Just listened to Backspacer on myspace...and...

PJ Fan est. 1990 · September 2009

i dunno, i'm kinda having a hard time swallowing this album...there are moments that i like and moments i don't like...it's not that the moments i don't like are bad, but i just can't get it through my head that what i'm listening to is Pearl Jam. when i think pearl jam, i'm thinking awesome stripped down rock n roll music. but this, it doesn't sound like Pearl Jam to me. take The End for instance, it sounds like it should be a sad part in a Broadway musical or like the ending credits to a sad movie. with the strings it sorta reminds me of the titanic song...i like The End, don't get me wrong, it's just so not Pearl Jam. to me the first 5 songs sounds like Pearl Jam and then Supersonic...but the rest just sounds different to me...

so that being said my official review is a thumbs up...but it's just tough to swallow that it's pearl jam...i think they should release a naked version (like The Beatles' Let It Be)...one without "the wall of sound"...

oh and Speed of Sound is just HORRIBLE! i hope they play the demo version when live...the main problem with the album version is that the drums seem almost out of sync and overpowering...and the fills seem to be in awkward places...i don't think Matt did the drums to that...

and one last note, i love Just Breathe but i don't see where that would fit in a live setting...maybe Opener? i dunno...

yield2me · September 2009

You have to realize that this band will never make the same album twice. Those people that just want that "ten" sound won't get it again. Accept that, and then go listen again.

youngster · September 2009

PJ Fan est. 1990 wrote:

and one last note, i love Just Breathe but i don't see where that would fit in a live setting...maybe Opener? i dunno...

My guess would be the start of the first or second encore.

PJ Fan est. 1990 · September 2009

yield2me wrote:

You have to realize that this band will never make the same album twice. Those people that just want that "ten" sound won't get it again. Accept that, and then go listen again.

no no i'm not one of those people...but in consideration from ever album from Ten to Avocado, it just sound WAY different...it's just not what i expected...i still like the album, it's just going to take some time to digest...this was a pre-digestion review

PJ Fan est. 1990 · September 2009

cropduster82 wrote:

PJ Fan est. 1990 wrote:

and one last note, i love Just Breathe but i don't see where that would fit in a live setting...maybe Opener? i dunno...

My guess would be the start of the first or second encore.

i also thought maybe the second or third song after the encore, you now, ed plays a few without accompaniment and then Matt comes in for a light drum accompaniment. but even that i don't think would fit

Adm. Glen Scotia · September 2009

I don't know, I gotta say: I am tired of Pearl Jam always doing the same thing. They got into a rhythm for a while wherein you'd pop in a new album and say, "Okay, here's a PJ 'rocker', and here's the 'ballad.' This is the sensitive acoustic track. Now we have the mid-tempo experimental thingy" It was easy to take songs form albums, graft them into other albums and see that they fit. (Some of Riot Act and Binaural are interchangable this way, for example.) I love that some of the stuff on here doesn't "sound" like Pearl Jam; It means they are doing something different. Kinda similar to how I felt about halfway though my first listen to Inside Job: Way to go, doing something new, keeping it interesting. Johnny Guitar, Force of Nature, Just Breathe, The End are all very unexpected. Instrumentation throughout is new and interesting.

Anyway, sorry to hear you are struggling through it. I am willing to bet that in a few weeks you may feel differently. Particularly after hearing the tunes live.

kiljoythemerciful · September 2009

There are definitely some things on this album that I never thought I would hear on a PJ record. But I said that on all of my favorite albums by this band to some degree. Give it some time and see the songs performed live and you might find that the things that were odd were really the best parts.

Or maybe not.

knik · September 2009

PJ Fan est. 1990 wrote:

i dunno, i'm kinda having a hard time swallowing this album...there are moments that i like and moments i don't like...it's not that the moments i don't like are bad, but i just can't get it through my head that what i'm listening to is Pearl Jam.

Didn't a lot of people have the same reaction to No Code when it came out first? Give it time and you might find yourself liking it.

Oh, and I disagree that Speed Of Sound is "Horrible".

Peachey · September 2009

I just listened to the whole album, and I think Backspacer is their best album since No Code. There were moments I was nearly moved to tears, honestly. Moreover, there are songs on here as distinct and different from anything they've ever crafted before.

I'm basking in the afterglow right now, and as inspired as this album. I cannot wait to pick this up on Sunday.

PJ Fan est. 1990 · September 2009

Adm. Glen Scotia wrote:

I don't know, I gotta say: I am tired of Pearl Jam always doing the same thing. They got into a rhythm for a while wherein you'd pop in a new album and say, "Okay, here's a PJ 'rocker', and here's the 'ballad.' This is the sensitive acoustic track. Now we have the mid-tempo experimental thingy" It was easy to take songs form albums, graft them into other albums and see that they fit. (Some of Riot Act and Binaural are interchangable this way, for example.) I love that some of the stuff on here doesn't "sound" like Pearl Jam; It means they are doing something different. Kinda similar to how I felt about halfway though my first listen to Inside Job: Way to go, doing something new, keeping it interesting. Johnny Guitar, Force of Nature, Just Breathe, The End are all very unexpected. Instrumentation throughout is new and interesting.

Anyway, sorry to hear you are struggling through it. I am willing to bet that in a few weeks you may feel differently. Particularly after hearing the tunes live.

yeah i can't wait to hear these tracks live without without the strings and horns and all that...then i think it would be a GREAT album...and yeah being a younger PJ fan, i often get Binaural and Riot Act confused when it comes to what songs are on which...same with Yield and No Code, though Yield is my favorite album so i know that one well, but if it wasn't i'd probably get the two confused easily.

keep in mind though, this was a first time through review...i'm sure multiple listens will help me get accustomed to the new sound...and remember i didn't say i didn't like it, it's just VERY different...i do actually like the album very much

PJ Fan est. 1990 · September 2009

knik wrote:

PJ Fan est. 1990 wrote:

i dunno, i'm kinda having a hard time swallowing this album...there are moments that i like and moments i don't like...it's not that the moments i don't like are bad, but i just can't get it through my head that what i'm listening to is Pearl Jam./quote]

Didn't a lot of people have the same reaction to No Code when it came out first? Give it time and you might find yourself liking it.

Oh, and I disagree that Speed Of Sound is "Horrible".

i'm sure i'll get used to it as time goes on

Ledbetterman10 · September 2009

Adm. Glen Scotia wrote:

They got into a rhythm for a while wherein you'd pop in a new album and say, "Okay, here's a PJ 'rocker', and here's the 'ballad.' This is the sensitive acoustic track. Now we have the mid-tempo experimental thingy"

But that's EXACTLY what Backspacer is! I like the album. There's nothing wrong with it. But it's hardly a step-forward creatively. But that's not to say that it's step backward either.

PJ Fan est. 1990 · September 2009

Peachey wrote:

I just listened to the whole album, and I think Backspacer is their best album since No Code. There were moments I was nearly moved to tears, honestly. Moreover, there are songs on here as distinct and different from anything they've ever crafted before.

I'm basking in the afterglow right now, and as inspired as this album. I cannot wait to pick this up on Sunday.

i definitely agree that it's better than Avocado, and as an album it's better than Binaural and Riot Act (there are plenty of songs that i like on Binaural and Riot Act better than Backspacer.) and Yield is by far my favorite album, so i don't agree it's that...but i agree it's their best ***ALBUM*** in a long time...i just don't think in like my list of favorite PJ songs, that i'll see any Backspacer songs on it

Un_Even_Flow · September 2009

On my first listen I really didn't think it lived up to all the hype, but much like No Code, it has gotten better with each listen. That being said I don't think it comes close to the greatness that is No Code, although I would rank it ahead of Avocado and Riot Act.

Un_Even_Flow · September 2009

Peachey wrote:

I just listened to the whole album, and I think Backspacer is their best album since No Code.

Maybe best album since Yield, which I consider their best piece of work. But I'd rank it after Binaural, at least after 3 listens .

kiljoythemerciful · September 2009

Ledbetterman10 wrote:

Adm. Glen Scotia wrote:

They got into a rhythm for a while wherein you'd pop in a new album and say, "Okay, here's a PJ 'rocker', and here's the 'ballad.' This is the sensitive acoustic track. Now we have the mid-tempo experimental thingy"

But that's EXACTLY what Backspacer is! I like the album. There's nothing wrong with it. But it's hardly a step-forward creatively. But that's not to say that it's step backward either.

I got to agree with the Adm. I've never heard PJ do a song like UK or Just Breathe or JG and probably a couple others. There is also a degree of craftmenship that I don't think has been present on some of the latest releases. Some people will see that as trying to be more accessible, but others will see great artistic value in the fat having been trimmed. PJ fans will have to agree to disagree, that is definitely not a new statement when it comes to this band.

knik · September 2009

Ledbetterman10 wrote:

But it's hardly a step-forward creatively. But that's not to say that it's step backward either.

Just curious, what would you consider a "step-forward creatively"? I hear this frequently that there is no new creative step in Backspacer but I hear a lot of new things on this record that PJ have not done before. Sure, they don't have the rock opera kind of arrangements that Muse have or more sampled sounds like Radiohead or hip-hop collaborations like Cornell (thank god), but they do sound good in a way that they have not sounded before. That is a step forward, don't you think?

Ledbetterman10 · September 2009

kiljoythemerciful wrote:

Ledbetterman10 wrote:

Adm. Glen Scotia wrote:

They got into a rhythm for a while wherein you'd pop in a new album and say, "Okay, here's a PJ 'rocker', and here's the 'ballad.' This is the sensitive acoustic track. Now we have the mid-tempo experimental thingy"

But that's EXACTLY what Backspacer is! I like the album. There's nothing wrong with it. But it's hardly a step-forward creatively. But that's not to say that it's step backward either.

I got to agree with the Adm. I've never heard PJ do a song like UK or Just Breathe or JG and probably a couple others. There is also a degree of craftmenship that I don't think has been present on some of the latest releases. Some people will see that as trying to be more accessible, but others will see great artistic value in the fat having been trimmed. PJ fans will have to agree to disagree, that is definitely not a new statement when it comes to this band.

I think you have heard a song like Unthought Known because you've heard Love Boat Captain which I think has a bit of similar structure.

And don't get what you mean when you say "the fat having been trimmed." Either way, I like the album. It's good enough for government work as the saying goes. Some parts, though not "bad", just don't interest me. But there's a few songs I'll probably like more one I see them live.

kiljoythemerciful · September 2009

Ledbetterman10 wrote:

kiljoythemerciful wrote:

I got to agree with the Adm. I've never heard PJ do a song like UK or Just Breathe or JG and probably a couple others. There is also a degree of craftmenship that I don't think has been present on some of the latest releases. Some people will see that as trying to be more accessible, but others will see great artistic value in the fat having been trimmed. PJ fans will have to agree to disagree, that is definitely not a new statement when it comes to this band.

I think you have heard a song like Unthought Known because you've heard Love Boat Captain which I think has a bit of similar structure.

And don't get what you mean when you say "the fat having been trimmed." Either way, I like the album. It's good enough for government work as the saying goes. Some parts, though not "bad", just don't interest me. But there's a few songs I'll probably like more one I see them live.

Fair enough on the LBC. I don't see a strong connection, but I suppose I understand what you are saying there. "Trim the fat" is something one of my writing teachers used to say basically saying remove whatever isn't of the utmost necessity to a story. Maybe some people like "the fat" and perhaps need it to feel like PJ is still, for lack of a better word, innovative.

PJ Fan est. 1990 · September 2009

for me, "the fat" is all the strings and horns etc. this is why i look forward to it live

Wobbie · September 2009

Ledbetterman10 wrote:

But it's hardly a step-forward creatively. But that's not to say that it's step backward either.

well then, WTF is it????? :shock: a step sideways?

I like the album a lot (I really do), but I'm not sure if any of the songs will ever make my PJ top ten...

Ledbetterman10 · September 2009

kiljoythemerciful wrote:

"Trim the fat" is something one of my writing teachers used to say basically saying remove whatever isn't of the utmost necessity to a story. Maybe some people like "the fat" and perhaps need it to feel like PJ is still, for lack of a better word, innovative.

I'm familiar with the phrase but I'm not sure what you're saying has been trimmed from PJ's sound. If anything, stuff like Speed of Sound and Just Breathe may be a little over-produced.

PJ Fan est. 1990 · September 2009

imalive wrote:

Ledbetterman10 wrote:

But it's hardly a step-forward creatively. But that's not to say that it's step backward either.

well then, WTF is it????? :shock: a step sideways?

I like the album a lot (I really do), but I'm not sure if any of the songs will ever make my PJ top ten...

yeah it's kinda like Rush's 2112, none of the songs on that album are great songs (except 2112), but the album is probably their best album in their entire discography...that's sort of what i feel about Backspacer after listening to it a few more times, but it's too soon to tell for me still

Ledbetterman10 · September 2009

imalive wrote:

Ledbetterman10 wrote:

But it's hardly a step-forward creatively. But that's not to say that it's step backward either.

well then, WTF is it????? :shock: a step sideways?

I like the album a lot (I really do), but I'm not sure if any of the songs will ever make my PJ top ten...

In a sense, it is step sideways. It's definitely a new direction so that's good I guess. But I don't necessarily think it's a better direction. But it's also not like I'm sitting here saying wishing for the Riot Act sound either. So again, I'm just indifferent toward Backspacer.

blondieblue227 · September 2009

To the op:
Well yeah it’s definitely different sound for pj. But I thought that on Avocado too and grew to like it.
Not that backspacer’s bad and I hate it.
the band can't keep making the same album over and over.

Ledbetterman10 · September 2009

knik wrote:

Ledbetterman10 wrote:

But it's hardly a step-forward creatively. But that's not to say that it's step backward either.

Just curious, what would you consider a "step-forward creatively"? I hear this frequently that there is no new creative step in Backspacer but I hear a lot of new things on this record that PJ have not done before. Sure, they don't have the rock opera kind of arrangements that Muse have or more sampled sounds like Radiohead or hip-hop collaborations like Cornell (thank god), but they do sound good in a way that they have not sounded before. That is a step forward, don't you think?

Still waiting for the Eddie Vedder-penned rock-opera I guess. I dunno. There's a lot of cool things employed over the years by various bands that Pearl Jam NEVER does. There's not one instrumental on a PJ album. Not once is there an instance where one song crossfades right into another. There's never any songs that have various stages to them (a la Paranoid Android or several Zeppelin songs). Never are there any non-musical overdubs (save for the whips on Satan's Bed and the barking dog on Rival). It's just seems to me that they played it really close to the belt on Backspacer and went with "what works".

Adm. Glen Scotia · September 2009

Ledbetterman10 wrote:

knik wrote:

Ledbetterman10 wrote:

But it's hardly a step-forward creatively. But that's not to say that it's step backward either.

Just curious, what would you consider a "step-forward creatively"? I hear this frequently that there is no new creative step in Backspacer but I hear a lot of new things on this record that PJ have not done before. Sure, they don't have the rock opera kind of arrangements that Muse have or more sampled sounds like Radiohead or hip-hop collaborations like Cornell (thank god), but they do sound good in a way that they have not sounded before. That is a step forward, don't you think?

Still waiting for the Eddie Vedder-penned rock-opera I guess. I dunno. There's a lot of cool things employed over the years by various bands that Pearl Jam NEVER does. There's not one instrumental on a PJ album. Not once is there an instance where one song crossfades right into another. There's never any songs that have various stages to them (a la Paranoid Android or several Zeppelin songs). Never are there any non-musical overdubs (save for the whips on Satan's Bed and the barking dog on Rival). It's just seems to me that they played it really close to the belt on Backspacer and went with "what works".

I would agree with a lot of what you said. I look at stuff Radiohead has done, and particularly at Green Day's American Idiot, and fantasize about PJ doing something like it. As for non-musical overdubs, I can't figure out why someone would want such a thing. I buy PJ albums for the music. I get non-musical overdubs on my daily subway commute

Present tense has two distinct musical sections. Inside Job has several distinct sections... it was almost a progressive rock piece, and was totally unlike any PJ tune prior. I agree they can do more experimenting, but no two albums have sound the same. The fact that we can point to a song and say, "That sounds like No Code, that sound like Yield, etc" demonstrates this point perfectly.

Adm. Glen Scotia · September 2009

Ledbetterman10 wrote:

Adm. Glen Scotia wrote:

They got into a rhythm for a while wherein you'd pop in a new album and say, "Okay, here's a PJ 'rocker', and here's the 'ballad.' This is the sensitive acoustic track. Now we have the mid-tempo experimental thingy"

But that's EXACTLY what Backspacer is! I like the album. There's nothing wrong with it. But it's hardly a step-forward creatively. But that's not to say that it's step backward either.

We'll have to agree to disagree. It's not the giant leap that, say, No Code was, but compared to the last three albums (with the exception of around half a dozen tracks) I'd say it's a pretty big step. Certainly, at the very least, it's the closest they may ever come to a "pop" record.

Evolver · September 2009

yield2me wrote:

You have to realize that this band will never make the same album twice. Those people that just want that "ten" sound won't get it again. Accept that, and then go listen again.

Well that would be true, if the OP said anything about wanting all PJ albums to sound like Ten, but they didn't. I think they made some very good points about the album, and even though we often expect something different from the band with each album, no matter what it is not uncommon to still have a hard time (at least initially) digesting some aspects of it. And that's what this person is saying. And I also feel that they're implying that they're giving it the benefit of the doubt, or in other words are going to give it some time to grow on them (which I'm sure it will).

Ledbetterman10 · September 2009

Adm. Glen Scotia wrote:

I would agree with a lot of what you said. I look at stuff Radiohead has done, and particularly at Green Day's American Idiot, and fantasize about PJ doing something like it. As for non-musical overdubs, I can't figure out why someone would want such a thing. I buy PJ albums for the music. I get non-musical overdubs on my daily subway commute

Well by non-musical overdubs, I mean stuff like the presidential speeches in Cult of Personality by Living Colour or the helicopters on The Wall. I'm not suggesting they stop the music to talk.

Adm. Glen Scotia wrote:

Present tense has two distinct musical sections. Inside Job has several distinct sections... it was almost a progressive rock piece, and was totally unlike any PJ tune prior. I agree they can do more experimenting, but no two albums have sound the same. The fact that we can point to a song and say, "That sounds like No Code, that sound like Yield, etc" demonstrates this point perfectly.

I agree with this.

Adm. Glen Scotia wrote:

Ledbetterman10 wrote:

Adm. Glen Scotia wrote:

They got into a rhythm for a while wherein you'd pop in a new album and say, "Okay, here's a PJ 'rocker', and here's the 'ballad.' This is the sensitive acoustic track. Now we have the mid-tempo experimental thingy"

But that's EXACTLY what Backspacer is! I like the album. There's nothing wrong with it. But it's hardly a step-forward creatively. But that's not to say that it's step backward either.

We'll have to agree to disagree. It's not the giant leap that, say, No Code was, but compared to the last three albums (with the exception of around half a dozen tracks) I'd say it's a pretty big step. Certainly, at the very least, it's the closest they may ever come to a "pop" record.

Yeah I don't dispute that it's a big leap. I just don't necessarily think it's a leap forward....though I like the album. But for my tastes, I'm hoping that there's no The Fixer-type songs on future records

Evolver · September 2009

PJ Fan est. 1990 wrote:

oh and Speed of Sound is just HORRIBLE! i hope they play the demo version when live...the main problem with the album version is that the drums seem almost out of sync and overpowering...and the fills seem to be in awkward places...i don't think Matt did the drums to that...

I also wanted to comment on this point too - in that at least to a certain extent I agree. Now while I wouldn't go as far as to say it's horrible, I will say that compared to the demo version, I think most people agree that it doesn't hold a candle. And in particular, I agree with the drumming aspect of these comments, 100%. That stood out to me BIGTIME, just seemed like this song needed a more airy, atmospheric drumming/percussion, something that more closely followed the rhythmic pattern of the acoustic guitar in the demo. IMO the drumming that was used came off corny took away from the overall atmosphere of the track. To sum it up, here's some food for thought: imagine the demo version (Ed's vocal's/vocal layering & acoustic guitar), some light McCready solo sprinkled in (similar to the e-bow work Ed did on the demo), a soft Ament bassline, AND some creative light percussion/cymbol work like Dave A. would have done back in the day (a la "Indifference"), most importantly keeping with the odd time/tempo of Ed's guitar work.

Just listened to Backspacer on myspace...and...

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