SOUNDTRACK: PEARL JAM-Vs. (1993).
Ten was a solid record, and although it had diversity within it, overall the sound was pretty consistent. On Vs., Pearl Jam mixed it up sonically and otherwise.
It opens with “Go,” a track that rocks harder than anything on Ten but which retains a great Pearl Jam chorus. “Animal” is also loud, with Eddie’s voice sounding incredibly rough and raw.
It’s on the 3rd track that PJ begin to really mix it up with their first ballad: “Daughter,” their first acoustic track. It’s catchy, and really works with Eddie’s voice. I can never listen to the next track “Glorified G” without thinking of my college roommate who spoiled it for me. And I’ll spoil it for you because every time you hear the chorus you will now think “glorified version of a pelican.” It’s not my favorite song anyway, as the chorus is kind of weird, but the verses are really strong and do redeem this track.
“Dissident” and “Blood” continue the great rocking vein. Although they are quite different from each other, (“Blood” being much harder) they both showcase Pearl Jam’s excellent rock aesthetic.
The track between them, “W.M.A.” is the other track on the disc that shows Pearl Jam’s experimental side. It’s percussion heavy and seems like a rambling track…it works much better live, actually.
“Rearviewmirror” on the other hand is PJ at their best, a fantastic rocking (but not too heavy) song with a great chorus, and excellent vocals by Eddie. Its complement is “Elderly Woman…” which highlights the other end of PJ’s spectrum: a sort of ballad that rocks more than you might think.
“Rats” and “Leash” are two rough, almost punk songs that continue to mix up the tempo and tenor of the disc. “Rats” seems to get ignored a lot even though its chorus is a good one, and “Leash” is another angry song that’s, again, enjoyable live.
“Indifference” ends the disc and it’s a song that I wasn’t all that excited about initially. However, again, after hearing the live versions, I gained a much better appreciation for the song and now I really enjoy it. All in all Vs, is a great step forward for Pearl Jam, strangely enough pulling them away from arena anthems and into more intimate areas.
[READ: April 16, 2009] The Book of Other People
I discovered this book by searching for A.M. Homes in our catalog. I was surprised I had never heard of it. The premise of this collection, put out by McSweeneys and benefiting 826 is that each author was asked to make up a character. The requirement was that the story would be named after the character. There were no other rules. And as such, you get a wide variety of stories about all different characters: people and otherwise. In fact, it’s surprising what a diverse collection of stories have arisen from this rather simple concept.
Zadie Smith is the editor and she wrote the introduction. I like to cover all of the written pieces in the book, but there’s not much to say about the introduction except that it fills you in on the details of the collection. She thanks Sarah Vowell for the idea but I gather that the rest of the work was done by her.
I’m not grousing about the different covers this time, I’m just showing the UK one. It has the same basic set up, including pictures by Daniel Clowes, but as you can see, it’s slightly different.
And check out this roster of talent that has written (or drawn) a story: it’s like a who’s who of contemporary young writers. (more…)
SOUNDTRACK: SANDRO PERRI-Plays Polmo Polpo [CST042] (2006).
This EP has Sandro Perri, mastermind behind Polmo Polpo, playing previously released songs by Polmo Polpo. Why? You may ask. To rework them entirely, of course. The original pieces were electronic and very textured, creatively designed that you almost forget there are songs underneath. And so Perri has brought back the songs underneath the songs, creating an acoustic soundtrack that brings out the subtlety of the originals.
SOUNDTRACK: PEARL JAM-Live at the Gorge 05/06 (2007).
PROLOGUE: When Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite for Destruction came out, it galvanized the three friends I had with the most disparate musical tastes. I knew an indie rock guy, a metalhead, and an industrial/goth guy, and all three of them loved Appetite for Destruction. It was the only record that they all agreed on. I thought the same would happen with Pearl Jam’s Ten. But, the goth guy didn’t think it was dark and sleazy enough (like GnR) and the indie guy found it too commercial. And, actually, I only talk to one of the three of them these days anyhow.
SOUNDTRACK: WEAKERTHANS–Reconstruction Site (2003) & Watermark (single) (2001).
I heard about the Weakerthans in, I think Esquire, of all places, in their Canadian Bands You Must Listen To article. They were described as more literate than The Decemberists, and even thought I have not actually included a Decemberists album yet, my love for them is pure. So I thought I’d check them out. Turns out the main Weakerthan used to be the main guy in Propagandhi, a fun, overly political punk band that I enjoyed when I was feeling overly political myself. I was very pleasantly surprised to see that the Weakerthans keep a similar musical sensibility: catchy pop punk stylings, yet they are less angry and more introspective. The music is not as brash as other pop punk bands, in fact there are even some quiet parts! 
The thought of Tom Waits singing lullabies is a pretty scary one. The strange thing is that his lyrics and melodies are really quite beautiful, I’m just not sure I want that voice in my kid’s head at night.
I Just Read About That... 