Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Descriptions of Pearl Jam's Latest Demos



It seems that recent studio time has shaken something loose in the underground world.  Does this mean Pearl Jam is heading in a different direction?  One can only speculate.

We are hoping to bring our loyal readers some demos next week, but for now, we have secured descriptions.  Look for some reviews and previews very soon.
I included what Pearl Jam songs these most closely reminded me of, although none of them are clones of past numbers.

3,2,1 - Heavy, crunchy number brought in by Jeff. Very unpolished, reminiscent of the Crapshoot Rapture demo. Jeff is singing on this recording (though I'm sure Ed will on the record) but mostly mumbles what sound like placeholder lyrics. The phrase "cold concession" is repeated in the chorus.

BELIEVED IN - Sounds like a Riot Act era mid-tempo song relying heavily on the acoustic guitar. Uplifting lyrics reminiscent of I Am Mine or Down, but more overtly political. Slows down at the end with just a pretty riff on an acoustic guitar.

MERCURY - Sounds very much like a Backspacer cast off. Starts with Matt pounding away for a few seconds before Mike comes soaring in. Song never lets up, has a nice long solo that sounds a lot like the bridge in Supersonic.

THE GIFT - Matt penned this one and sings on the recording. Midtempo number that reminds me a lot of Last Soldier but with Matt's signature style that's reminiscent of In The Moonlight or The Fixer.

JUMBLED - I'm told Stone wrote this one but there are no vocals recorded. Very pretty number, similar to Parachutes but has a 3/4 beat.

ALFORD PLEAS - Another one that's so far instrumental. One of the two songs here that's very trippy sounding. Loose, melodic palm muted guitar with slightly abrasive, crunchy drumming going on. When Ed puts lyrics to this I can imagine it soaring like Unthought Known. Instant classic.

TRANSIENCE - The other song that I would describe as trippy, but with the drums taking more of a complentary role than compared to Alford Pleas. Hard to tell what Ed is singing but mentions going "out of body" a few times. It has the feel of Inside Job but the intropection of an In Hiding. It also sounds a bit similar to Mercury, like they built two separate songs off of the same idea

I'm told that 3,2,1, The Gift, Alford Pleas, and Jumbled were recorded in a session without Vedder, while the others were recorded more recently with him.