Eddie Vedder - Earthling

[warehouse]

I heard someone say Gigaton is their most experimental album in a long time, but what about (names record from twenty years ago)

I specifically mentioned Backspacer which was 13 years ago not 20. I also mentioned other albums for context. My point was simply Gigaton is not experimental. It has two songs that take things into new territory for the band. LB and S/T offer much in that regard. I will never understand the love affair with Gigaton I never need to hear anything after the first 3 again. The first 3 are fantastic.

there's already a nice breakdown by song, but i completely disagree with you. some of the song structure, instrumental choices and production are completely different. even a song like quick escape, which is pretty much a straight rock song, sounds heavier than just about anything they've ever done. they used a second vocalist for the first time on that song matt wrote for soundgarden.

i know its easy to hate on this watt idiot b/c he worked with miley cyrus, but she covered 'just breathe' and absolutely owned 'say hello 2 heaven'. i'm not familiar with her stuff, but maybe she worked with this guy b/c she wanted to sound more rock and less pop.

[coptheriotact]

Experimental meaning the studio album has more elements, textures and interesting recording techniques rather than just a rock band being recorded and compressed like foo fighters or lightning bolt?

Or experimental meaning the band wrote songs unlike their previous music or what they are known to do ?

[McParadigm]

The real problem here is that our descriptive vocabulary for discussing pop music more or less mimics critical writing, which is necessarily sensationalist, overstated, and simple.

Gigaton is mostly comprised of songs that, in one way or another, utilize song structures, instrumentation choices, and/or sonic pockets that stand just outside of Pearl Jam’s recorded norm. We don’t really have a shared consumer terminology for this level of nuance, though, so in reviews and on message boards this all gets tucked into the word “experimental.”

This always (inevitably) leads to reactive pedantic gatekeeping around the word “experimental,“ such that even though we all understand the basic claim being made (that Gigaton makes a series of choices that are different than the band’s usual), we end up picking apart the label instead, as if doing so will prove or disprove said claim.

[stip]

No, you are!

[Tj]

That was my point Backspacer as a album is a much more abrupt turn than Gigaton

[Tj]

Pearl Jam have never done anything truly experimental other than dog collars.

[liebzz]

That was my point Backspacer as a album is a much more abrupt turn than Gigaton

This might sound silly but I think Gigaton fixes the problems the Avocado album had (straight ahead rock but providing a few more excursions and sounding much fuller without putting in too much shine). Backspacer wasn’t really a huge turn in their catalogue to me, it’s just really slick, a bit on short side of things for them, and the songs don’t hang around or give you a ton of character - there kind of just there then they are over. Some of them are very good, but it seems the effort was to get away from a Present Tense to go more towards a Down. Maybe I am way off but I think Backspacer instead tried to overcorrect what they felt ailed Avocado, where Gigaton would be a perfect album to follow Avocado.

[Tj]

That was my point Backspacer as a album is a much more abrupt turn than Gigaton

This might sound silly but I think Gigaton fixes the problems the Avocado album had (straight ahead rock but providing a few more excursions and sounding much fuller without putting in too much shine). Backspacer wasn’t really a huge turn in their catalogue to me, it’s just really slick, a bit on short side of things for them, and the songs don’t hang around or give you a ton of character - there kind of just there then they are over. Some of them are very good, but it seems the effort was to get away from a Present Tense to go more towards a Down. Maybe I am way off but I think Backspacer instead tried to overcorrect what they felt ailed Avocado, where Gigaton would be a perfect album to follow Avocado.

I agree 100 percent. I do prefer S/T to Gigaton, but that is besides the point.

[Tj]

I actually think Gigaton feels like a conclusion to the S/T -Lightingbolt arc. In some way it takes the strengths of those albums and brings them together. I think Yeild did the samething for Vs-No Code. Maybe that is why Gigaton reminds me of Yield without being anything like Yeild. This band has made some incredible music. I Haves me a great feeling about Earthling.

[tragabigzanda]

There are no strengths to Lightning Bolt

[Bammer]

There are no strengths to Lightning Bolt

Not even the 7-year tour in support of Lightning Bolt?

[tragabigzanda]

There are no strengths to Lightning Bolt

Not even the 7-year tour in support of Lightning Bolt?

Yeah and I guess between that and Miley, the giant swinging ball industry was killing it

[Tj]

There are moments with in songs on Lighting Bolt. Infallible My Fathers Son and Pendulum specifically

[guitar_davey]

Damn, im loving Brother The Cloud so fucking much.

Cant wait for the album.

It's really good.

Ditto.

[warehouse]

Pearl Jam have never done anything truly experimental other than dog collars.

condoms? but yeah, "experimental" is relative, especially for pearl jam.

[SJM]

8.4 review from Pitchfork

Not a chance.

[Chris_H_2]

8.4 review from Pitchfork

Not a chance.

I’d be surprised if they even reviewed it (or at least right away).

[Jaeti]

I Haves me a great feeling about Earthling.

The pun that jinxed the whole thing.

[lecherouslittlestump]

8.4 review from Pitchfork

interesting...Do you have the link?

Yes I do have the link

[EJ]

this board dies the day that littlestump stops commiting to his long troll