No Code by Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam In Experimental Mode
Though it contains none of the bands 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 its also because this is the most musically varied effort
of the bands career: Hail, Hail is a f ull-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 Cantwell
Apple, outlet, Dennis Rodmans eye, pool ball, rotting teeth, zipper. The
cover of No Code confounds and confuses, as does the album in its
entirety. This album was released during a time when no one seemed to
be able to quite figure out the point or overall goal of Pearl Jam in rock
music. Jumping from mainstream rock anthems to hard rock, grunge,
acoustic balladry, blues, classic rock revival, experimental junk rock, and
back again within the span of one album, let alone their entire career,
made Pearl Jam a hard band to pin in any area, and upon first listens,
some songs or albums may appeal to some listeners and not others. Pearl
Jam are a band that writes and plays whatever they feel like, exploring a
wide range of issues, while still maintaining artistic integrity and an
excellent sense of pure rock and roll. No Code is arguably Pearl Jams
most diverse, jumpy, and spontaneous album to date, and probably the
most prone to being misunderstood. What the hell is Pearl Jam trying to
say with this set of thirteen seemingly unrelated songs? What the hell are
Pearl Jam all about anyway?
My experience with Pearl Jam has stretched through my entire lifetime,
since I was very young and my mother played the records and I heard
them on the radio, to my childhood when she stuck with the band when the
media did not, to my early high school years when I rediscovered the band
and countless songs and hooks that colored my childhood, to now when I
am progressively rounding up all the stray material and learning why
exactly I enjoy them. When I popped No Code into my stereo years ago,
probably six years after it was actually released, I recognized some of the
songs and did not recognize others. This scramble of familiarity made
things all the more confusing, yet kept me that much more interested and
willing to stick with the album.
I began asking myself questions, because that is exactly what adolescents
do. They ask themselves questions that they cant answer, mostly because
they are too lazy and dont want to work hard enough to find the answers.
Why do I like this album? Why does the album juxtapose (well, maybe I
didnt know words THAT big) hard rockers awkwardly next to quiet ballads?
Why does Who You Are, the song that sounds like it SHOULD be the
opener, come third in the line? Who is Jerome Turner? Why does Eddie
narrate the lyrics to Im Open? Is Lukin even a word? Why did this album
only come with nine Polaroids with song lyrics on them, not even coving all
the songs? And what is with all this cover art, indecipherable
phantasmagoria?
It took me several years of occasional listening to unwrap No Code and get
to the point where I enjoyed it fully. The songs that stood out on first listen
were Hail Hail and Off He Goes, simply because I recognized them.
Experiences like the ones I had with these songs were the reason that I
started to get so interested in music in the first place. The nostalgia, rushes
of memories, and sense of vague familiarity were what made many albums
in my mothers collection feel like buried treasure. A lthough I gravitated to
those songs in particular, there were several more that struck me as
outwardly fantastic, such as the other single Who You Are. The
aforementioned song is nothing short of a masterpiece for Pearl Jam and
an accurate representation of No Code. It swirls into view with a pounding
beat and is dotted with many tidbits of foreign instrument, such as steel
drums and sitars. The sitar is used again to its full potential by the time the
song has revealed its winning hook and cemented its place in the listeners
ears. That paired with a wonderful guitar solo makes it one of the finest
songs on the album.
This excellence is not lonely. Its easy for me to say that every song on this
album is really great, but from a commercial standpoint, Pearl Jam knew
how to put their best foot forward with No Code by producing three singles
which would become radio staples. Hail Hail, Who You Are, and Off He
Goes are all fantastic songs in their own right, and all coming from three
completely different directions. Hail Hail is one hell of a riff rocker, Who
You Are is an eclectic anthem, and Off He Goes is a gentle acoustic ballad
that rivals Daughter in sheer quality. These songs would be enough to reel
in the casual listener, which would then be hit hard with all the other great
things Pearl Jam has to say here. Every song is finely tuned and unique;
Sometimes is a reflective prayer, In My Tree is a driving explosion of
glorious sound, Habit is as angry and rhythmic as the preceding album
Vitalogys Spin The Black Circle, and Im Open is poetry recited over gentle
ambient chords and soft beats. This album has about as much continuity
and order to it as a fleeting stage one dream.
And yet somehow it works. No Code ends with Around The Bend, a
deceptively simple lullaby of tropical style. This ending is deceptive, but
ultimately satisfying and beautiful. The listener naturally expects some kind
of stylistic answer or solution within that last song, and this might be yet
another unsatisfying venture on the first listen. But like the whole album, it
opens up with a little time. This is the brilliant code that is communicated
through the album perfectly, that is, there is no code. The second you start
to pin down a pattern or style in Pearl Jam, they will undoubtedly c hange
or surprise you. The only way to fully appreciate No Code, and Pearl Jam,
is to take several steps backward and look at the full picture. Pearl Jam are
an excellent band that make whatever music they want to, with whatever
message they feel. The entire notion that Pearl Jam cast away their fan
base by becoming more experimental is a sad misconception. Pearl Jam
never attempted to alienate anyone. It is not their fault that they have a
strong desire to push their creative boundaries, and it is not their fault that
their true fans were revealed in the process. In any case, No Code is the
keystone to Pearl Jams discography, and the picture of excellence by
which the rest of their albums should be judged, even their earlier, more
revered works such as Ten. It might not make any sense at first, but that
makes it all the more fun. No Code is a puzzle which can be solved in a
number of ways, all yielding the same solution, a transcendent
masterpiece.
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