It'll soon be out, and you can sit back with a beer or two, with your lossless headphones on and savour it fresh. Its the best way.
From the sound of that back-alley recording, it actually sounds like it was crystal-clear in the alley (if not on the recording).
I don't have headphones, but I will definitely look forward to listening to the record in SurroundSound in my living room on on full blast in my car while enjoying an ice-cold Diet Coke. But none of that would have been spoiled by getting a preview yesterday. Mainly, it's just that it would have been so easy for me to go over there that I'm kicking myself.
Jeff Ament Jan 2024: we made this record like a year ago Jeff Ament Summer 2023: we've got a few things recorded, I really don't know where it's at right now
these two statements go together. I'm not in the industry but usually takes a while to release a big band's album with marketing, releases, lining up with a tour. They were talking about recording new music in 2022.
the absolutely do not. "a few things recorded" 6 months after it was "in the can" are not at all the same thing.
But Jeff’s the one who does most of the art direction, so when Stone’s work is finished he still has all of that left to do. He might honestly have a very different idea of “finished” than the other guys.
“We made this record like a year ago," Ament told the audience. “We’ve been sitting on it.”
“Gigaton” surprised many fans and critics with how hard-rocking it was. The new one goes even harder. It's almost athletic in its speed, aggression, and tenacity, sounding like it would make men of their age sore in the aftermath.
While Vedder remains the face and voice of the band, the star of this album is drummer Matt Cameron, who joined the Jam in 1998 after starting out with Soundgarden.
His relentless pounding opens many of the 11 tracks, and drowns out his bandmates' playing and Vedder's vocals at times.
“It's one of the greatest drum records we’ve ever made,” Vedders said to cheers from a crowd that included Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. “Matt Cameron is just playing out of his skull, especially seeing as how it’s our last record.”
That bolded sentence annoys me for some reason.
I was told by Josh last June that the recording of the album was done, so I never took Jeff's comments seriously.
Jeff Ament Jan 2024: we made this record like a year ago Jeff Ament Summer 2023: we've got a few things recorded, I really don't know where it's at right now
these two statements go together. I'm not in the industry but usually takes a while to release a big band's album with marketing, releases, lining up with a tour. They were talking about recording new music in 2022.
the absolutely do not. "a few things recorded" 6 months after it was "in the can" are not at all the same thing.
But Jeff’s the one who does most of the art direction, so when Stone’s work is finished he still has all of that left to do. He might honestly have a very different idea of “finished” than the other guys.
In one of his podcast interviews over the summer he was downright defiant that the songs weren't done and he implied that he wanted to push Eddie and Mike to push themselves a bit more. It was in June and he said they were taking a break for the summer and regrouping in September to revisit the tracks. Quite the ruse.
Jeff Ament Jan 2024: we made this record like a year ago Jeff Ament Summer 2023: we've got a few things recorded, I really don't know where it's at right now
these two statements go together. I'm not in the industry but usually takes a while to release a big band's album with marketing, releases, lining up with a tour. They were talking about recording new music in 2022.
the absolutely do not. "a few things recorded" 6 months after it was "in the can" are not at all the same thing.
But Jeff’s the one who does most of the art direction, so when Stone’s work is finished he still has all of that left to do. He might honestly have a very different idea of “finished” than the other guys.
he talked specifically about how far along the MUSIC was, not the art and all of that other stuff.
Jeff Ament Jan 2024: we made this record like a year ago Jeff Ament Summer 2023: we've got a few things recorded, I really don't know where it's at right now
these two statements go together. I'm not in the industry but usually takes a while to release a big band's album with marketing, releases, lining up with a tour. They were talking about recording new music in 2022.
the absolutely do not. "a few things recorded" 6 months after it was "in the can" are not at all the same thing.
But Jeff’s the one who does most of the art direction, so when Stone’s work is finished he still has all of that left to do. He might honestly have a very different idea of “finished” than the other guys.
Saying “a few things recorded” is also so vague. That quite easily translate to “we have an albums worth of music done and I’m not going to announce it yet”
Jeff Ament Jan 2024: we made this record like a year ago Jeff Ament Summer 2023: we've got a few things recorded, I really don't know where it's at right now
these two statements go together. I'm not in the industry but usually takes a while to release a big band's album with marketing, releases, lining up with a tour. They were talking about recording new music in 2022.
the absolutely do not. "a few things recorded" 6 months after it was "in the can" are not at all the same thing.
But Jeff’s the one who does most of the art direction, so when Stone’s work is finished he still has all of that left to do. He might honestly have a very different idea of “finished” than the other guys.
I think you nailed it here. I bet Jeff doesn't actively start the artwork until he's had time to listen to the album in order for a while. I am sure that he has ideas brewing the entire time, but needs the finished product first before he really gets into it. These guys take an old school and traditional approach to creating and sharing an album because it's what they loved about their favorite bands before them, and continue to do it even if the landscape of how people approach listening to music has changed. They are still very much into the "ritual" of spinning the black circle, and know that a chunk of their fans still are as well. In Jeff's eyes, the album may only be 60 or 70% done with the recording, mixing, and mastering complete.
I for one am excited for this album, like I am for all of their new stuff. To me, they rarely disappoint. I liked Gigaton a lot. I would love to see them take the direction of more songs like Quick Escape, and maybe that's what they're going for here? Hoping for a more riff-heavy album, and where it's not good hard rock, I hope it gets dark, moody, and trippy like Alright.
With a guy like Watt being a mega fan of the band, there's a great chance he knows how to guide them through this process to maximize their strengths. I think Watt also knows what constitutes a hit these days and how to put a modern spin on a classic band.
My hope is that Dark Matter is to Pearl Jam what Death Magnetic is to Metallica.
The stretching people are doing to make Jeff's words not seem like they contradicted themselves is fun to watch.
Maybe... But this is the same band that presumably also pulled almost a full album's worth of material after the release of Can't Deny Me, too. It could be that especially after doing something like that, that there's an actual hesitation to commit to delivering music until they're absolutely sure about it. It's usually better to under-promise and over-deliver than the opposite.
Band members being asked is album ready yet equals annoying brats in back seat asking if we are there yet
and the way they roll out music is their call...who cares, if they didnt say a word and just dropped it vs the lead up....the date is the date, its just a question of if YOUR uptight, not them
The center kinda looked like a backspacer-esque disc with Dark Mattter written on it. And then circles or swirls in rainbow colors going all around it. Kinda like this.
Jeff Ament Jan 2024: we made this record like a year ago Jeff Ament Summer 2023: we've got a few things recorded, I really don't know where it's at right now
these two statements go together. I'm not in the industry but usually takes a while to release a big band's album with marketing, releases, lining up with a tour. They were talking about recording new music in 2022.
the absolutely do not. "a few things recorded" 6 months after it was "in the can" are not at all the same thing.
But Jeff’s the one who does most of the art direction, so when Stone’s work is finished he still has all of that left to do. He might honestly have a very different idea of “finished” than the other guys.
In one of his podcast interviews over the summer he was downright defiant that the songs weren't done and he implied that he wanted to push Eddie and Mike to push themselves a bit more. It was in June and he said they were taking a break for the summer and regrouping in September to revisit the tracks. Quite the ruse.
At the time, that interview seemed like the most honest take I'd heard on the band from a member. There was a clear sense of disappointment about the band not meeting their potential, and it made me wonder whether they might be nearing the end of the road. He was talking about how they had everything they needed to be great, with the clear implication that he felt they could do better. I believe the line was "We should be killing it right now..."
Comments
I love Jeff. I don't trust him to tell us the truth on these things.
"...I changed by not changing at all..."
www.headstonesband.com
www.headstonesband.com
I don't have headphones, but I will definitely look forward to listening to the record in SurroundSound in my living room on on full blast in my car while enjoying an ice-cold Diet Coke. But none of that would have been spoiled by getting a preview yesterday. Mainly, it's just that it would have been so easy for me to go over there that I'm kicking myself.
www.cluthelee.com
www.cluthe.com
www.headstonesband.com
www.headstonesband.com
I for one am excited for this album, like I am for all of their new stuff. To me, they rarely disappoint. I liked Gigaton a lot. I would love to see them take the direction of more songs like Quick Escape, and maybe that's what they're going for here? Hoping for a more riff-heavy album, and where it's not good hard rock, I hope it gets dark, moody, and trippy like Alright.
With a guy like Watt being a mega fan of the band, there's a great chance he knows how to guide them through this process to maximize their strengths. I think Watt also knows what constitutes a hit these days and how to put a modern spin on a classic band.
My hope is that Dark Matter is to Pearl Jam what Death Magnetic is to Metallica.
and the way they roll out music is their call...who cares, if they didnt say a word and just dropped it vs the lead up....the date is the date, its just a question of if YOUR uptight, not them
www.headstonesband.com
Very hard to know what to make of all that.