Lets Actually Listen to the Album: Lightning Bolt

[bodysnatcher]

GETAWAY
sucks

MIND YOUR MANNERS
sucks

MY FATHER'S SON
sucks

SIRENS
sucks

LIGHTNING BOLT
sucks

INFALLIBLE
sucks

PENDULUM
sucks

SWALLOWED WHOLE
sucks

LET THE RECORDS PLAY
sucks

SLEEPING BY MYSELF
sucks

YELLOW MOON
sucks

FUTURE DAYS
canon

[96583UP]

only 1 hour and 44 minutes to go...

[PHATJ]

thanks bros

Bro cred.

I'm with ya Brocready.

This made me laugh pretty hard.

[WaitingForBluey]

I listened to this today for the first time in a while and I was a little surprised that my overall reaction was pretty consistent to how I would've described it a year or two or three ago... There is a pretty good album buried somewhere in here but it has to overcome too many of its own deficiencies to really shine through.

Lightning Bolt, Infallible and Pendulum are prime examples of songs that had the potential to be "classic PJ" tracks but they just fall short a little for various reasons obviously discussed ad nauseam here. I blame B'OB for the underwhelming nature of the first two tracks but all the blame for Pendulum lands squarely on Matt Cameron. Please try to tell me that Jack Irons wouldn't have come up with something more colorful and engaging on the percussion track? In fact, as I listened through the whole album, and started to think about the last few albums in general, Matt Cameron's lack of creativity is a concerning trend. I know most on here direct their ire towards Ed but Matt has really been holding this band back for a while. I thought his contributions to Binaural and Riot Act were excellent... but he has mostly checked out since then.

With that said, songs like My Father's Son, Swallowed Whole and Yellow Moon are the reason why I will still get excited about a new Pearl Jam album if and when it ever happens again. These are the few songs on the album that feel natural, with an appropriate level of production. They're not "forced" or have that "trying too hard" feeling that we've gotten from a lot of new Pearl Jam songs ever since S/T. I may even put Sleeping By Myself in this category but I know that's probably a more divisive song.

What kills this album for me (even more so than the cheesy piano on Future Days or the abrupt shift from MFS to Sirens) is the weak ass intro. Getaway eventually turns into a decent song once it gets rolling along but the first 20-30 seconds or so are so completely uninspiring that I almost finding myself wanting to grab another album off the shelf almost immediately. The main guitar riff has such a weak "washed-up Dad rock" vibe to it. The bad taste stays in my mouth most of the way through MYM until Mike's solo starts to wake me up a little and then MFS becomes the first really engaging piece on the album. That's just not a great way to engage a listener that is already somewhat ambivalent about investing 45 or so minutes into an album to begin with.

[evenslow]

Well said, especially the part about MC. He has become a very workmanlike drummer over the last 10 years, which especially hurts Pearl Jam b/c they always semi-relied on their drummers to add some personality and depth to the overall picture.

[PHATJ]

Couldn't agree more with your Matt C. take.

[Leatherhead]

Matt pretty much kills it on Backspacer, he's maybe the best part of the album. His drumming has only been lackluster on LB.

[evenslow]

Matt pretty much kills it on Backspacer, he's maybe the best part of the album. His drumming has only been lackluster on LB.

Examples?

The only thing I can think of off hand is GSMF.

[Leatherhead]

Matt pretty much kills it on Backspacer, he's maybe the best part of the album. His drumming has only been lackluster on LB.

Examples?

The only thing I can think of off hand is GSMF.

Johnny Guitar, Got Some, The Fixer.

[Leatherhead]

Fuck, Backspacer ain't too bad......NOOOOOOOOO

[evenslow]

Matt pretty much kills it on Backspacer, he's maybe the best part of the album. His drumming has only been lackluster on LB.

Examples?

The only thing I can think of off hand is GSMF.

Johnny Guitar, Got Some, The Fixer.

I mean, yeah, those are "good." But I certainly wouldn't consider them on the level of "killing it" like what he did on Binaural/Riot Act. They just don't stand out to me as identifiable.

This is a man who held the world in the palm of his hand from his first days in Soundgarden through most of Riot Act. The more I think about it, the more his work on the '98 tour is fucking legendary, especially considering he had a few weeks to learn everything.

As I said in my LAL of LB, there are only two times for me that he actually "stood out" and made me notice - "Lightning Bolt" (as the song progresses he absolutely takes it to another level) and "Sleeping By Myself" (by using a light touch, which is damn impressive for such a heavy hitter). Other than that, the dude could be replaced by any other competent drummer on that album, which is sad to say for such a talented dude.

I'm fully willing to admit that perhaps he's uninspired by the content. But that doesn't hide the fact that he fails to levitate or transcend any of the material he's offered to a different plane. If you buy that the songs aren't that great, then it should be his job (if he's "killing it") to make chicken salad out of chicken shit.

[bodysnatcher]

Maybe Eddie:singing::Matt:drumming?

[Leatherhead]

Actually listening to this right now, just started.

[Leatherhead]

Getaway and MYM were kinda boring. MFS still kicks ass.

[Leatherhead]

I like the transition from MFS to Sirens. And Sirens is sounding pretty good.

[Leatherhead]

On LB now.

YOU GOTTA KNOW YOU"LL NEVER LET HER GO.

I like that part.

[Leatherhead]

I like the mood Infallible creates. Sounds defeated, a glimmer of hope, but ultimately defeated.

[bodysnatcher]

I really like Infallible, except for that damn chorus. The verses and the lyrics paint a gloomy picture that I really like.

[Leatherhead]

I really like Infallible, except for that damn chorus. The verses and the lyrics paint a gloomy picture that I really like.

Yea the chorus used to bug me. Didn't mind it this time, actually liked it.

[gardenparty]

My Fathers Son
Infallible
Pendulum
Getaway
Mind Your Manners
Sirens
Yellow Moon
Lightning Bolt
Sleeping by Myself
Swallowed Whole
Let the Records Play
Future Days