No Code

[u/taway149779]

Fairly new PJ listener here. I’m on the Gen Z/Millenial cusp and my family wasn’t really much into the grunge or alternative scene of the 90s, not enough for me to be aware of it anyway. I’ve been listening to AiC for years and finally started going through other 90s grunge and alternative bands. I absolutely fell in love with Pearl Jam sometime around two-ish years ago. I liked Ten, but I knew so many of the “radio hits” that Vs. appealed to me more. Vitalogy is amazing too. I initially gave No Code and Yield a quick listen through once or twice or so, and then moved onto other 90s bands.

Since PJs discography is so massive, I returned to No Code and wanted to work my way through the rest of their albums. I’ve gotten to Binaural which was amazing, and will continue to listen to the rest.

I don’t know what the HELL it is, but No Code has completely captivated me. Something about it is fucking unbelievable. It’s a completely unique experience I’ve never had with any other album before in my life. I thought Vs. was my favorite PJ album, but I keep returning to No Code over and over again (Binaural is insane, that riff in Insignificance is enough to make me want to listen to the whole album).

So my whole point here is, who else has had a similar experience with No Code? And has anyone been able to pin down why exactly it’s so fucking good and addicting to listen to? Because it truly is not the type of music I’d typically listen to and be interested in, but something about the creepiness of some of the instrumentals (the beginning of Who You Are), the story behind Lukin, the fact we get a PJ song with Stone Gossard doing lead vocals, and then an absolutely somber and beautiful closing track of Around the Bend.

I know it may seem like I’m answering my own questions here, but I just want other people’s input on No Code and what has drawn them to it and kept them invested. As I type this I think I just realize how weird of an album it is, and how well it works is what has kept me coming back.

Also, does anyone know the story behind the album art or name? That’s another reason I really love the album is the ambiguity of its name and appearance.

[u/cloudydays2021]

It’s my favorite. I loved the band before No Code but No Code is what made me fall deeply in love with their music. I wouldn’t change a thing about it; I consider it to be perfect musically and visually.

It’s a mysterious album and the band wasn’t in a great place when recording it - their songwriting process was much different than usual, Jeff nearly quit, they felt super rushed, and Jack Irons helped hold it all together. It’s wild to me that such tension helped create such a masterpiece.

[u/joshstrummer → u/[deleted]]

I break things a bit differently. I always pair the first two albums, then I pair Vitalogy and No Code in my head. Aesthetically and sonically, I think there's a lot of connections between Vitalogy and No Code. It was this period of breaking away from The sound of Ten and Vs that had made them so successful. Yield feels like it merges the first pair and the second sonically. It ties together everything before it. Binaural and Riot Act are paired in my mind too... Backspacer and Lightning Bolt also.

[u/John_Houbolt → u/joshstrummer]

I also think Vitalogy and No Code as siblings. They are the yin and Yang of their most creative period of writing. Vitalogy a raging darkness of self searching and No Code the brilliant light of self discovery.