Lightning Bolt: the official album thread

[blueviper]

So far we've heard

Getaway (studio)
Lightning Bolt (live/studio)
Mind Your Manners (studio)
Let The Records Play (studio)
Swallowed Whole (studio)
Infallible (live)
Future Days (live)

and I wouldn't skip any of them except for maybe Future Days (and I haven't even listened to all of it yet. I was going to wait for the studio version. Plus if that's the last track you don't really need to skip it then, eh?)

I think FD will really surprise us on the album. It won't be a better song but hopefully the production will make it lusher.

I'm hoping 'Infalllible' will be one song I can put on a par with songs from the first 7 albums.

yeah, that sound check is such a tease! I know we're missing tons of detail.

[liebzz]

I think by a hair I like Lightning Bolt best, but all four are really great songs. Really enjoying this. I think this album is a much more focused effort than the band is really letting on.

[harmless]

I'm beginning to think this album is the God of Backspacer enveloping Binaural and Riot Act in a warm embrace and telling them both to cheer up.

[harmless]

I think by a hair I like Lightning Bolt best, but all four are really great songs. Really enjoying this. I think this album is a much more focused effort than the band is really letting on.

Unfortunately the band is saying next to nothing... sucks.

[warehouse]

let the records play
getaway
lightning bolt
swallowed whole

pretty good collection of songs, you can even add mind your manners and its a pretty wide ranging set of tunes. i didnt really like future days live, but i didnt really like lightning bolt until i heard the studio version.

[harmless]

[ABNorman]

I really wish we still had archives of the old board so we could see reactions to Self-Titled and Backspacer (rather than just peoples' memories).

I remember really loving Self-Titled after Riot Act, a return to form (!). With Backspacer, I think my enthusiasm was tempered with "Casual listeners will like these songs", though I was in love with UK (still am, with the first half).

Could people who're commenting/reviewing songs give me a primer about how their albums rank? For me: No Code/Vitalogy/Vs/Yield/Ten/Binaural/Backspacer/Self-Titled/Riot Act.

I've only listened to the leaks once, and already forgotten the tunes (good or bad sign?), but I really liked Getaway, I liked LB, but it wasn't utterly cathartic (like GtF or even the Gems & Rhinestones bit in UK) and I liked the other two. I wasn't blown away by anything, but I feel like that's a good sign. Other than the thrill of having new music, I find the albums that stuck with me were the ones that took a while to digest (since retracking Binaural with Fatal & Sad, it's climbing up the list for me).

I am tired. And I am waffling.

TLDR: This thing, I like it.

[stip]

The old board is archived. You can follow links to it in song of the moment threads, for instance.

S/t era stuff may have been wiped at some point but even that might still be there

[harmless]

I've just put these songs in album order:

Getaway
Mind Your Manners
Lightning Bolt
Swallowed Whole
Let the Records Play

It's a lovely little E.P.

[ABNorman]

The old board is archived. You can follow links to it in song of the moment threads, for instance.

S/t era stuff may have been wiped at some point but even that might still be there

Whew. Do I have the strength and willpower?

[stip]

I've just put these songs in album order:

Getaway
Mind Your Manners
Lightning Bolt
Swallowed Whole
Let the Records Play

It's a lovely little E.P.

Throw the live fd at the end. Even just following some good songs makes it a bit better

[liebzz]

What surprises me about the reviews are the comparisons to Backspacer, mostly because the feel of these 5 sings we've heard so far really recall none of the albums - but I guess Yield if any.

As far as the request for how I would rank all the albums to get an ideal of my personal taste: No Code, Vitalogy, Ten (redux), Vs., Yield, s/t, Binaural, Riot Act, Backspacer.

[harmless]

I really wish we still had archives of the old board so we could see reactions to Self-Titled and Backspacer (rather than just peoples' memories).

I remember really loving Self-Titled after Riot Act, a return to form (!). With Backspacer, I think my enthusiasm was tempered with "Casual listeners will like these songs", though I was in love with UK (still am, with the first half).

Could people who're commenting/reviewing songs give me a primer about how their albums rank? For me: No Code/Vitalogy/Vs/Yield/Ten/Binaural/Backspacer/Self-Titled/Riot Act.

I've only listened to the leaks once, and already forgotten the tunes (good or bad sign?), but I really liked Getaway, I liked LB, but it wasn't utterly cathartic (like GtF or even the Gems & Rhinestones bit in UK) and I liked the other two. I wasn't blown away by anything, but I feel like that's a good sign. Other than the thrill of having new music, I find the albums that stuck with me were the ones that took a while to digest (since retracking Binaural with Fatal & Sad, it's climbing up the list for me).

I am tired. And I am waffling.

TLDR: This thing, I like it.

I couldn't rank the albums, but Vitalogy is at the top, No Code closely follows it. Riot Act is actually quite high up for me, I love it. Some days it's my current favourite album. But I have no "all-time" rankings, can't do it.

S/T was a major dissapointment pretty soon after it was released, not because I didn't like anything on there -- I liked half of it -- but because it was brick-walled to hell, and the second half really bored me. I still can't get more than half way through without getting bored.

So anyway, Backspacer was a breath of fresh air after S/T. I was really pleased with it on first, second, third listen, etc. but the best songs soon rose to the top, and I really didn't like certain things about BOB's input, and also the performance from the band. It just didn't seem like Pearl Jam to me; even though in theory I didn't mind them doing 'pop', they weren't quite doing it as well as I wanted here. And yet the album is a consistently *pretty good* listen. I don't love anything on there but it's not an album I feel like skipping at any point. It's solid, despite its many flaws.

This stuff though... seems to combine what I loved about PJ before with their current 'pop' leanings. But it's all so much more thought-through and practised than Backspacer. At the moment it does feel like Backspacer was a rehearsal for this. Everything is fuller and even though it's 'happy', it doesn't feel superficial. The band is not faking the fun this time.

[ABNorman]

What surprises me about the reviews are the comparisons to Backspacer, mostly because the feel of these 5 sings we've heard so far really recall none of the albums - but I guess Yield if any.

As far as the request for how I would rank all the albums to get an ideal of my personal taste: No Code, Vitalogy, Ten (redux), Vs., Yield, s/t, Binaural, Riot Act, Backspacer.

Yeah, I didn't really get a Backspacer vibe, apart from a few production touches.

[harmless]

I've just put these songs in album order:

Getaway
Mind Your Manners
Lightning Bolt
Swallowed Whole
Let the Records Play

It's a lovely little E.P.

Throw the live fd at the end. Even just following some good songs makes it a bit better

Nice idea. Will do.

[ABNorman]

This stuff though... seems to combine what I loved about PJ before with their current 'pop' leanings. But it's all so much more thought-through and practised than Backspacer. At the moment it does feel like Backspacer was a rehearsal for this. Everything is fuller and even though it's 'happy', it doesn't feel superficial. The band is not faking the fun this time.

So, if the rest of the songs live up to the reviews, and this is essentially a deeper, more accomplished Backspacer, does that contextualise Backspacer's place in the catalogue, or usurp it? Eg, if Lightning Bolt is simply a better version of Unthought Known, is there a reason to keep Unthought Known on the playlist?

[Rangi Guy]

This stuff though... seems to combine what I loved about PJ before with their current 'pop' leanings. But it's all so much more thought-through and practised than Backspacer. At the moment it does feel like Backspacer was a rehearsal for this. Everything is fuller and even though it's 'happy', it doesn't feel superficial. The band is not faking the fun this time.

So, if the rest of the songs live up to the reviews, and this is essentially a deeper, more accomplished Backspacer, does that contextualise Backspacer's place in the catalogue, or usurp it? Eg, if Lightning Bolt is simply a better version of Unthought Known, is there a reason to keep Unthought Known on the playlist?

I still don't see how people are saying that LB is a better UK. Personally I think UK is far superior, that may change over time however

[harmless]

This stuff though... seems to combine what I loved about PJ before with their current 'pop' leanings. But it's all so much more thought-through and practised than Backspacer. At the moment it does feel like Backspacer was a rehearsal for this. Everything is fuller and even though it's 'happy', it doesn't feel superficial. The band is not faking the fun this time.

So, if the rest of the songs live up to the reviews, and this is essentially a deeper, more accomplished Backspacer, does that contextualise Backspacer's place in the catalogue, or usurp it? Eg, if Lightning Bolt is simply a better version of Unthought Known, is there a reason to keep Unthought Known on the playlist?

I think Backspacer can stand as an interesting thought experiment ('What if we had a really short pop record?') but it's realisation is hopefully here. Backspacer is lighter, so if you like that kind of thing, it's there for you to enjoy. But is it shorter for a reason, because they were trying something very new?

[ABNorman]

This stuff though... seems to combine what I loved about PJ before with their current 'pop' leanings. But it's all so much more thought-through and practised than Backspacer. At the moment it does feel like Backspacer was a rehearsal for this. Everything is fuller and even though it's 'happy', it doesn't feel superficial. The band is not faking the fun this time.

So, if the rest of the songs live up to the reviews, and this is essentially a deeper, more accomplished Backspacer, does that contextualise Backspacer's place in the catalogue, or usurp it? Eg, if Lightning Bolt is simply a better version of Unthought Known, is there a reason to keep Unthought Known on the playlist?

I still don't see how people are saying that LB is a better UK. Personally I think UK is far superior, that may change over time however

I didn't mean to imply that's definitely the case, but a lot of people are thinking that way. I do think UK peaks too soon and then doesn't go anywhere, but the way the bass and drums expand into the "gems and rhinestones" bit still gives me goosebumps.

[verb_to_trust]

I still don't really classify Backspacer as 'Pop'.