Lightning Bolt: the official album thread

[harmless]

To be honest, they probably didn't open the London listening party to the general public because the general London public would've shit on it.

[Heathen]

every time they cross your path you cannot help but fall in love with them all over again. That’s the magic of being a great rock band I guess, and Pearl Jam have always been a great rock band.

Wow yeah this guy sounds so dismissive

[dimejinky99]

I ignore any article or review that even puts that word in.
Can't take it seriously as clearly the guy using it hasn't done any homework.

[Strat]

Well that review certainly did a good job at deflating what little hope I had left.....

[harmless]

every time they cross your path you cannot help but fall in love with them all over again. That’s the magic of being a great rock band I guess, and Pearl Jam have always been a great rock band.

Wow yeah this guy sounds so dismissive

This sentence was an obligatory one. There are just as many sentences you could've picked out to prove my point. I know the general feeling about PJ here.

[igotworms]

The English press generally hate PJ, and this guy sounds dismissive from the beginning. They've rarely achieved "fun" since "Rats"? What does he even mean there?

Agreed. There's a lot of that condescension in this review that Pj suffer from English media.
It's almost like a running gag. But all these journos know each other so it probably is.

I remember NME giving Binaural 9/10 back in 2000, but since then they've been terribly reviewed here in the UK. Every review inevitably mentions how miserable and earnest they are, along with other trite comments referring to them as "grunge survivors" or similar. Q's Backspacer review concluded something like "they finally sound like - say it quietly - they're having fun" or something to that effect. Wankers.

[Juvenal]

Most reviews also mention something along the lines of "Pearl Jam - they're still Alive!"

[Dr. Van Nostrand]

The English press generally hate PJ, and this guy sounds dismissive from the beginning. They've rarely achieved "fun" since "Rats"? What does he even mean there?

is rats supposed to be fun? i love it, and think its kinda funky, but i dont know if its supposed to be fun

This guy's favourite ballad on the album is Future Days. Which means they either fucked it up at Wrigley and it's great on the album, or he's a douche.

gotcha

[dimejinky99]

Aren't Pj sort of revered in American media?
It's a weird contrast.

[stupidmop]

‘My Father’s Son’
This is a bit more like the Backspacer sound. There may be some synths going on in the background here, which is nice. On first listen this is fairly unremarkable, but it definitely signals that the album isn’t going to stay in the more rock-centric vein of the first two tracks.

NOOOOOOOOOO

‘Sirens’
Right, we’ve reached cheesy ballad territory now. Any remaining hope that the album signals a return to a consistently harder rocking Pearl Jam sound is dwindling. The band think highly of this one apparently, but it’s bit too fluffy and middle-aged sounding for these ears.

NOOOOOOOOOO

‘Infallible’
Ooh, more synths. This reminds me of some of the more interesting moments on Binaural. Probably the most exciting moment on the record upon first listen, but, as ever, it’s tricky to be too positive on the back of just one listen. Definitely one to look out for at any rate.

YEEEEHHHHHHH (though im skeptical of PJs ability to use synths well)

‘Pendulum’
Yet more synths, and some piano too. We’ve gone full-on from punkier Pearl Jam to that rarest of Pearl Jam forms, the experimental Pearl Jam, in the space of the first seven tracks. Matt Cameron’s drumming gives this an almost krautrockian vibe, which is pretty damned cool it has to be said.

YEEEHHHHHHHHH (that better not be BoB piano, and more synth...)

‘Sleeping by Myself’
A reprisal of one of the songs from Eddie’s solo Ukulele Songs record from a couple of years back. Apparently this was re-recorded and included on the album at the suggestion of producer Brendan O’Brien. He’s had better ideas.

FUCKIN BO'B

‘Yellow Moon’
Quite an atmospheric track, and features some great guitar playing from Mike McCready. It feels like it’s trying to be a bit more epic than it’s perhaps capable of, but it’s definitely a massive step-up from the previous two songs. “One life, one grave”; Eddie at his least cheerful or his most philosophical?

YEEEEEHHHHHHH ?

‘Future Days’
We’re at the end already. This comes off a bit like the band’s attempt at ‘Love Reign O’er Me’ at first, largely thanks to a sweeping piano intro. It ends up being a bit lower key than that though. There are no drums, but there is some nice violin playing. A nice way to end the album, and the best ballad-like track on the record into the bargain.

SUCK MY DIIICKKK

All in all? Well it’s a mixed bag in all honesty. The first two tracks are very misleading, as they are the two most up-tempo “rocking” tracks on the whole album by some distance. Predominantly this is very methodically paced. In fact it’s almost Riot Act esque in that it feels very measured from ‘My Father’s Son’ onward. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing when it results in ‘Infallible’ and ‘Pendulum’, or in fact ‘Yellow Moon’ and ‘Future Days’, but ‘Sirens’ and ‘Sleeping by Myself’ come across as rather flaky from first listen. Whether a more consistent sonic approach would have been better is debatable, but at least Lightning Bolt isn’t afraid to be varied. This in itself proves that Pearl Jam are still very much a valid concern.

We already knew this really. Seems to be the general consensus. Roll on no 11?

[harmless]

This review basically said that PJ are an incredible, even legendary rock band that we all love... but look, they're actually a bit shit aren't they, and here's why. Any praise he gives them is obligatory media arse-kissing.

[Heathen]

every time they cross your path you cannot help but fall in love with them all over again. That’s the magic of being a great rock band I guess, and Pearl Jam have always been a great rock band.

Wow yeah this guy sounds so dismissive

This sentence was an obligatory one. There are just as many sentences you could've picked out to prove my point. I know the general feeling about PJ here.

I really don't see it. Show this review to anyone who isn't a PJ fan and they'll never think of it as dismissive or condescending or as an example of journalists hating the band.

[igotworms]

I'll be interested to see the Kerrang review. Probably the only British reviewers that I'd put any stock in. Incidentally, how did Kerrang rate Backspacer?

[Heathen]

This review basically said that PJ are an incredible, even legendary rock band that we all love... but look, they're actually a bit shit aren't they, and here's why. Any praise he gives them is obligatory media arse-kissing.

So every positive line in the review doesn't count because it's mandatory and he doesn't mean it anyway and a few songs that the guy likes a bit less means he calls them shit? Come on harmy. I wonder what it's gonna be if there's an actually dismissive review at some point.

[harmless]

every time they cross your path you cannot help but fall in love with them all over again. That’s the magic of being a great rock band I guess, and Pearl Jam have always been a great rock band.

Wow yeah this guy sounds so dismissive

This sentence was an obligatory one. There are just as many sentences you could've picked out to prove my point. I know the general feeling about PJ here.

I really don't see it. Show this review to anyone who isn't a PJ fan and they'll never think of it as dismissive or condescending or as an example of journalists hating the band.

OK, so that's like, your opinion man.

[igotworms]

This review basically said that PJ are an incredible, even legendary rock band that we all love... but look, they're actually a bit shit aren't they, and here's why. Any praise he gives them is obligatory media arse-kissing.

UK press usually don't give PJ any praise, not even the back handed kind. Perhaps the fact that PJ have recently headlined a number of the big UK festivals (IoW, Reading, Hard Rock Calling) is forcing them to begrudgingly accept that they are still an internationally popular band.

[Mirella]

The English press generally hate PJ, and this guy sounds dismissive from the beginning. They've rarely achieved "fun" since "Rats"? What does he even mean there?

I think for British standards this is a raving review

groetjes,
Mirella

[harmless]

This review basically said that PJ are an incredible, even legendary rock band that we all love... but look, they're actually a bit shit aren't they, and here's why. Any praise he gives them is obligatory media arse-kissing.

So every positive line in the review doesn't count because it's mandatory and he doesn't mean it anyway and a few songs that the guy likes a bit less means he calls them shit? Come on harmy. I wonder what it's gonna be if there's an actually dismissive review at some point.

I may have overestimated my case, used a little hyperbole, but I absolutely expected a lacklustre review from a London exclusive club open to no one but professional journalists. The UK press is not usually kind to PJ, and most compliments they get are backhanded, generic butt-kissing. I am merely saying that every fan saying "Oh no, I'm worried now" needn't be worried based on a London journalist's review, and everyone who is bored of PJ saying "Haha! I told you, this is going to fucking suck!" are probably wrong as well. This review won't be altogether trustworthy.

[stupidmop]

This article seems pretty normal/ actually kinda good to me. And his summary of the album pretty much matches that alternativenation dudes. The general vibe it seems to be getting is 'eeh?'

I have read some retarded PJ related articles From the british media but this aint one of them. They didnt mention how kurt cobain was better at all the things ever, they didnt mention the band being too sincere for them, they didnt mention eddie being too overdramatic/stupid/hippie ish etc etc etc

[harmless]

The English press generally hate PJ, and this guy sounds dismissive from the beginning. They've rarely achieved "fun" since "Rats"? What does he even mean there?

I think for British standards this is a raving review

groetjes,
Mirella

It may well be, which sort of proves my point. People don't seem to believe me when I say that the UK press (or just the UK generally) really couldn't care less about Pearl Jam.