Lightning Bolt: the official album thread

[McParadigm]

It wasn't meant to be a weirdly hostile post originally? My apologies, carry on.

Internet communication is historically the most accurate and uncluttered of communications. But I guess this once.

[harmless]

If anything, this song won't 'make people like Pearl Jam again' as much as it'll make people (who have never heard of them) have a listen while they're doing the dishes.

[verb_to_trust]

So do you think the band is secretly hoping for some cross over smash with Sirens? I haven't heard the song, just getting that soccer mom playlist sort of vibe from some of the responses.

Yup. This is gonna be huge.

sarcasm?

It def has the potential to be a big hit with formats that cater to the over-40 crowd.

Wasn't being sarcastic at all.
This is gonna be huge

I wasn't being sarcastic either. This type of song, at least in America, when it does well it's on adult format radio. Not on stations aimed at 12-18 or 18-30 or whatever. It's not an insult to the song, it's just a reality.

Thank you for your response to my above listed query.

[Thenews15]

At the end of the day, it is just 1 song on 1 album. Like it or don't like it for your own personal reasons. They seem proud of it, Mike does for sure.

I like the song, even with the cheese. I'm pretty cheesy though, I'm ok with them being cheesy. opinions are like buttholes, everyone has got one. And I'm surely a butthole, but I'm ok with it.

[harmless]

I'm very confused.

On the one hand, there isn't a single Lightning Bolt song I haven't liked, or even loved. But on the other, the only person I've heard talk at any length about it is Brendan O'Brien. I would be fine with that if the actual music wasn't also covered in expansive washes of Brendan O'Brien fondue. I still just need the band to fucking talk about this.

[EJ]

I'm very confused.

On the one hand, there isn't a single Lightning Bolt song I haven't liked, or even loved. But on the other, the only person I've heard talk at any length about it is Brendan O'Brien. I would be fine with that if the actual music wasn't also covered in expansive washes of Brendan O'Brien fondue. I still just need the band to fucking talk about this.

They did: in 2010, 2011, and 2012. I wonder if that was the same album.

[harmless]

I'm very confused.

On the one hand, there isn't a single Lightning Bolt song I haven't liked, or even loved. But on the other, the only person I've heard talk at any length about it is Brendan O'Brien. I would be fine with that if the actual music wasn't also covered in expansive washes of Brendan O'Brien fondue. I still just need the band to fucking talk about this.

They did: in 2010, 2011, and 2012. I wonder if that was the same album.

Yeah I don't know, and the wondering is very uncomfortable. As far as I'm concerned if the band talks about the album a year before it's out and then never again, they didn't talk about the album at all. I mean, they also talked about a Matt song that never even made it to the record.

[AllNiteThing]

I'm very confused.

On the one hand, there isn't a single Lightning Bolt song I haven't liked, or even loved. But on the other, the only person I've heard talk at any length about it is Brendan O'Brien. I would be fine with that if the actual music wasn't also covered in expansive washes of Brendan O'Brien fondue. I still just need the band to fucking talk about this.

They did: in 2010, 2011, and 2012. I wonder if that was the same album.

Yeah I don't know, and the wondering is very uncomfortable. As far as I'm concerned if the band talks about the album a year before it's out and then never again, they didn't talk about the album at all. I mean, they also talked about a Matt song that never even made it to the record.

Do you think theyre embarassed or uncomfortable talking about it because BO'B
butchered their songs (in their eyes) with keyboard and overproduction? It does almost feel like BO'B is pushing it like his album.

[harmless]

I'm very confused.

On the one hand, there isn't a single Lightning Bolt song I haven't liked, or even loved. But on the other, the only person I've heard talk at any length about it is Brendan O'Brien. I would be fine with that if the actual music wasn't also covered in expansive washes of Brendan O'Brien fondue. I still just need the band to fucking talk about this.

They did: in 2010, 2011, and 2012. I wonder if that was the same album.

Yeah I don't know, and the wondering is very uncomfortable. As far as I'm concerned if the band talks about the album a year before it's out and then never again, they didn't talk about the album at all. I mean, they also talked about a Matt song that never even made it to the record.

Do you think theyre embarassed or uncomfortable talking about it because BO'B butchered their songs (in their eyes) with keyboard and overproduction? I does almost feel like BO'B is pushing it like his album.

Yes. I really like these songs but damn it, I would really like some proof that this isn't happening.

[EJ]

I'm very confused.

On the one hand, there isn't a single Lightning Bolt song I haven't liked, or even loved. But on the other, the only person I've heard talk at any length about it is Brendan O'Brien. I would be fine with that if the actual music wasn't also covered in expansive washes of Brendan O'Brien fondue. I still just need the band to fucking talk about this.

They did: in 2010, 2011, and 2012. I wonder if that was the same album.

Yeah I don't know, and the wondering is very uncomfortable. As far as I'm concerned if the band talks about the album a year before it's out and then never again, they didn't talk about the album at all. I mean, they also talked about a Matt song that never even made it to the record.

Do you think theyre embarassed or uncomfortable talking about it because BO'B butchered their songs (in their eyes) with keyboard and overproduction? I does almost feel like BO'B is pushing it like his album.

Yes. I really like these songs but damn it, I would really like some proof that this isn't happening.

Maybe there was some hint of that with Ed's comment about being happy the album's done, so they can already start thinking about the next one: "kicking the old tenants out, so the new ones can move in."

Of course, he's said these things before.

[harmless]

I'm very confused.

On the one hand, there isn't a single Lightning Bolt song I haven't liked, or even loved. But on the other, the only person I've heard talk at any length about it is Brendan O'Brien. I would be fine with that if the actual music wasn't also covered in expansive washes of Brendan O'Brien fondue. I still just need the band to fucking talk about this.

They did: in 2010, 2011, and 2012. I wonder if that was the same album.

Yeah I don't know, and the wondering is very uncomfortable. As far as I'm concerned if the band talks about the album a year before it's out and then never again, they didn't talk about the album at all. I mean, they also talked about a Matt song that never even made it to the record.

Do you think theyre embarassed or uncomfortable talking about it because BO'B butchered their songs (in their eyes) with keyboard and overproduction? I does almost feel like BO'B is pushing it like his album.

Yes. I really like these songs but damn it, I would really like some proof that this isn't happening.

Maybe there was some hint of that with Ed's comment about being happy the album's done, so they can already start thinking about the next one: "kicking the old tenants out, so the new ones can move in."

Of course, he's said these things before.

Maybe the tenant(s) is Brendan O'Brien. I don't know. The biggest disappointment in the end might be that Pearl Jam didn't care about this anymore so allowed BO'B to do whatever he wanted with it.

If that's what's happened, I hope PJ just make this album their Collapse into Now.

[AllNiteThing]

I'm very confused.

On the one hand, there isn't a single Lightning Bolt song I haven't liked, or even loved. But on the other, the only person I've heard talk at any length about it is Brendan O'Brien. I would be fine with that if the actual music wasn't also covered in expansive washes of Brendan O'Brien fondue. I still just need the band to fucking talk about this.

They did: in 2010, 2011, and 2012. I wonder if that was the same album.

Yeah I don't know, and the wondering is very uncomfortable. As far as I'm concerned if the band talks about the album a year before it's out and then never again, they didn't talk about the album at all. I mean, they also talked about a Matt song that never even made it to the record.

Do you think theyre embarassed or uncomfortable talking about it because BO'B butchered their songs (in their eyes) with keyboard and overproduction? I does almost feel like BO'B is pushing it like his album.

Yes. I really like these songs but damn it, I would really like some proof that this isn't happening.

Im sure that its one of those cases where they just really want their music to do the talking and BO'B is just a hyperactve fanboy...over his own work.

[harmless]

I'm very confused.

On the one hand, there isn't a single Lightning Bolt song I haven't liked, or even loved. But on the other, the only person I've heard talk at any length about it is Brendan O'Brien. I would be fine with that if the actual music wasn't also covered in expansive washes of Brendan O'Brien fondue. I still just need the band to fucking talk about this.

They did: in 2010, 2011, and 2012. I wonder if that was the same album.

Yeah I don't know, and the wondering is very uncomfortable. As far as I'm concerned if the band talks about the album a year before it's out and then never again, they didn't talk about the album at all. I mean, they also talked about a Matt song that never even made it to the record.

Do you think theyre embarassed or uncomfortable talking about it because BO'B butchered their songs (in their eyes) with keyboard and overproduction? I does almost feel like BO'B is pushing it like his album.

Yes. I really like these songs but damn it, I would really like some proof that this isn't happening.

Im sure that its one of those cases where they just really want their music to do the talking and BO'B is just a hyperactve fanboy...over his own work.

Maybe they know this will cause lots of WTF reactions and think it would make things worse if they talked it all up. To be fair, they're probably damned if they do, damned if they don't.

[harmless]

But now I'm pretty sure that when Stone said "It will alienate people, like No Code did", he probably WAS talking about this album.

[Iowaska_Experience]

I haven't heard anything here yet that I wouldn't be proud to talk about and showcase, if I were them. But I'm not. I think: (A) they have a specific media roll out strategy, and it's coming (see the Steve Gleason tweet today as evidence), and (B) the band doesn't like doing press much.

[Chris_H_2]

I wonder if Pitchfork's review of LB will be similar to its review of Jet's "Shine On."

[evenslow]

Yeah the Pitchfork blognoscenti are gonna have a shit attack defiling Sirens. Not that it matters.

[stip]

What if the video is Jeff getting mugged in Atlanta on loop?

I mean, there are ways to make the video work, but they would involve irony, humor and self-awareness that the song is cheesy. Pearl Jam have never really had any of those qualities.

I really think this is an utterly ironic, 100% serious song. It's totally sincere. I'd be shocked if they played this for laughs. I'd love it, but i'd be shocked.

[evenslow]

what if it's a live performance a la evenflow, alive, et al?

[harmless]

I get a weird emotional reaction from it, like wondering round at night by the sea, feeling utterly depressed but you're not in somewhere remote, you're on a silent promenade next to a funfair.