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June 20, 2020: Binaural

Hi Brad and Brad,

First, I want to wish both of you in advance a Happy Father's Day.  I hope you both and your families are doing okay with everything going on around us right now.  I wanted to write to you guys about Binaural.  It's somewhat interesting how I found myself diving further into this record.  It started with Jessi and Kate covering "Sad" on the Porch podcast, then finding myself getting hooked on "Grievance" more for how the song is hitting me during the Black Lives Matter movement.  Binaural has always been an overlooked record for me.  What I appreciate so much about this record is the production by Tchad Blake.  What I appreciate so much about this band is how from Vitalogy to Binaural, you can pretty much single out each record very distinctly as each has a different emphasis in the making of the record.  Before I go into my opinions on the track list, would it be possible to have Brad B pronounce this word for me?

Ethereal (əˈTHirēəl)

I went back and listened to the track-by-track episode on Binaural, which was Episode 14 dropped in November of 2018.  I will give this to Brad B, the use of the word ethereal describes this record very well.  One definition I found was that ethereal is "marked by unusual delicacy or refinement." The use of Tchad Blake's Binaural recording techniques makes this an "unusual delicacy" in their discography.  When I first listened to this record "Grievance" stood out as my favorite.  I loved the music and the layers between the aggressive verses transitioning into a more free-flowing chorus.  It was a constant roller coaster ride for me.  I now have come to appreciate the lyrics for present-day events, and hopefully you'll get to hear my take on a future episode from another one of the podcasts.  Over time, "Of the Girl" and "Nothing As It Seems" became my two other favorites, because I loved how "ethereal" they both sound using the Binaural recording technique.  Since binging this over the past 2 weeks, I've come to love more tracks on the record.  Despite Brad B's analogy to bowel movements, and I believe the first mention of the Crisper Drawer story, Evacuation is one of my favorites now.  Again, this is mostly because of the music and the bridge in the song, which I can say for many other tracks on this record.  I hadn't appreciated "Insignificance" until hearing Kate Cotton gush about it on her and Jessi's podcast and "Sleight of Hand" is taking on a different light for me too.  The last track I'll mention is "Light Years," which you guys gave me a different perspective on and has directly taken on meaning for me in the past year.  I could go on about the other tracks as well, but since this email is turning into a thesis, I'll just say they all follow in the "ethereal" footsteps of the rest of the record. 



I hadn't started to reconsider this record until Brad L's comments early on in your podcast, which like many other opinions you guys have shared has given me new appreciation for so much of Pearl Jam's music.  It's been a perfect distraction from many things going on in my personal life and now national and global issues.

I Pledge My Grievance, To The Flag,

Chris

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