After the punk blast of "Mind Your Manners," American alternative rock band Pearl Jam comes back with a live performance video for their gentle, very melodic ballad, "Sirens," the second single from the Seattle group's tenth studio album, "Lightning Bolt," which comes out October 15th, is going to be a hell of an album. Grunge legends Pearl Jam's poignant poetic beauty defies the gravity they carry. "Sirens" is a soaring bittersweet love song and the new video shows the band, starkly lit, performing the song in dramatic shadows.
With an acoustic guitar and piano base, the song unfolds at a leisurely pace. The frontman and rhythm guitar Eddie Vedder is such an intense singer that when he lays back behind the groove a little bit here, it's such a pleasure to hear him hold back, while sacrificing nothing emotionally. And make no mistake, there's a lot of emotion in "Sirens," as he sings about the possibility of losing the woman he loves to another man or to his "going away." If that happens, it's vital that she know he always loved her, as he stirringly sings, "When I see your face, the fear goes away.”
Pearl Jam has no shortage of lovely ballads and this one has the same graceful beauty as "Backspacer's," "Just Breathe," but there's something melodically about Pearl Jam's emotional, gorgeous new single, "Sirens," especially with the layered harmonies and Vedder's vocal performance here, his best work in a decade, marrying earnest emotion with a poetic spirit that doesn't drown in melodrama that will grab you by the throat before you realize it. Plus, there's a lived-in feel to the lyrics and an emotional acceptance that I'm not sure Vedder could have pulled off before he got into his 40s. "It's a fragile thing, this life we lead,” he sings. Vedder had never sounded so lovely.
The stark clip, directed by collaborator and filmmaker-photographer Danny Clinch, finds the Seattle heavyweights playing the mid-tempo power-ballad on a moody, dramatically lit stage. It's a sharp contrast to the chaotic "Mind Your Manners" video (also directed by Clinch), which featured images of massive explosions and falling missiles. Clinch has a long history with the band, having also directed their 2007 concert film, "Immagine in Cornice." In addition, to Vedder and drums Matt Cameron, there's also a spotlight for guitarist Mike McCready who busts out a second guitar midway into the clip to bring some electric licks to the track.
With an acoustic guitar and piano base, the song unfolds at a leisurely pace. The frontman and rhythm guitar Eddie Vedder is such an intense singer that when he lays back behind the groove a little bit here, it's such a pleasure to hear him hold back, while sacrificing nothing emotionally. And make no mistake, there's a lot of emotion in "Sirens," as he sings about the possibility of losing the woman he loves to another man or to his "going away." If that happens, it's vital that she know he always loved her, as he stirringly sings, "When I see your face, the fear goes away.”
Pearl Jam has no shortage of lovely ballads and this one has the same graceful beauty as "Backspacer's," "Just Breathe," but there's something melodically about Pearl Jam's emotional, gorgeous new single, "Sirens," especially with the layered harmonies and Vedder's vocal performance here, his best work in a decade, marrying earnest emotion with a poetic spirit that doesn't drown in melodrama that will grab you by the throat before you realize it. Plus, there's a lived-in feel to the lyrics and an emotional acceptance that I'm not sure Vedder could have pulled off before he got into his 40s. "It's a fragile thing, this life we lead,” he sings. Vedder had never sounded so lovely.
The stark clip, directed by collaborator and filmmaker-photographer Danny Clinch, finds the Seattle heavyweights playing the mid-tempo power-ballad on a moody, dramatically lit stage. It's a sharp contrast to the chaotic "Mind Your Manners" video (also directed by Clinch), which featured images of massive explosions and falling missiles. Clinch has a long history with the band, having also directed their 2007 concert film, "Immagine in Cornice." In addition, to Vedder and drums Matt Cameron, there's also a spotlight for guitarist Mike McCready who busts out a second guitar midway into the clip to bring some electric licks to the track.
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