The Beat of a Different Drum, Part 3

Jack Irons: No Code (1996), Yield (1998)

At the time Jack Irons joined the group Pearl Jam gravitated away from the spotlight (a conscious effort, mind you) and retreated into their niche. Older age and a fresh perspective on the cynicisms surrounding major record labels shaped their recording and performance policies. Jirons (a self-imposed moniker found in the liner notes of Yield) came to the group with a compositional mindset. His principal composition credits on No Code belong to the songs 'Who You Are', and 'In My Tree', the former featuring a Max Roach-esque tribal beat, dripping with eastern influences. Pearl Jam heavily explored rhythmic boundaries, and Jirons’ drums sounded much more raw and expansive. These sounds are indicative of Jirons’ signature drum tuning and cymbal selection. The snares are very husky and thick, resulting in a consistent and confident splat on the downbeats. Jirons also used much darker cymbals, and relied on generous use of the ride, completely evading the splash cymbal. He officially left the band for health and family reasons, and the rest of the guys were sad to see him depart. As much as I hate to pick on him, though, even the remarkable Jirons copied himself between albums. He just made it too easy: the intro fills for 'Lukin' and 'Brain of J' are identical. Too soon, Jirons; too soon.

Matt Cameron: Binaural (2000), Riot Act (2002), Pearl Jam (2006)

Back in the early 90’s, when under media-driven motives Pearl Jam was swept into the ‘grunge’ category, the band was flanked by several other Seattle-based groups including Alice in Chains and Soundgarden (I don’t even want to talk about Nirvana at this point…). Although it was Chris Cornell fronting Soundgarden, drummer Matt Cameron composed a generous amount of the songs on all of their albums. He slid easily into the Pearl Jam lineup in 1998, immediately taking over after Jirons’ departure. On his first release with the band, he contributed to ‘Evacuation’, a vigorous and frenetic anthem, appended with a multi-party call and answer section. Eager to start composing, Cameron was also unabashed to accept a microphone and start singing backing vocals. Not only did Pearl Jam now have an extra voice to enhance live performances, but Cameron’s drumming combined the driving force of Dave A., but the heart of Jirons. Currently, Pearl Jam’s songs have headed towards more complex structures, due likely to Cameron’s penchant for odd time signatures and compositional wit for phasing guitars and drums in and out of each other. His attention to dynamic and melodic space, coupled with his mastery of the drums leaves no room for weak songs in the future of Pearl Jam’s ever-growing catalogue.

When you ask someone to rank his favorite albums of a particular band, he might reply, “Dude, I can’t…they’re just all so different.” This is really the case with Pearl Jam, a band that dedicates itself to presenting a cohesive concept through each record. In order to convey that message, all the parts need to operate in unison. The core personnel of the group (oh, how I hate saying that these days), has stayed the same, but the drummers have changed. You might think that such high turnover in the rhythm section would destroy a band, but perhaps you aren’t familiar enough with Pearl Jam. The sole fact that this band has survived with so many different drummers is a true testament to each members’ value for musical excellence, freedom and experimentation. Although many departed so soon from the group, Pearl Jam has benefited from a fortunate cycle of fresh ideas and a periodic (yet figurative) ‘renewal of vows’ – those vows they made to music, and each other, seventeen years ago.