Pearl Jam - No Code
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CD Details
Artist: Pearl JamEdition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 1996-08-27
Music Label: Sony
Soundtracks:
- Sometimes
- Hail Hail
- Who You Are
- In My Tree
- Smile
- Off He Goes
- Habit
- Red Mosquito
- Lukin
- Present Tense
- Mankind
- I'm Open
- Around the Bend
Music reviews of No Code
Music Review: Pearl Jam In Experimental Mode
Rating: 5 Stars
The fourth album from the group "No Code" came out in 1996 and it continues with the experimentation that the band started with 1994's "Vitalogy". The line-up now included the founding members Jeff Ament on bass, Eddie Vedder on vocals/guitar, Stone Gossard on rhythm guitar, Mike McCready on lead guitar plus new drummer Jack Irons, a former member of The Red Hot Chili Peppers. As with "Vitalogy", the thirteen compositions selected for release were recorded during multiple sessions and using many different studios in the time span of July of '95 until May '96.
The group chose a rather unusual way of starting the album: a two-minute and a half number written by Vedder on his own titled "Sometimes". Lyrically it brings forward the issue of spirituality. It is a very strange and experimental song with an arrangement that does not follow the usual verse/chorus/verse structure. Unlike the album openers on the three previous LPs, this one is very quiet and moody. The melodies provided by the guitars give off a mysterious feel and a somewhat dark atmosphere to the track. It has always been one of my favorites! After the fade-out, the crunchy chords of "Hail, Hail" come rushing in without warning. Musically, it could be considered modern garage rock! The verse and the chorus blend perfectly and towards the later half, a new arpeggio sequence is introduced that runs until the end. For a change comes the eastern-influenced "Who You Are" where drummer Irons gets a songwriting credit. His polyrhythmic percussion dominates the track. A flawless performance from him for sure! However another example of Irons' songwriting and drumming abilities comes with "In My Tree". The verses here have a slight pop feel while the chorus feels a little more aggressive. Before its concluding fade-out, the guitar was filtered through a Leslie organ speaker. The pace slows down considerably for "Smile". The combination of the bright, electric rhythm guitar chording with the harmonica gives off a Neil Young vibe here, and it really works. This is another highlight!
Watch out for song number six "Off He Goes". This is an acoustic masterpiece written by Vedder himself! His emotional singing couldn't have been more appropriate given the laid back nature of this track. In the middle, between the second and the third verse, you'll hear a short gentle guitar solo interlude from McCready. For me this song always seems to end rather quickly even though it clocks at 6:01! The mood shifts with "Habit", another garage rock sounding composition also provided by Vedder that could have easily fitted on "Vs.". Fans of that album will surely enjoy this one. The most remarkable facet for me are the soft harmony background vocals in that part where the drumming stops and the chords are left to ring out and towards the end. The arrangement left room for McCready to deliver a feedback/bluesy solo right before the fade out.
"Red Mosquito" finds McCready playing with a lead guitar tone that is slightly reminiscent of Robbie Krieger of The Doors but the verses and chorus are surprisingly much more melodic. A worthy addition to the LP that was written by all five members! The fast paced, one-minute "Lukin'" follows using a chord pattern that would have been right at home on a Nirvana song! Excellent! Before you blink, it's over and the ballad "Present Tense" starts. During the slow verse/chorus part, the guitars have an atmospheric set up. The tempo picks up somewhat in the middle and Vedder adds what sounds like a tribal chant for a few seconds while Ament manages to play a few slaping bass lines. Very interesting song that's actually hard to describe! The band prepared a surprise with "Mankind": for the first time, another member of the group gets to sing the lead vocals! Gossard did a fine job here on this punk-pop sounding tune. For me, one of their most underrated!
The psychedelic composition "I'm Open" was a collaboration between Irons and Vedder, who speaks through the verses and sings only the chorus. The lyrics have a surrealistic vibe describing a man who is locked in a room with no doors. The instrumentation is very atmospheric, laid-back, and trippy. Definitely, one of the groups' most unusual songs! Closing out the LP comes "Around The Bend" with Irons providing another inventive percussion pattern with some acoustic guitar and piano on top. It has a lullaby feel, and Vedder successfully applies the soft vocal delivery required. Great finish!
If you want to hear the experimental side of this Seattle group, then this album should do the trick!
Thanks for taking the time to read!
Later...
Description of No Code
Though it contains none of the band's radio staples, No Code may be the one Pearl Jam record that holds up start to finish. Partly this is because of the songs, which like the hypnotic "Who Are You" are unusually straightforward. But it's also because this is the most musically varied effort of the band's career: "Hail, Hail" is a full-tilt firestorm, but the quiet "Sometimes" is a hesitating, slow burn. And while "Smile" has a Crazy Horse roar, the unplugged setting of "Off He Goes" lets the song breathe and the emotions sink in. --David CantwellGeneral CDs
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