Gigaton: Official album thread

[evenslow]

I don't get your guys' LB references. What do you mean by the LB aesthetic or sound or song choices? I mean, there's Getaway, Pendulum, Infallible, MYM, Yellow Moon ... all extremely different types of songs. I get that there are BoB production flourishes (I'm not a technical listener so I don't know what the fuck you guys are talking about half the time) some of you do not like from him, but in terms of songwriting and such .... there is no "Lightning Bolt" sound. This sounds like it's going to be another varied album w/ stuff for different types of fans ... but somehow people will pidgeonhole it into a thing. Backspacer I get ... there's a specific thing about it w/ punchy and condensed ... LB or Avocado for that matter, I don't really understand the pidgeonholing.

from my perspective, LB is perhaps the only Pearl Jam album without an overriding aesthetic. it's a true hodgepodge. a grab bag without a coherent thru-line. i like when an artist or a band approaches a piece of art with an overarching thought in mind about what they are trying to say, be it thematically or sonically. i was really hoping gigaton would deliver on that.

[Strat]

I don't get your guys' LB references. What do you mean by the LB aesthetic or sound or song choices? I mean, there's Getaway, Pendulum, Infallible, MYM, Yellow Moon ... all extremely different types of songs. I get that there are BoB production flourishes (I'm not a technical listener so I don't know what the fuck you guys are talking about half the time) some of you do not like from him, but in terms of songwriting and such .... there is no "Lightning Bolt" sound. This sounds like it's going to be another varied album w/ stuff for different types of fans ... but somehow people will pidgeonhole it into a thing. Backspacer I get ... there's a specific thing about it w/ punchy and condensed ... LB or Avocado for that matter, I don't really understand the pidgeonholing.

Same.

Lightning bolt sounds like pearl jam trying to cover pearl jam.

[WtOB?]

rip pearl jam.

[Homeboyd]

So, I don't know how much we're actually trusting KidC right now, but the tequila he said was served at this thing, the label matches the bottle Ed's holding in that Instagram photo.

I dunno if there are other photos floating around, but it's not that identifiable in the IG pic. He might be legit.

I was under the impression that everyone knew he was full of shit, but he was cool about it so no big deal. But feel free to make up your own mind

[Clem Halibut]

Well...I'm really confused & don't know what to think. Cohen The Billboard guy's review had me excited saying it was the best album since Yield. Then Kid C comes on here saying it's like Better Days & Lightning Bolt. I need some tequila.

[evenslow]

Well...I'm really confused & don't know what to think. Cohen The Billboard guy's review had me excited saying it was the best album since Yield. Then Kid C comes on hear saying it's like Better Days & Lightning Bolt. I need some tequila.

amen

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now

[Homeboyd]

Well...I'm really confused & don't know what to think. Cohen The Billboard guy's review had me excited saying it was the best album since Yield. Then Kid C comes on hear saying it's like Better Days & Lightning Bolt. I need some tequila.

Drink enough tequila and Johnny Guitar is an up-tempo rocker that sounds like Animal

[scrub12]

Well...I'm really confused & don't know what to think. Cohen The Billboard guy's review had me excited saying it was the best album since Yield. Then Kid C comes on here saying it's like Better Days & Lightning Bolt. I need some tequila.

True. More articles/impressions will come from this.

Or better yet, they could not make us wait two more fucking months.

[Jessica Fletcher]

I don't get your guys' LB references. What do you mean by the LB aesthetic or sound or song choices? I mean, there's Getaway, Pendulum, Infallible, MYM, Yellow Moon ... all extremely different types of songs. I get that there are BoB production flourishes (I'm not a technical listener so I don't know what the fuck you guys are talking about half the time) some of you do not like from him, but in terms of songwriting and such .... there is no "Lightning Bolt" sound. This sounds like it's going to be another varied album w/ stuff for different types of fans ... but somehow people will pidgeonhole it into a thing. Backspacer I get ... there's a specific thing about it w/ punchy and condensed ... LB or Avocado for that matter, I don't really understand the pidgeonholing.

There is a unique lightning bolt sound. The songs were recorded, mixed and mastered in a cohesive manner, a manner I find distasteful. The mid-range is sucked right out of everything. Every instrument is presented in its most sterile form, devoid of any space or atmosphere outside of the bare minimum signal to allow what BOB deemed worthy to pass through ProTools to the master. I can’t speak for everyone but that’s what I think of when I think of Lightning Bolt as an album. There are good songs but that is secondary to the aesthetic or sound in my mind.

[KidC-]

I remain optimistic because DOTC is great and the production rules.

The album is incredible. There are clear standout tracks that will rank amongst the best in PJs catalogue. DOTC is one of them. Keeps getting better and better. Also. The production is going to unfold more and more with each listen. As it has been doing with DOTC. I’m a huge fan of the band’s studio work and I had high expectations for this album. Some tracks surpassed those expectations.

awesome. how do you square that with it sounding like lightning bolt?

Sirens is in my top 10. But for me. Lightning bolt ends after pendulum. The hidden track is the bridge of yellow moon. And it is fantastic.

Hmmm ... I think I can get with this. I generally think LB is pretty darn strong but LTRP and SBM are just well below subpar and take the wind out of the end of the album. I do agree that the Yellow Moon bridge is a standout. I'm generally more like Kid C as a fan .... I'm probably gonna be pretty happy. Heck with all of you cranks.

Yep. You’re gonna love it.

[evenslow]

I don't get your guys' LB references. What do you mean by the LB aesthetic or sound or song choices? I mean, there's Getaway, Pendulum, Infallible, MYM, Yellow Moon ... all extremely different types of songs. I get that there are BoB production flourishes (I'm not a technical listener so I don't know what the fuck you guys are talking about half the time) some of you do not like from him, but in terms of songwriting and such .... there is no "Lightning Bolt" sound. This sounds like it's going to be another varied album w/ stuff for different types of fans ... but somehow people will pidgeonhole it into a thing. Backspacer I get ... there's a specific thing about it w/ punchy and condensed ... LB or Avocado for that matter, I don't really understand the pidgeonholing.

There is a unique lightning bolt sound. The songs were recorded, mixed and mastered in a cohesive manner, a manner I find distasteful. The mid-range is sucked right out of everything. Every instrument is presented in its most sterile form, devoid of any space or atmosphere outside of the bare minimum signal to allow what BOB deemed worthy to pass through ProTools to the master. I can’t speak for everyone but that’s what I think of when I think of Lightning Bolt as an album. There are good songs but that is secondary to the aesthetic or sound in my mind.

amen

[KidC-]

Well...I'm really confused & don't know what to think. Cohen The Billboard guy's review had me excited saying it was the best album since Yield. Then Kid C comes on here saying it's like Better Days & Lightning Bolt. I need some tequila.

Yep. Retrograde sounds like the end of better days. And the ending is awesome. That’s the comparison that came to mind. Is it exact? Nah. But it’s got that soaring thing down.

[scrub12]

The leak rumors earlier must have come from this listening party invite.

[LetMeSleep]

But this album is closest to lightning bolt if I had to pick.

Hear the sirens.

[Tuolumne]

I don't get your guys' LB references. What do you mean by the LB aesthetic or sound or song choices? I mean, there's Getaway, Pendulum, Infallible, MYM, Yellow Moon ... all extremely different types of songs. I get that there are BoB production flourishes (I'm not a technical listener so I don't know what the fuck you guys are talking about half the time) some of you do not like from him, but in terms of songwriting and such .... there is no "Lightning Bolt" sound. This sounds like it's going to be another varied album w/ stuff for different types of fans ... but somehow people will pidgeonhole it into a thing. Backspacer I get ... there's a specific thing about it w/ punchy and condensed ... LB or Avocado for that matter, I don't really understand the pidgeonholing.

There is a unique lightning bolt sound. The songs were recorded, mixed and mastered in a cohesive manner, a manner I find distasteful. The mid-range is sucked right out of everything. Every instrument is presented in its most sterile form, devoid of any space or atmosphere outside of the bare minimum signal to allow what BOB deemed worthy to pass through ProTools to the master. I can’t speak for everyone but that’s what I think of when I think of Lightning Bolt as an album. There are good songs but that is secondary to the aesthetic or sound in my mind.

That's some wonky technical shit that I just don't get. A majority of the LB songs I really dig. There's a 2-3 weak ones. Mid-range? Minimum bare signal? HUH???? That's what I think when I see that. All I know is that Getaway rocks the hair off of my scrotum, it's a banger dude.

The songs are pretty fuckin different from one another. And you know what, so was an album called NO CODE. Habit and Who You Are could not be any more different from each other in every way imaginable. Yet, somehow No Code has some sort of cohesive aesthetic? HUH?? Maybe there's some technical mumbo jumbo where someone can convince themselves that they bear some common thread but y'all be smokin some dank weed to be able to do that.....

[darthvedder81]

Lightning Bolt is by far my least favorite PJ album but I don’t hate it. It would take a lot for me to hate a Pearl Jam album.

I just listened to it straight through recently and two observations:

1) Like many have stated it lacks cohesiveness. There is no beginning middle or end. Backspacer kind of has this problem too but it’s not as noticeable to me (maybe the fact that the last song is called The End helps? Haha).

2) The fact that the album literally closes on a non-band member/BOB playing a cheesy piano line is unforgivable.

[Jaeti]

I know shit about all the production quality stuff that gets discussed around here. I don't own fancy equipment. But this evening I played DOTC and Gonna See My Friend back to back, and even I made a face at how GSMF sounded from the first instant.

Then I put on Insignificance and felt warm again like when DOTC was playing, so I remain pretty confident it's all gonna be okay.

[digster]

I know shit about all the production quality stuff that gets discussed around here. I don't own fancy equipment. But this evening I played DOTC and Gonna See My Friend back to back, and even I made a face at how GSMF sounded from the first instant.

Then I put on Insignificance and felt warm again like when DOTC was playing, so I remain pretty confident it's all gonna be okay.

I remain really impressed by how the outro of DOTC is produced. On repeated listens, you can find different vocal lines to grab onto, but none of the lines Ed sings feels haphazardly placed. It's quite well constructed in their decisions to layer and repeat certain lines.

[Clem Halibut]

Well...I'm really confused & don't know what to think. Cohen The Billboard guy's review had me excited saying it was the best album since Yield. Then Kid C comes on here saying it's like Better Days & Lightning Bolt. I need some tequila.

Yep. Retrograde sounds like the end of better days. And the ending is awesome. That’s the comparison that came to mind. Is it exact? Nah. But it’s got that soaring thing down.

Cool! I love the ending of Better Days, and if Retrograde is like that, then I'm excited.

7'Oclock has me the most excited due to the Floyd reference. Does Mike have a solo in this one? Is this a Gilmore type Floyd...or Syd Barrett type Floyd?