Before: I hear them on EQX radio sometimes- the rough voice of Eddie Vedder leading the way (right?) I like listening to him in duets with Jack Johnson (lightening the collective sound) and when he sang the wild, raw soundtrack for "Into the Wild". I hypothesize that I'll like Pearl Jam, but will enjoy a few songs over an album in one sitting.
After: It sounds like they have a job to do, and that job is to make an album that matters. That doesn't mean that I think it matters, necessarily- it's just the first thought that hit me upon their opening sounds.
I think a reason why I'm not taken to this music is because its structure is rather wobbly. There's a set beat, for sure, and a steady guitar to guide. But the singer's chords don't seem to fall into a rhythm.
Also, because his enunciation gets lost through his vibrato-laden voice, I end up hearing a lot of the same chords and sounds that sound cacophonous.
The extremely brief "Pry, To" is enjoyable mostly because of its brevity. I gravitate towards "quaint" things often because they achieve beauty in conciseness.
"Bugs" sounds like he's tripping.
"Stupidmop" is where it just gets weird. Right now in my life, I'm into that type of weird.
The acoustic/organ rendition of "Better Man" is my favorite track. Since my friend Chloe's learning the organ in college and introduced me, I have greater appreciation for it. In this song, it acts as a framework for the other sounds involved and I LOVE it. Well, "LOVE" is relative; it's my favorite on the album, but in reality I'd give it a play on the radio if it came on but would forget it soon after. If that.
They remind me a bit of Dave Matthews Band.
Gotta acknowledge that they were apparently the #1 American rock 'n roll band of the 90's. Not too shabby.
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