music.apple.com/ph/album/dance-of-the-clairvoyants/1495374767
This is probably the first song Pearl Jam relied heavily on the strengths of their rhythm section. Unless of course you count their version of The Who’s “The Real Me” (or any other Who song, for that matter).
The guitar section is relegated to stabs that mislead us to assume that this must be dad’s Funk or gramps’ disco. But this ride is much more unpredictable like Bowie’s Blackstar with Eddie supplying lyrics and vocals that challenge the whole structure to almost ruining it. “It’s not a negative thought, I’m positive!” Positive, Positive.”
This song is not anchored anywhere from their past, not tied to anyone’s discography, as impossible as it may seem. This is why people, like me, scamper to throw possible influences that this Dance is trying to convey. But that is just us trying to survive the ride, by looking for something to hold on to. And all theories may be fair and persuasive, Vedder covered these bases with “save your predictions, burn your assumptions” as the second verse is delivered in his famous but leashed growl that, for some reason, reminds me of George Carlin cadence with lines that poke and provoke.
If “Dance of the Clairvoyants” is the weather vane of the forthcoming album Gigaton, then we truly are entering a new chapter that we should’ve foreseen but chose to ignore. A storm surge from the quiet, warm, swelling ocean.
P.S.
From a fan perspective, I’m deeply intrigued with how this song will fit in the whole catalog and flow of the show. I am Mine, You Are, Lightyears are some of the songs that are album standouts that don’t really get played live much, outside of the tour year when the respective song/album was promoted, and for some reason, don’t quite fit a typical set list.
Also, as Becky Lynch once shared, PJ albums has always been reflective and introspective of where I am in my part of the world. Flags for milestones. This song hits me different, maybe about me as part of the whole. A faceless contributor, but otherwise, affecting and accountable. Strange.
danDAman 