Lightning Bolt: the official album thread

[Strat]

You are a fool for not loving Binaural!

[harmless]

My honest and fairly stable feeling about Lightning Bolt.

I want something I enjoy more than S/T and Backspacer. I want it to be a step up. I felt that Backspacer was a step up from S/T (not a step down, as others do) and based on what I've heard, I think my expectation that LB might be a better album than both of them is a realistic one. So that's all I'm asking for. So yes, my expectations have lowered over the years, and that lowering of expectations is a response (I think) to a diminishing effort from Pearl Jam as a band. But within those limits, I'm excited for the new album because damn it, I still want to believe that when the band uses words 'experimental' and 'wanting to go forward, not look back', it's because they're looking for a new place but haven't found it yet. If the trajectory from S/T (mostly not good) to Backspacer (pretty OK mostly) continues, we might get a good album this time and a great one next time. I won't cancel the rest of my life to wait for it, but I'm not jumping off the train yet either. Anyway, I can't... I have five (or six, depending on how you count them) PJ tattoos. I sold my soul.

[Dr. Van Nostrand]

You are a fool for not loving Binaural!

[Birds in Hell]

Frankly, I think it's Matt Cameron.

That's no slight against Matt, mind you. I think it's just a mismatch of talents.

[EJ]

Betterman (live) will pull you back into the fray, Spenno.

[harmless]

Even around the time of Live at the Garden (a dvd I really loved), I knew that I would have to make a huge adjustment to appreciate a Pearl Jam featuring Matt Cameron on drums. And mostly I have, even though he tempers my enjoyment of the whole band, sometimes slightly, sometimes a lot. What's bothering me lately is that, like the rest of the band, he's getting older. I've not been a middle-aged drummer before, so I have no idea what we can reasonably expect from one, but when I watch Matt play for Soundgarden, I can't help thinking.... THAT. That's what we can expect. I can't really fathom or understand why Matt seems so ambitionless with PJ (that Matt Cam video for MYM really is lacklustre) but in as much as PJ might not exist without him, it's fine. I'll live. PJ is now a band that is the sum of its parts, sometimes more but not very often.

[darth_vedder]

You are a fool for not loving Binaural!

I don't know. I get the love for it, but I also get the frustration with it. The Binaural sessions are some of the best work the band ever did. The final product of the actual album is somewhat of a let down considering all the cool things they did around that time that did not make the album.

[harmless]

I try to see my past disappointments with the band against the Target video. That gives them some perspective. In the grand scheme of things, Binaural is fucking genius.

[Birds in Hell]

I knew that I would have to make a huge adjustment to appreciate a Pearl Jam featuring Matt Cameron on drums.

Working hard to enjoy Pearl Jam isn't a very attractive proposition.

[Dr. Van Nostrand]

I try to see my past disappointments with the band against the Target video. That gives them some perspective. In the grand scheme of things, Binaural is fucking genius.

i would love if this album had a couple of songs that could fit in with Binaural, i wouldnt even care if they felt right with the rest of the songs on the LB

[Jorge]

I knew that I would have to make a huge adjustment to appreciate a Pearl Jam featuring Matt Cameron on drums.

Working hard to enjoy Pearl Jam isn't a very attractive proposition.

It's what you gotta do when you get 6 band tattoos.

[harmless]

I knew that I would have to make a huge adjustment to appreciate a Pearl Jam featuring Matt Cameron on drums.

Working hard to enjoy Pearl Jam isn't a very attractive proposition.

Working hard at anything is not a very attractive proposition, but that's life.

[Heathen]

I knew that I would have to make a huge adjustment to appreciate a Pearl Jam featuring Matt Cameron on drums.

Working hard to enjoy Pearl Jam isn't a very attractive proposition.

It's what you gotta do when you get 6 band tattoos.

Or five, depending on how you count tattooed balls.

[harmless]

I knew that I would have to make a huge adjustment to appreciate a Pearl Jam featuring Matt Cameron on drums.

Working hard to enjoy Pearl Jam isn't a very attractive proposition.

It's what you gotta do when you get 6 band tattoos.

This guy gets it.

In all seriousness though, if it was just work I obviously wouldn't be here. I have this band to thank for much of my social life, my romantic life, etc. I met my wife because of PJ. And they're the only band who can make me cream with excitement every time I hear a new album is about to drop (even if that album then disappoints me, I'll still be here for the next one). I can't explain it, but meh.

[harmless]

What I'm saying is, I'll only jump ship when Jorge starts replacing Spin Doctors with PJ when he mocks me. As long as he cannot find it in his cold little heart to do that, I'll still be here.

[Dr. Van Nostrand]

its gonna be a great album guys

[harmless]

I think it might be. *hopes*

When I think of some of the fairly standard rock songs that made it onto Riot Act ('Get Right'), I can compare those to MYM and Lightning Bolt and say maybe we'll have some brilliance there as well, because both of those are pretty enjoyable.

[harmless]

Basically I just don't think they can possibly repeat the mistakes that were Big Wave and Supersonic a third time.

[EJ]

"It sounds like Pearl Jam."

[harmless]

Also, guys, we're upset about how Backspacer turned out with Brendan O'Brien. But how bad was his production really? He made an album with an intention to sound poppy... sound poppy. Isn't it possible that an album with some fuller, longer songs (and a couple experimental) could sound absolutely fine? Does MYM's production sound vastly more 'poppy' than something from Vs., aside from the vastly simplified drumming?