Avocado: oh how I wish you were better.

LloydChristmas

Murderers wrote:

It seems like some people have closed minds towards the album. I may be wrong though.

On a nicer note, Avocado fucking owns!!!!!!!

Closeminded would be those fans who can't except that PJ is capable of making an album that many fans feel its not their best work. Some of us think that we can't have a negative opinion towards any song or album...thats close minded. Its clear that many of us feel this is not their better album or work. In the past other albums have not recieved the criticism that Avocado recieves. So I don't feel as bad not liking this album as much. I don't feel alone with this opinion.

harmless_little_f***

Murderers wrote:

It seems like some people have closed minds towards the album. I may be wrong though.

On a nicer note, Avocado fucking owns!!!!!!!

If 'closed-minded' means a capacity to think for myself and be critical, yeah.. I don't mind that.

muppet

I think the weak point for this album for me is Vedder's voice, or at least the production on it (of which I have zero knowledge about)

I just think he sounds sloppy and drunk. Maybe that was the idea? I know that he's never been the most polished of singers but on this album in particular, he just sounded weird. Too over the top on Come Back and Inside Job for instance (what the fuck is with him over-pronouncing every word in that song? "I used to try and kiiiil love, it was the HIIIIIIGHEST siiin...")

Lyrically as always, he's fantastic and I thought the band were great. I don't want to sound like nit-picking or being pedantic because I do like this album. It just could have been more, I think.

EDIT: I'll go rank the songs because I like doing it. And it is musically theraputic for me in a bizzare way.

Life Wasted - brilliant song and a brilliant opener. One of my favourites, and I love the breakdown after the solo ("darkness comes in waves...")

World Wide Suicide - again, this is fantastic. There seems to be some sort of backlash to this song, but I don't see why Pearl Jam aren't "allowed" to make a catchy song (ever listened to Ten? ). The vocals are part of my problem with Vedder on this album, though. ("You got to know there's a bannana, bannana, bannana, bannana...")

Comatose - love the opening riff but after that it doesn't really do anything for me. It's not bad but it just sounds like a sub-standard Blood knockoff.

Severed Hand - I don't know what to make of this song. Sometimes I love it, sometimes it's just a bit boring. It doesn't help that the riff is basically the riff from Porch. It's a great live song though, and I like Vedder's vocals (love the way he says "Gooooot some kicks, wanna take a ride...")

Marker In The Sand - good song with a fantastic closure. That "hey hey hey" bit at the end is brilliant.

Parachutes - boring, rubbish etc. It just plods along.

Unemployable - love the lyrics to this song but it seems unfinished. I think it could have really done with another verse or two. Again, Vedder sounds all over the place. But it's good.

Big Wave - great rocker. Don't get all of the hate.

Gone - I love the verses but don't like the chorus much, just a bit over the top. Great lyrics though. I think it would be more suited in a stripped down, "Nebraska" approach, with just Vedder and a guitar.

Wasted Reprise - really nice little song. If they didn't have Life Wasted already on, I would have liked to seen them build on this song a bit more.

Army Reserve - don't like it, mainly because of Vedder.

Come Back - almost ruined by Vedder. Almost. Beautiful lyrics and you can't argue with the final 20 seconds.

Inside Job - beautiful. First half is probably better than the second, but I wish they'd do more songs like this, with piano and the like. Like I said I think Vedder spoils it a bit but it's still great.

Hidden track - hope they make some sort of a song with that!

So maybe I like it a bit more than I thought but I still think that Vedder is the weak link.

LloydChristmas

muppet wrote:

I think the weak point for this album for me is Vedder's voice, or at least the production on it (of which I have zero knowledge about)

I just think he sounds sloppy and drunk. Maybe that was the idea? I know that he's never been the most polished of singers but on this album in particular, he just sounded weird. Too over the top on Come Back and Inside Job for instance (what the fuck is with him over-pronouncing every word in that song? "I used to try and kiiiil love, it was the HIIIIIIGHEST siiin...")

Lyrically as always, he's fantastic and I thought the band were great. I don't want to sound like nit-picking or being pedantic because I do like this album. It just could have been more, I think.

Good points.

Cropduster84

Vedder's voice, and the rest of the band, are let down by awful mixing on Avacado.....


Im glad Brendan O Brien is back with them on their next record, we may actually be able to hear what Ed is saying this time round.....

harmless_little_f***

Cropduster84 wrote:

Vedder's voice, and the rest of the band, are let down by awful mixing on Avacado.....


Im glad Brendan O Brien is back with them on their next record, we may actually be able to hear what Ed is saying this time round.....

The vocals don't bother me so much as the entire band..

This album sounds like it has 1 guitar (clean), 1 bass guitar (clean), one hammond organ (which puts it back a few decades) and a jazz drummer.

It's so thinly produced.

LikeAnOcean

My ONLY problem with Avocado are Ed's vocals. The last three or so albums have sucked for him vocally. Why does he sound so much better live?

Ed, if you're reading this, record the next one like you're in front of 100,000 fans please! No mumbling. Use your pipes!

Murderers.

harmless_little_f*** wrote:

If 'closed-minded' means a capacity to think for myself and be critical, yeah.. I don't mind that.

Oh, no I wasn't pointing that towards you. It's just...ahh forget it. It sounds stupid tbh.

harmless_little_f***

Murderers wrote:

Oh, no I wasn't pointing that towards you. It's just...ahh forget it. It sounds stupid tbh.

It's cool. I didn't necessarily think you were pointing it towards me. I think you're right, generally. Most PJ albums need to take time to digest, and I'm really annoyed that this one has had this much time, but I'm still not that bothered about it.

LikeAnOpeningBandForTheSun

LloydChristmas wrote:

ARMY RESERVE- This is another song that couldve been great but it seems fragmented. For me this seems to be the theme of the album. Some songs sound great for 40-50 seconds then it changes pace and something happens.

I agree totally. a alot of these songs sound like they were cobbled together from different songs. Most of the album has a jerky, thrown together mix of rythms, which is strange since they supposedly spent so much time on it.

josevolution

i haven't listened to any studio album in probably two yrs maybe longer but at the same time where the band is at this moment musically is exactly where i think they should be, and i believe when the next one happens to be released it will be exactly like it should be they are allways evolving not degressing ......i respect harmless opinion ..

VOLITION

I think the biggest problem with the album is the second half of the record does not fit well with the first.
The first five songs rock really hard and it leaves me wanting more. The intensity drops off dramatically after MITS and never recovers after that.

rasty10

Sexy2aFault wrote:

Oh please thread starter. Comatose and Worldwide Suicide melt the faces off- off anything on NO Code and Yield. Smart people (like Rolling Stone jouirnalist David Fricke) disagree with your remarks. Life Wasted,WWS,Comatose,Big Wave,Severed and MITS were the freshest sounding garage punk batch of rocking songs since Vitalogy songs 1-8.

Deal with it.

You actually think there is an objective view of music that is based on intelligence!?!? To make this comment even more ridiculous, you refer to a Rolling Stone writer...come on

chikevin

VOLITION wrote:

I think the biggest problem with the album is the second half of the record does not fit well with the first.
The first five songs rock really hard and it leaves me wanting more. The intensity drops off dramatically after MITS and never recovers after that.

i agree with you on some levels, but see, for me...WWS is just written so well that it if any current band with an edge sang it. beyond that, i can't get past how fantastic severed hand is, live. beyond that, where's the punk? where's the rock? anyway you look, christ knows there's enough surfing references (big wave gives me the shits...and ed pushed it on econoclasts...broke my heart).

i hate to bitch, and while it may not be totally appropriate in this thread, i just want them to care. i'm not saying they haven't, but just care passionately..........use your words. don't be pissed off on a bus then sing something that is lacking.

i just want them to wear it all on their sleve.

Sian-of-the-dead

Avocado is my second favourite album... I've loved it since I first heard it and I don't really understand the dislike people have of it

Granted, Big Wave isn't the greatest PJ song ever but all others on the album are fantastic. I think Inside Job is as good as songs like Immortality and Parachutes is the most gorgeous little, simple love song. WWS and Life Wasted are great live and my personal favourites off the album, Severed Hand and Marker in the Sand, are awesome!

I understand that PJ's sound has changed but you can't expect them to write songs like Alive, Animal and Corduroy their whole career. I think the album is natural progression, it obviously stands out as a PJ album and easily as good as Yield or Vs. People have often commented on the production of the album and a friend of mine even said it sounded as if it had been recorded in a dustbin ( ) I personally like the slightly rawer edge on the production and think it works really well with songs like Comatose.

but all of this is purely my opinion, you understand

Sian-of-the-dead

dangit.... double post...

(I think this shit is contagious )

walkthamile

harmless_little_f*** wrote:

Matt hardly ever rocks hard (WWS is a major exercise in boredom-drumming - closed hi hats all the way, COME ON MAN this isn't jazz).

You think Matt's drumming is boring on Avocado???

harmless_little_f*** wrote:

Where is the intelligence in the songs, compared to songs like 'No Way' and 'Faithful' and 'Last Exit' and 'Grievance' and 'Long Road'.... you name it....

And then you mention the above songs as superior. Aside from maybe Grievance, the drumming on those are pretty damn basic...

Gremmie95

great album top to bottom

harmless_little_f***

walkthamile wrote:

You think Matt's drumming is boring on Avocado???

Much - not all - of the time, yes.

walkthamile wrote:

And then you mention the above songs as superior. Aside from maybe Grievance, the drumming on those are pretty damn basic...

I wasn't commenting on the drumming on these, but they are far more intelligent than anything on Avocado. My comment was on their intelligence as compositions.. Avocado, when it does rock hard, is straight-forward cock rock compared to these.

harmless_little_f***

Sian-of-the-dead wrote:

Avocado is my second favourite album... I've loved it since I first heard it and I don't really understand the dislike people have of it

Granted, Big Wave isn't the greatest PJ song ever but all others on the album are fantastic. I think Inside Job is as good as songs like Immortality and Parachutes is the most gorgeous little, simple love song. WWS and Life Wasted are great live and my personal favourites off the album, Severed Hand and Marker in the Sand, are awesome!

I understand that PJ's sound has changed but you can't expect them to write songs like Alive, Animal and Corduroy their whole career. I think the album is natural progression, it obviously stands out as a PJ album and easily as good as Yield or Vs. People have often commented on the production of the album and a friend of mine even said it sounded as if it had been recorded in a dustbin ( ) I personally like the slightly rawer edge on the production and think it works really well with songs like Comatose.

My opinions are my own as well. But I don't quite get that this album is 'raw' either. Vitalogy is raw... this album's production is so thin. Imo.