Lightning Bolt: the official album thread

[igotworms]

At this point, I think it would be fair to say that PJ no longer have a trademark 'sound'. What is a typical PJ song these days?

S/T had a fairly consistent guitar sound, and there were lots of aggressive hard rock tracks on it, albeit accompanied by some slower tunes as well.

Backspacer was a real assortment, and from what we've heard of LB, it's going to be similarly diverse. No two songs really sound alike, covering a whole range of different genres and sounds.

I mean, what is the most 'pearl jam' song of the last five years? Difficult to say exactly what their sound is anymore.

I feel pretty good about that, but would be interested to hear if people would prefer they had more of a consistent sound on albums, with two or three curveballs per record.

[Come Back in Black]

Yesterday before I heard Sirens... someone wrote they could hear this song playing while shopping at Kohl's. I think that is spot on. This is totally a doctor's waiting room kinda song and that is the WEIRDEST thing to come to grips with. Its not bad though.

[Vindicator]

Hmm just realized we got the words Stormy and Profound twice.

[Vindicator]

At this point, I think it would be fair to say that PJ no longer have a trademark 'sound'. What is a typical PJ song these days?

S/T had a fairly consistent guitar sound, and there were lots of aggressive hard rock tracks on it, albeit accompanied by some slower tunes as well.

Backspacer was a real assortment, and from what we've heard of LB, it's going to be similarly diverse. No two songs really sound alike, covering a whole range of different genres and sounds.

I mean, what is the most 'pearl jam' song of the last five years? Difficult to say exactly what their sound is anymore.

I feel pretty good about that, but would be interested to hear if people would prefer they had more of a consistent sound on albums, with two or three curveballs per record.

I'm happy with the assortment of sounds as long as the songs are good. Most of their albums have been that way, never really adhering to a certain sound.

[igotworms]

At this point, I think it would be fair to say that PJ no longer have a trademark 'sound'. What is a typical PJ song these days?

S/T had a fairly consistent guitar sound, and there were lots of aggressive hard rock tracks on it, albeit accompanied by some slower tunes as well.

Backspacer was a real assortment, and from what we've heard of LB, it's going to be similarly diverse. No two songs really sound alike, covering a whole range of different genres and sounds.

I mean, what is the most 'pearl jam' song of the last five years? Difficult to say exactly what their sound is anymore.

I feel pretty good about that, but would be interested to hear if people would prefer they had more of a consistent sound on albums, with two or three curveballs per record.

I'm happy with the assortment of sounds as long as the songs are good. Most of their albums have been that way, never really adhering to a certain sound.

I'd say that No Code, Riot Act and Backspacer were pretty diverse. There was more consistency on the others, and even Vitalogy had some continuation within it - the punkier numbers were all of the same ilk.

So maybe S/T was the exception to the rule and PJ have been this way for the past 10 years. I can see that.

[Jaeti]

At this point, I think it would be fair to say that PJ no longer have a trademark 'sound'. What is a typical PJ song these days?

S/T had a fairly consistent guitar sound, and there were lots of aggressive hard rock tracks on it, albeit accompanied by some slower tunes as well.

Backspacer was a real assortment, and from what we've heard of LB, it's going to be similarly diverse. No two songs really sound alike, covering a whole range of different genres and sounds.

I mean, what is the most 'pearl jam' song of the last five years? Difficult to say exactly what their sound is anymore.

I feel pretty good about that, but would be interested to hear if people would prefer they had more of a consistent sound on albums, with two or three curveballs per record.

I've been thinking about this a bit, because aside from Ed's voice, I've always felt Pearl Jam had a fairly distinct guitar sound. I'm not a musician, and that might seem like an obvious statement, but this has fallen a way a bit (or a lot). It was still present throughout Riot Act, to my ears at least. But I think Big Wave is the only S/T song where I get that feeling, and Johnny Guitar might be the only Backspacer song where I still feel it strongly.

I think it's there in Getaway, and I feel like it's there in the soundchecked version of Infallible. I also think Of the Earth has it, but it does seem to me like there's been a shift away from their distinctive guitar "tone," for lack of being able to describe it more technically.

[MineAmI]

first post, but i have been following this board for many years.

Sirens is one of Ed's best vocal performances EVER. And thats what makes this song great for me.

Music, production, melody aren't special at all, but ed somehow manages to elevate the song to a higher level.


and yes, fuck it, it's not what i would have expected from PJ - but that's a great thing.

So far, there are four songs that sound quite different from the stuff they wrote before - Getaway, LTRP, Swallowed and Sirens. And all of them are good or great. I have the feeling that LB will be a very special album.

[harmless]

At this point, I think it would be fair to say that PJ no longer have a trademark 'sound'. What is a typical PJ song these days?

S/T had a fairly consistent guitar sound, and there were lots of aggressive hard rock tracks on it, albeit accompanied by some slower tunes as well.

Backspacer was a real assortment, and from what we've heard of LB, it's going to be similarly diverse. No two songs really sound alike, covering a whole range of different genres and sounds.

I mean, what is the most 'pearl jam' song of the last five years? Difficult to say exactly what their sound is anymore.

I feel pretty good about that, but would be interested to hear if people would prefer they had more of a consistent sound on albums, with two or three curveballs per record.

Personally, apart from certain ticks, instrumental habits and flourishes, I've never felt they had a signature sound. The only consistent thing was that it was always underpinned by "grunge / alternative rock" and "classic rock". But classic rock was the long-term first love for the band, so that's what they'll fall upon when the "grunge / hard rock / angst" has all but gone. I think their "image", if they have one now, is that they're a classic rock band in a contemporary era. But classic rock is a mammoth of a genre, so they are naturally all over the place, pilfering styles and influences as they always did but feeling no pressure towards anyone to make what people like. Their live show has displayed this variety for a long, long time now. Possibly forever.

[Strat]

is this a safe place?

[harmless]

Matt's drumming on 'Sirens' sounds line Ten-era stuff, mos def.

[igotworms]

At this point, I think it would be fair to say that PJ no longer have a trademark 'sound'. What is a typical PJ song these days?

S/T had a fairly consistent guitar sound, and there were lots of aggressive hard rock tracks on it, albeit accompanied by some slower tunes as well.

Backspacer was a real assortment, and from what we've heard of LB, it's going to be similarly diverse. No two songs really sound alike, covering a whole range of different genres and sounds.

I mean, what is the most 'pearl jam' song of the last five years? Difficult to say exactly what their sound is anymore.

I feel pretty good about that, but would be interested to hear if people would prefer they had more of a consistent sound on albums, with two or three curveballs per record.

Personally, apart from certain ticks, instrumental habits and flourishes, I've never felt they had a signature sound. The only consistent thing was that it was always underpinned by "grunge / alternative rock" and "classic rock". But classic rock was the long-term first love for the band, so that's what they'll fall upon when the "grunge / hard rock / angst" has all but gone. I think their "image", if they have one now, is that they're a classic rock band in a contemporary era. But classic rock is a mammoth of a genre, so they are naturally all over the place, pilfering styles and influences as they always did but feeling no pressure towards anyone to make what people like. Their live show has displayed this variety for a long, long time now. Possibly forever.

True true. But I always felt that their albums each had a strong musical identity - but this is less evident these days.

I remember an old interview with Eddie from the very early 90s and he criticised Paul Simon for being a 'musical tourist'. I wonder if he'd take those words back now...

[Dr. Van Nostrand]

first post, but i have been following this board for many years.

Sirens is one of Ed's best vocal performances EVER. And thats what makes this song great for me.

Music, production, melody aren't special at all, but ed somehow manages to elevate the song to a higher level.


and yes, fuck it, it's not what i would have expected from PJ - but that's a great thing.

So far, there are four songs that sound quite different from the stuff they wrote before - Getaway, LTRP, Swallowed and Sirens. And all of them are good or great. I have the feeling that LB will be a very special album.

Nice first post

[Buby]

I'm still just as puzzled today about Sirens as I was yesterday.
But I love the way it kinda lends a different color to next track (Lightning Bolt) which ends up being a very nice back to back listen.

[Mirella]

Its more like -

once I realize the PJ I once knew (remember that song?) is dead, then I can move forward with this. Its not the same band and thats fine cause here we are.

Im working through this all. Working through it with you guys too. Contradictions may be found but ultimately im here for the ride.

The king is dead. Long live the king. This brings us with LTRP again, where he puts a record on with his blistered thumb . Theme of the album as well, life after death, or after life. And cheese .

groetjes,
Mirella (with apologies to the seeming randomness of this reply, but I am still 20 pages behind)

[evenslow]

This album flat out is INCREDIBLE

And that's not "New PJ syndrome talking"

Good to know

Problem with this statement is there's no real way to know until 6 months to 1 year from now.

[gems and rhinestones]

I'm sure this has already been posted somewhere but I don't have the time to check right now.

Mike interview

https://soundcloud.com/higgos-1/pearl-j ... rview-mike

[Strat]

Its more like -

once I realize the PJ I once knew (remember that song?) is dead, then I can move forward with this. Its not the same band and thats fine cause here we are.

Im working through this all. Working through it with you guys too. Contradictions may be found but ultimately im here for the ride.

The king is dead. Long live the king. This brings us with LTRP again, where he puts a record on with his blistered thumb . Theme of the album as well, life after death, or after life. And cheese .

groetjes,
Mirella (with apologies to the seeming randomness of this reply, but I am still 20 pages behind)

Some things are happening internally with strat right now.... stay tuned.

Spoiler: show

This shit is starting to sink in and I may have spoke too soon....

[harmless]

At this point, I think it would be fair to say that PJ no longer have a trademark 'sound'. What is a typical PJ song these days?

S/T had a fairly consistent guitar sound, and there were lots of aggressive hard rock tracks on it, albeit accompanied by some slower tunes as well.

Backspacer was a real assortment, and from what we've heard of LB, it's going to be similarly diverse. No two songs really sound alike, covering a whole range of different genres and sounds.

I mean, what is the most 'pearl jam' song of the last five years? Difficult to say exactly what their sound is anymore.

I feel pretty good about that, but would be interested to hear if people would prefer they had more of a consistent sound on albums, with two or three curveballs per record.

Personally, apart from certain ticks, instrumental habits and flourishes, I've never felt they had a signature sound. The only consistent thing was that it was always underpinned by "grunge / alternative rock" and "classic rock". But classic rock was the long-term first love for the band, so that's what they'll fall upon when the "grunge / hard rock / angst" has all but gone. I think their "image", if they have one now, is that they're a classic rock band in a contemporary era. But classic rock is a mammoth of a genre, so they are naturally all over the place, pilfering styles and influences as they always did but feeling no pressure towards anyone to make what people like. Their live show has displayed this variety for a long, long time now. Possibly forever.

True true. But I always felt that their albums each had a strong musical identity - but this is less evident these days.

I remember an old interview with Eddie from the very early 90s and he criticised Paul Simon for being a 'musical tourist'. I wonder if he'd take those words back now...

I think he was being a hypocrite even then if he ever said it

Each PJ album has had an identity of its own. I haven't always felt those identities were fully-reliased, but they certainly weren't consistent with a band identity other than the fact they played what could be described as rock music. Ten doesn't sound much like Vs, Vs doesn't sound like Vitalogy, Vitalogy doesn't sound like No Code... etc. And they stole from styles and influences all the time. This time they're doing the same, but playing with a more commercial pop sound. That's this album's identity, and with Backspacer even more imo. To me there's no contest as to which is the better rock album: this one. But that's all my opinion.

[Jaeti]

Its more like -

once I realize the PJ I once knew (remember that song?) is dead, then I can move forward with this. Its not the same band and thats fine cause here we are.

Im working through this all. Working through it with you guys too. Contradictions may be found but ultimately im here for the ride.

The king is dead. Long live the king. This brings us with LTRP again, where he puts a record on with his blistered thumb . Theme of the album as well, life after death, or after life. And cheese .

groetjes,
Mirella (with apologies to the seeming randomness of this reply, but I am still 20 pages behind)

Some things are happening internally with strat right now.... stay tuned.

Spoiler: show

This shit is starting to sink in and I may have spoke too soon....

Haha, I love it.

[harmless]

Its more like -

once I realize the PJ I once knew (remember that song?) is dead, then I can move forward with this. Its not the same band and thats fine cause here we are.

Im working through this all. Working through it with you guys too. Contradictions may be found but ultimately im here for the ride.

The king is dead. Long live the king. This brings us with LTRP again, where he puts a record on with his blistered thumb . Theme of the album as well, life after death, or after life. And cheese .

groetjes,
Mirella (with apologies to the seeming randomness of this reply, but I am still 20 pages behind)

Some things are happening internally with strat right now.... stay tuned.

Spoiler: show

This shit is starting to sink in and I may have spoke too soon....

Great point about the theme, Mirella