I really wasn't digging Binaural when I first started listening to it.
Things don't really pick up until the fifth track, "Nothing As It Seems," not to be confused with the album by Wave. The song is a slower, carefully crafted, and at the end of the day, quite beautiful listening experience.
We go through another drier patch (including "Of The Girl," which starts off promisingly but turns into a muddy kind of meh) until things kick up again for the last four tracks.
"Rival" doesn't stand out as being an incredible song in its own right, but whenever I tune into it, it seems like there's something interesting going on, even if it's not on the surface. Maybe it's the swingy riff, the screaming in the background, or the sparse piano, but something about "Rival" grabs your attention ever so completely every so often.
"Sleight of Hand" is an adventurous soundscapey kind of piece that is easy to get lost in.
"Soon Forget" is easily my favourite song on the album. A folky song about a greedy, disconnected man, "Soon Forget" is perfectly instrumented with nothing but a ukulele, standing in sharp contrast to the commercial inclinations of the song's subject.
"Parting Ways" certainly sounds better than okay, but I wonder if part of why I liked it involves it riding on the coattails of the last few songs. Even if I am hearing greatness because of an anticipated greatness, part of the craft of creating an album is decided song order, so, either way, hats off to Pearl Jam again.
Rating: 3.6 stars
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