Lightning Bolt: the official album thread

[stip]

there seems to be a very high correlation between how people felt about MYM and these tracks.

[Lounge Lizard]

there seems to be a very high correlation between how people felt about MYM and these tracks.

In what way?

[verb_to_trust]

A big thank you to the kind soul who sent these to me.

First impression is that, while none of these songs are without their minor virtues, there's probably not much depth or potential for surprise in them either. In a lot of respects the songs just feel...I don't know, unremarkable, competent but unimpressive pieces of obligatory product from a group of people who just don't have that much to offer each other anymore. I think that's maybe the most disappointing thing for me about these songs (and probably "Backspacer" too), the way the individualized voices of the band members seem to be lost in this nonspecific wash of readymade blandness, the sound of five people whose creative paths have long since diverged reverting to a "mode." They've become like old college friends who used to stay up until the wee hours of the morning, driving wherever the road took them, enraptured in each others' company, having deep conversations about the meaning of life; now they meet up once a year at Panera and talk about their office jobs and where to get the best deals on homeowner's insurance, which lasts for about 30 minutes before giving way to a deafening, awkward silence.

I'll hold my final judgment until the album drops, but at the very least I don't think these songs travel well. The remaining tracks have some heavy lifting to do.

Yep

[stip]

there seems to be a very high correlation between how people felt about MYM and these tracks.

In what way?

if you thought mym was pretty good you found stuff here you liked. If you didn't like MYM you didn't really like these songs.

[Lounge Lizard]

there seems to be a very high correlation between how people felt about MYM and these tracks.

In what way?

if you thought mym was pretty good you found stuff here you liked. If you didn't like MYM you didn't really like these songs.

I thought very few people disliked MYM, so there is no real correlation

[@SkitchP]

Basically these songs sound like Pearl Jam trying to sound like Pearl Jam.

[harmless]

A big thank you to the kind soul who sent these to me.

First impression is that, while none of these songs are without their minor virtues, there's probably not much depth or potential for surprise in them either. In a lot of respects the songs just feel...I don't know, unremarkable, competent but unimpressive pieces of obligatory product from a group of people who just don't have that much to offer each other anymore. I think that's maybe the most disappointing thing for me about these songs (and probably "Backspacer" too), the way the individualized voices of the band members seem to be lost in this nonspecific wash of readymade blandness, the sound of five people whose creative paths have long since diverged reverting to a "mode." They've become like old college friends who used to stay up until the wee hours of the morning, driving wherever the road took them, enraptured in each others' company, having deep conversations about the meaning of life; now they meet up once a year at Panera and talk about their office jobs and where to get the best deals on homeowner's insurance, which lasts for about 30 minutes before giving way to a deafening, awkward silence.

I'll hold my final judgment until the album drops, but at the very least I don't think these songs travel well. The remaining tracks have some heavy lifting to do.

Yep

For all that I don't feel as disappointed in any of this as you both do, I do find it interesting that the first band member I saw this slightly by-the-book, bored approach in, was Matt. I've been saying it for ages and have got some real stick for it. But my only question is, if they really don't want to do this anymore, why wouldn't they just stop? R.E.M did.

[dimejinky99]

Basically these songs sound like Pearl Jam trying to sound like Pearl Jam.

I can get on board with that but LB aside, they're far more successful and believable on these tracks than on previous albums.

Not making that call til I hear the whole record though.

[harmless]

Basically these songs sound like Pearl Jam trying to sound like Pearl Jam.

This is exactly what I thought when I first heard Yield, Binaural, Riot Act...

[Lounge Lizard]

My son asked me to draw a sketch that he could use to paint his skateboard, I was listening to LB and doodled this:



All her problems they won't die with you

[Lounge Lizard]

Basically these songs sound like Pearl Jam trying to sound like Pearl Jam.

Posts like this sound like they are trying to say something without saying anything

[verb_to_trust]

there seems to be a very high correlation between how people felt about MYM and these tracks.

In what way?

if you thought mym was pretty good you found stuff here you liked. If you didn't like MYM you didn't really like these songs.

What about the people that didn't really dislike MYM, but instead found it forgettable and haven't really listened to it for weeks?

[WtOB?]

My son asked me to draw a sketch that he could use to paint his skateboard, I was listening to LB and doodled this:



All her problems they won't die with you

that doodle is so much cooler than the song.

[Django Butterworth]

I find I am much happier if I take each new record as a separate piece and don't try to compare it stuff they have done previously.

Given that, I am enjoying the shit out of these.

[harmless]

Tbf, MYM was a very different song to all of these, and it wasn't representative at all. We'll wait for the rest before we know whether it was representative of the album. But there will be people who, based on having heard MYM, will be expecting an attempt at a full-throttle Black Flag social-comment noise-fest. And once again, it's not what we've got. Not here, anyway.

[Noaheb]

Basically this post sounds like skitch trying to sound like skitch.

[Lounge Lizard]

I find I am much happier if I take each new record as a separate piece and don't try to compare it stuff they have done previously.

Given that, I am enjoying the shit out of these.

[stip]

there seems to be a very high correlation between how people felt about MYM and these tracks.

In what way?

if you thought mym was pretty good you found stuff here you liked. If you didn't like MYM you didn't really like these songs.

What about the people that didn't really dislike MYM, but instead found it forgettable and haven't really listened to it for weeks?

well, they would probably indicate, as you did above, that they find these somewhat forgettable.

[stip]

I guess these tracks are a logical extension of mind your manners

[WtOB?]

Basically this post sounds like skitch trying to sound like skitch.

classic skitch! so funny.