Lightning Bolt: the official album thread

[Dr. Van Nostrand]

I'm just thinking since there's well over 700 pages in this thread that perhaps we all overanalyze PJ's music nowdays both positively and negatively? You know, instead of just realizing it's just rock music? Hahaha....Naaaaaaaaaw! Not us!

[Led013]

I am new posting. Have stalked for ages. I am surprised about the reaction to the leaked songs. For a little background I think vs/vit was the pinnacle for the band. I still enjoy their new music and think that, especially after the reviews, after hearing these songs we may be in for a good record.

As a new member/poster all of you people who are negative about these songs, can you please relay to me what you think the end all be all of pearl jam songs/album is?

[AllNiteThing]

I am new posting. Have stalked for ages. I am surprised about the reaction to the leaked songs. For a little background I think vs/vit was the pinnacle for the band. I still enjoy their new music and think that, especially after the reviews, after hearing these songs we may be in for a good record.

As a new member/poster all of you people who are negative about these songs, can you please relay to me what you think the end all be all of pearl jam songs/album is?

Sweet Lew.

[Walker Bait]

I am new posting. Have stalked for ages. I am surprised about the reaction to the leaked songs. For a little background I think vs/vit was the pinnacle for the band. I still enjoy their new music and think that, especially after the reviews, after hearing these songs we may be in for a good record.

As a new member/poster all of you people who are negative about these songs, can you please relay to me what you think the end all be all of pearl jam songs/album is?

Sweet Lew.

Goat

[Birds in Hell]

I haven't been following the discussion too closely but all the songs seem to have been received relatively well from what I've seen so far.

Those people who didn't like them have usually given a pretty decent explanation as to why; trying to get people to keep justifying why they don't enjoy what they don't enjoy seems like a dumb thing to do. "Yes, but why?!"

[Walker Bait]

I'm gonna say it...I think I'm going to enjoy this album more out of the gate than any since.... Vitalogy....yep I said it, so what! I hated No Code (at first) Yield was another change from that which took some getting used to though I enjoyed it. Binaural was dark and a grower, Riot Act was a grower, ST and Backspacer....I enjoyed but never reached the point of the prior records with me. What I've heard so far from Lightning Bolt has me litterally dancing around drinking whiskey and clapping my fucking hands....CLAPPING MY HANDS!!! WTF?!..I'm not one to normally do that....ever. lol

[hlniv]

I'm gonna say it...I think I'm going to enjoy this album more out of the gate than any since.... Vitalogy....yep I said it, so what! I hated No Code (at first) Yield was another change from that which took some getting used to though I enjoyed it. Binaural was dark and a grower, Riot Act was a grower, ST and Backspacer....I enjoyed but never reached the point of the prior records with me. What I've heard so far from Lightning Bolt has me litterally dancing around drinking whiskey and clapping my fucking hands....CLAPPING MY HANDS!!! WTF?!..I'm not one to normally do that....ever. lol

This

At least the whiskey part. The rest is hard to digest because of that.

But really, this. I am finding myself thinking the same

[delanoche]

I haven't been following the discussion too closely but all the songs seem to have been received relatively well from what I've seen so far.

Those people who didn't like them have usually given a pretty decent explanation as to why; trying to get people to keep justifying why they don't enjoy what they don't enjoy seems like a dumb thing to do. "Yes, but why?!"

I think the reason that people keep asking is that the post is often along the line of "I was hoping for something else." But they're not necessarily articulating what they were hoping for, and people want to know what that is. Which, as you say, is probably a dumb thing to try to articulate. So we're just stuck with a back and forth with no solution. I blame Eddie. If there were less vowel sounds, everyone would likely be measurably happier.

[BurtReynolds]

is it too early to talk about retracking the album, yet?

[WtOB?]

I'm gonna say it...I think I'm going to enjoy this album more out of the gate than any since.... Vitalogy....yep I said it, so what! I hated No Code (at first) Yield was another change from that which took some getting used to though I enjoyed it. Binaural was dark and a grower, Riot Act was a grower, ST and Backspacer....I enjoyed but never reached the point of the prior records with me. What I've heard so far from Lightning Bolt has me litterally dancing around drinking whiskey and clapping my fucking hands....CLAPPING MY HANDS!!! WTF?!..I'm not one to normally do that....ever. lol

This

At least the whiskey part. The rest is hard to digest because of that.

But really, this. I am finding myself thinking the same

i could really go for a whisky and a full lightning bolt right about now.

[Leatherhead]

So I just listened to all of these songs for maybe the 6th time, in the order;

1.Getaway - Pretty good song, bass is pretty badass, really like Ed's "It'sss alright!" Though sometimes I think Ed might be a bit loud in the mix.

2.Mind Your Manners - Probably still my favorite song from Lightning Bolt so far. Really like the tasty guitar riffage in this song. Ed is pretty good throughout, really like his screaming/yelling/growling voice, wish he'd do more of this, I think it sounds good. Interesting is the transition from Getaway to MYM, Getaway ends with seemingly uplifting music and then MYM comes in with that sinister guitar riffage, also the lyrics (and I guess the music too) of the two songs seem like two opposing sides of the shit going on in "Lightning Bolt (album)." When Ed's not screaming, he's a bit loud in the mix.

3.Lightning Bolt - WTF? I really like the live version of this from Wrigley, and while I also like it in the studio, I don't think I like it as much, surprisingly. I thought it'd kick ass in the studio. This song seems to have lost some substance, the guitars don't sound as good, live they were pretty fuzzy/crunchy it seemed, not so much in the studio. Don't like the effect on Ed's voice. Ending jam should be longer.

4.Swallowed hole - Pretty good song, cool guitar solo. Really like some of the transitions from verse to chorus. Lyrics are kinda cheesy it seems. Ed's probably too loud.

5.Let the Records Play. - I like this one too, reminds me of Marker in the Sand a lot, which is a great song. Really like the delivery of; "I’ve been down and I fell so hard and far from grace." Also like the transition from chorus to verse, but not sure I like the chorus a lot. Ed's too loud most of the time. The transition from Swallowed Whole to LTRP was okay, I didn't really notice anything special, but it worked alright.

I also just "ate a big sandwich."

Overall I like the songs quite a bit, not my favorite PJ style, but still pretty good songs. I think Ed's too loud a lot of the time.

[hlniv]

Took a break from these today. But, then couldn't sleep, so here I am with the headphones on, running through them about 5 times. I have some new middle of the night thoughts-

Getaway - Can't wait to get the clean production on this. This one is clearly better than anything from the last two records, and drives a groove that we haven't heard from them in a long, long time. Jeff is the star. When was the last time we had a song climax like that? Cover your eyes, that shit stings when it hits you in the face. At least that's what she said. This one grows and grows on you. Wonder how long it can hold up, though? My guess is that will stand up for a long time.

Lightning Bolt - The lasers are starting to bother me, but there is some really cool shit going on with the guitars underneath and to the side of the main riffs. I do think this will ultimately sound quite sexy when we hear the clean version. There is a lot going on here, and all of it makes me feel good. Good in a way that Backspacer could never even see. Also, I bet we have a little interlude at the end of this, into Infallible. There's the little hint of the next track at the end of this leak, but there's also a 20 second difference between the timed version from the listening party and the length of this track. Could that mean we have some transition piece in between, that is tacked into the end of the album track before we get to Infallible?

Swallowed Hole - This is is my favorite, and it gets better every time I hear it. The bridge is perfectly conceived, placed, and executed. Yes maybe this bridge seems like something you've heard before, maybe not new musical territory, but the link to the kick-ass solo is right on. The "whisper songs" chorus may sound awkward at first, but it starts to fit once you know its coming, and when it hard stops on the "turn the page" at the end, the song just hangs with you. It stays with you. I don't know what to make of the fact that LTRP is next on the album, because that "turn the page" stop could really set up a darker song. But, oh well...

Let the Records Play - Fun song. I danced with my two year old. He laughed. I like the feel on the intro guitars, solo, and outtro, both are something new for the band, I think. The bridge keeps the tune together, otherwise the chorus would get old fast. That's my only real issue, it's not bad, I can just tell that chorus melody will get a little boring over time. Definitely my least fav of the bunch. But, still fun, and could have its applications

Compared to MYM, these are all quite different, and it goes much beyond the shitty copy vs. full production differences. I think this is a very good sign for the album, and I love the fact that the darker tunes have yet to surface. I listened to both Binaural and Riot Act today through the headphones during some house chores. First time I had done that in a while. If only the rest of LB can get anywhere close to the best of either of these in terms of atmosphere....

[ishot_JFK]

I'm gonna say it...I think I'm going to enjoy this album more out of the gate than any since.... Vitalogy....yep I said it, so what! I hated No Code (at first) Yield was another change from that which took some getting used to though I enjoyed it. Binaural was dark and a grower, Riot Act was a grower, ST and Backspacer....I enjoyed but never reached the point of the prior records with me. What I've heard so far from Lightning Bolt has me litterally dancing around drinking whiskey and clapping my fucking hands....CLAPPING MY HANDS!!! WTF?!..I'm not one to normally do that....ever. lol

This

At least the whiskey part. The rest is hard to digest because of that.

But really, this. I am finding myself thinking the same

This?*

2 PARTS Rye Whiskey
1 PART St-Germain
¾ PART Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice
TOP WITH Ginger Beer
2 DASHES Angostura Bitters

METHOD: Shake first three ingredients in an ice filled shaker and strain into an ice filled Collins glass. Top with Ginger beer & 2 dashes of Angostura bitters to garnish.

*also goes good with a "big sandwich"*

[Lounge Lizard]

My wife just heard LTRP for the first time and said: "This is a new song? But it sound so OLD".
"OK", I says putting LB on.
"Well, what did you think of that one?", I says when it finished.
"Umm... it was two different songs?", says she.

[Lounge Lizard]

Alright, a question that requires an honest answer: how many of these five songs we've heard so far do you think have staying power? Honest.

[harmless]

is it too early to talk about retracking the album, yet?

'Everything but these ones', right?

[harmless]

Alright, a question that requires an honest answer: how many of these five songs we've heard so far do you think have staying power? Honest.

MYM
Getaway
Swallowed Whole

and then the others

[Heathen]

'Just a rock band' isn't an insult unless you take it as one. They were absolutely a rock band, but they were a rock band we fucking loved and effectively sold our souls to.

Maybe people just don't like these songs. Maybe there's not this weird bias that's coloring their approach to new material. Sometimes the easiest explanation is the right one.

Right, so it would be really nice if people were saying that, rather than saying "Obviously if poster X,Y and Z aren't liking the songs, I won't fucking them either. Look at the schmucks who like the songs, I mean PJ have lost it, why can't these idiots see that?" Is this the easiest explanation, that PJ has just finished and everyone else who likes their stuff is just a twat?

I don't want to go down a long road on this, so all I'll say is that while talking PJ's music is interesting, talking about the biases that stop people from liking new PJ stuff, whether it's not like pop music or not liking the band at all or thinking they're experimental when they never were, or any of that, sounds boring. It's come up a lot here in the past few years and it's way more annoying that someone feeling negative about new material, to me at least. And this is coming from someone who finds a lot to like in the new stuff.

It is (and I'm certainly guilty of starting some of those conversations). But as someone who does like the majority of newer era stuff it is also frustrating to talk about it on a forum where there is an aggressive and persistent block of posters who spend a lot of time disliking songs and trying to establish that people who do like them are stupid, have shitty tastes, are too easily pleased, etc. It shifts a conversation away from the pros and cons of the music (and discussions about WHY you don't like something are almost always interesting and entertaining and enlightening) and make it about the listener instead. So it's not uprising that people get defensive when an opinion about music becomes an attack on someone's character.

The negavitiy you speak of is even more exaggerated this time than it usually is. Come on it's normal that if I heard a song before you, and I loved it, knowing our taste don't overlap much you'd be less enthusiastic than if it were, I don't know, whoever has a taste that matches yours better. No one said you were stupid for liking these songs, stop using that argument.

I think if you're looking for a literal use of that phrase you're not going to find it. That doesn't mean it isn't being said, and you've always tried really hard to deny that this sort of stuff even happens. When enough people keep bringing it up over and over again it might be time to concede that something is there.

See, I don't think it's true, because on this board if you say 'A' people will read it as 'B' then call you out for having said 'C' and eventually deny they ever said anything about 'D'. You say you have low expectations based on some people's reviews and it's translated into 'I hate this band come on you guys are all fucking idiots for liking that dumb shit'. So, no, I don't think that something that isn't there to begin with starts existing just because enough people believe it. We might have to take this to the God topic though.

[WtOB?]

Alright, a question that requires an honest answer: how many of these five songs we've heard so far do you think have staying power? Honest.

MYM
Getaway
Swallowed Whole

and then the others

yup

[Lounge Lizard]

Alright, a question that requires an honest answer: how many of these five songs we've heard so far do you think have staying power? Honest.

MYM
Getaway
Swallowed Whole

and then the others

I wanted to respond with my own list but suddenly realized I'm not ready.
Let me get back to this a few days later...

I'm experiencing a bit of a meltdown atm, if that is the appropriate word to use. I'm just sitting here listening to random stuff out of my vast musical library. "Galapagos" and "Zero" by The Smashing Pumpkins. "Inertia Creeps" by Massive Attack. "Last Exit" by Pearl Jam. "Breathe" by The Prodigy. "3 AM Eternal" by KLF ( ). "In My Tree" by Pearl Jam. "Slip Away" by Mad Season. "Parallel Universe" by RHCP. "Low Rider" by War. "No Rain" by Blind Melon. "Diadems" by Megadeth... and I feel very very sad. I want my PJ back. Shit.