I don't hate it because the album didn't happen. I hate it because it was completely uninspiring after a long 5 year wait from what i deem to be the worst Pearl Jam album.

For the first time in my life it made me feel like the band was more or less done putting out anything interesting or even remotely challenging...its associating that "feeling" with CDM more than almost anything else that makes me just hate it.

The Haves on the other hand is just low stakes to me. Not liking it doesn't really mean anything.

Vedder oeuvre

I have never felt so solidly worried for Pearl Jam’s future than now. It could just be misplaced due to directions Eddie Vedder is taking with his solo career but when you combine that short maybe month period where Vedder released The Haves as a single and then announced a short tour where you had to be a Have just to enter the lottery to possibly be chosen for a ticket that would cost nearly $500 for a pair of tickets, it seemed like this was the breaking point. Brother the Cloud might have very short term relaxed some of that anxiety but I feel less hopeful that the same person who is putting the kind of shine on Eddie that grocery stores put on their apples to make them look tastier than they are is going to produce a Pearl Jam record is deeply concerning.

At least Can’t Deny Me tried even if it failed.

So what you’re saying is: It does get Eddie Vedder than this

"Mike it happen"

You're a legend.

*Boom*

Uninspired is maybe a better word than disingenuous for CDM, but I do feel like there is an element of disingenuousness about CDM. I don’t doubt the band’s and Eddie’s stance on the message of the song and general political alignment. I doubt the genuineness of the flavor of anger and how they expressed it in that song. That’s what led it to feeling like such a facsimile of older songs that authentically captured that energy and sentiment; a poor attempt at trying to sound angry and rebellious because they thought they had to. Just listen to Gigaton and hear how different the message is even though it deals with much of the same issues. There is some anger and sadness in Gigaton, but there is more hope and resolve to dig deep and do the work that’s needed to lift us up together. I don’t doubt that the band felt anger at what was happening in the world when they made CDM, but I don’t think anger was the primary prism they saw or felt the world in, which is what led to such an inauthentic song, musically and lyrically.

One positive thought I like to have is that maybe CDM was a necessary exercise for them to cleanse their systems and get clear on what they truly felt and inspired them. Maybe it took Eddie CDM to realize anger is not the primary feeling in his soul at the moment. Maybe CDM was necessary for Gigaton to happen.

Oh my Josh that was good.

if nothing else, you can hear the effort poured into The Haves.

Where?!?