Editorial
Reviews
Though it contains none of the band's radio
staples, No Code may is one Pearl Jam record that holds
up start to finish. Partly this is because of the songs, which
like the hypnotic "Who Are You" are unusually
straightforward. But it's also because this is the most
musically varied effort of the band's career: "Hail,
Hail" is a full-tilt firestorm, but the quiet
"Sometimes" is a hesitating, slow burn. And while
"Smile" has a Crazy Horse roar, the unplugged
setting of "Off He Goes" lets the song breathe and
the emotions sink in.
--David Cantwell
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