Lightning Bolt: the official album thread

[harmless]

However good I find this album, I'll be putting it above Backspacer and S/T and that's enough. I very much doubt it'll ever rise above the first seven.

So far this is bottom of the pile. The remaining tracks will have to be incredible for it to pip even BS at this stage.

Question: what do you think Backspacer improves on compared to this? Probably an impossible question to answer other than "the songs are better".

[LetMeSleep]

However good I find this album, I'll be putting it above Backspacer and S/T and that's enough. I very much doubt it'll ever rise above the first seven.

So far this is bottom of the pile. The remaining tracks will have to be incredible for it to pip even BS at this stage.

Question: what do you think Backspacer improves on compared to this? Probably an impossible question to answer other than "the songs are better".

BS is an inoffensive listen, albeit with few peaks. There are 9 tracks (ex SS, JB) that are decent 3-4* songs and with an agreeable playlist, this is a good listen. I'd say the same about ST too but it has 3 x 4.5-5* tracks among its 9 good uns.

LB is fairing significantly poorer so far. LB is not the song UK is, Getaway is not as interesting a song as GSMF although the performance makes it on par. S Whole is a good track that is growing with me. Sirens is a good track too. LTRP is a massive fail that sounds like a bad warm up. Should never have even got to a finished structure let alone a recording. And MYM is okay but derivative (as I've said far too many times). FD I've only heard once and I didn't care for it.

So not much there for me yet. If I get 7-8 tracks that I can listen to on a regular basis then I'll be happy but I don't see it being a complete album listen very often.

[harmless]

However good I find this album, I'll be putting it above Backspacer and S/T and that's enough. I very much doubt it'll ever rise above the first seven.

So far this is bottom of the pile. The remaining tracks will have to be incredible for it to pip even BS at this stage.

Question: what do you think Backspacer improves on compared to this? Probably an impossible question to answer other than "the songs are better".

BS is an inoffensive listen, albeit with few peaks. There are 9 tracks (ex SS, JB) that are decent 3-4* songs and with an agreeable playlist, this is a good listen. I'd say the same about ST too but it has 3 x 4.5-5* tracks among its 9 good uns.

LB is fairing significantly poorer so far. LB is not the song UK is, Getaway is not as interesting a song as GSMF although the performance makes it on par. S Whole is a good track that is growing with me. Sirens is a good track too. LTRP is a massive fail that sounds like a bad warm up. Should never have even got to a finished structure let alone a recording. And MYM is okay but derivative (as I've said far too many times). FD I've only heard once and I didn't care for it.

So not much there for me yet. If I get 7-8 tracks that I can listen to on a regular basis then I'll be happy but I don't see it being a complete album listen very often.

[LetMeSleep]

However good I find this album, I'll be putting it above Backspacer and S/T and that's enough. I very much doubt it'll ever rise above the first seven.

So far this is bottom of the pile. The remaining tracks will have to be incredible for it to pip even BS at this stage.

Question: what do you think Backspacer improves on compared to this? Probably an impossible question to answer other than "the songs are better".

BS is an inoffensive listen, albeit with few peaks. There are 9 tracks (ex SS, JB) that are decent 3-4* songs and with an agreeable playlist, this is a good listen. I'd say the same about ST too but it has 3 x 4.5-5* tracks among its 9 good uns.

LB is fairing significantly poorer so far. LB is not the song UK is, Getaway is not as interesting a song as GSMF although the performance makes it on par. S Whole is a good track that is growing with me. Sirens is a good track too. LTRP is a massive fail that sounds like a bad warm up. Should never have even got to a finished structure let alone a recording. And MYM is okay but derivative (as I've said far too many times). FD I've only heard once and I didn't care for it.

So not much there for me yet. If I get 7-8 tracks that I can listen to on a regular basis then I'll be happy but I don't see it being a complete album listen very often.

I should add that ST is the album I listen to most lately although I heard half of BS today (WindowWatchers playlist) and I was enjoying it a lot. BS is an easy quick listen while doing stuff around the house while I think ST is great in the car. Still prefer most of the early albums but they don't get played that often anymore.

Edit: I didn't like ST at first and it only really got any love after BS. BS I liked from the start but it never became a love.

[stip]

However good I find this album, I'll be putting it above Backspacer and S/T and that's enough. I very much doubt it'll ever rise above the first seven.

So far this is bottom of the pile. The remaining tracks will have to be incredible for it to pip even BS at this stage.

Question: what do you think Backspacer improves on compared to this? Probably an impossible question to answer other than "the songs are better".

BS is an inoffensive listen, albeit with few peaks. There are 9 tracks (ex SS, JB) that are decent 3-4* songs and with an agreeable playlist, this is a good listen. I'd say the same about ST too but it has 3 x 4.5-5* tracks among its 9 good uns.

LB is fairing significantly poorer so far. LB is not the song UK is, Getaway is not as interesting a song as GSMF although the performance makes it on par. S Whole is a good track that is growing with me. Sirens is a good track too. LTRP is a massive fail that sounds like a bad warm up. Should never have even got to a finished structure let alone a recording. And MYM is okay but derivative (as I've said far too many times). FD I've only heard once and I didn't care for it.

So not much there for me yet. If I get 7-8 tracks that I can listen to on a regular basis then I'll be happy but I don't see it being a complete album listen very often.

that was every post vitalogy album for me until backspacer, actually. But the songs I'd listen to I'd listen to a LOT and would be very important to me.

[stip]

However good I find this album, I'll be putting it above Backspacer and S/T and that's enough. I very much doubt it'll ever rise above the first seven.

So far this is bottom of the pile. The remaining tracks will have to be incredible for it to pip even BS at this stage.

Question: what do you think Backspacer improves on compared to this? Probably an impossible question to answer other than "the songs are better".

BS is an inoffensive listen, albeit with few peaks. There are 9 tracks (ex SS, JB) that are decent 3-4* songs and with an agreeable playlist, this is a good listen. I'd say the same about ST too but it has 3 x 4.5-5* tracks among its 9 good uns.

LB is fairing significantly poorer so far. LB is not the song UK is, Getaway is not as interesting a song as GSMF although the performance makes it on par. S Whole is a good track that is growing with me. Sirens is a good track too. LTRP is a massive fail that sounds like a bad warm up. Should never have even got to a finished structure let alone a recording. And MYM is okay but derivative (as I've said far too many times). FD I've only heard once and I didn't care for it.

So not much there for me yet. If I get 7-8 tracks that I can listen to on a regular basis then I'll be happy but I don't see it being a complete album listen very often.

I should add that ST is the album I listen to most lately although I heard half of BS today (WindowWatchers playlist) and I was enjoying it a lot. BS is an easy quick listen while doing stuff around the house while I think ST is great in the car. Still prefer most of the early albums but they don't get played that often anymore.

Edit: I didn't like ST at first and it only really got any love after BS. BS I liked from the start but it never became a love.

the life wasted--wws--comatose stretch remains my favorite 3 song run in the catalog. It's looking like its spot is secure unless infallible and pendulum are just both insane.

[ABNorman]

It's rare that I listen to a complete album of any band after the first few listens to a new album, even if every song is a corker. They just get thrown into the playlist.

Though every now and then I'll listen to a full album and it'll completely change my perception. The biggest example I remember is The Beatles. I had that 27-track album of their number ones, and always thought of them as great but not exactly innovative or cohesive.

Then I listened to Sgt Peppers all the way through.

[harmless]

I think Lightning Bolt might be PJ's "pick-and-choose" playlist album deliberately. Maybe the artwork supports that.

[Jorge]

I'm a sucker for "dark" country storytelling songs (for some reason, I always call them Country Death Songs). Johnny Cash's darker stuff, some of Tom Waits' stuff (well, ALL of Tom Wait's stuff, but not all of it is particularly country). That Lanegan song hits exactly the right spot. Pearl Jam could do a great country death song, but from the REM/twangy description, Yellow Moon won't be it. I'm less excited about the last few songs now. Present Tense props up the back half of No Code just enough for it to be my favourite album.

This one's pretty fucking dark.

[Birds in Hell]

When I listen to music, it's pretty much only full albums; I can't really envisage doing it any other way, honestly.

If I can't enjoy the flow of the record as a whole, I'm very unlikely to reach for it (which may explain why none of Pearl Jam's post-Yield albums get that many plays from me).

[harmless]

When I listen to music, it's pretty much only full albums; I can't really envisage doing it any other way, honestly.

If I can't enjoy the flow of the record as a whole, I'm very unlikely to reach for it (which may explain why none of Pearl Jam's post-Yield albums get that many plays from me).

Aside from the fact I think Binaural and Riot Act are great listens from beginning to end, I agree.

[ABNorman]

When I listen to music, it's pretty much only full albums; I can't really envisage doing it any other way, honestly.

If I can't enjoy the flow of the record as a whole, I'm very unlikely to reach for it (which may explain why none of Pearl Jam's post-Yield albums get that many plays from me).

Aside from the fact I think Binaural and Riot Act are great listens from beginning to end, I agree.

I just find that nowadays, there's access to so much great music, I need to be more effective with my listening in order to hear more good stuff. I definitely agree on listening to an album initially, but I don't think there's a single album out there by anyone that I can listen to all the way through after a few listens. I always skip songs.

[stip]

I listen to albums as albums until I think I have a good sense of the album as a whole, and how the context affects how I hear the songs, etc. after that I tend to either listen to my favorites or on shuffle to see if any song is demanding further attention

Some of that may just be because I have to deliberately carve out space for a whole album

[lowercasejames]

I only listen to albums. Shuffle is a terrible tool. Terrible.

[WaitingForBluey]

It's always full albums for me, especially when it comes to PJ. I think that's why I was especially turned off by the idea of listening to a 4 song leak. There is too much of a risk there of tainting the full album experience.

[WaitingForBluey]

Did anyone else notice this with the countdown clock? When they first revealed the 90 day countdown it was set to go until 10/15 right at midnight EST. But at some point the clock must have been adjusted because now it goes until 12 noon EST on 10/14, 12 hours earlier than it was originally set at. Unless I'm missing something here.

Anyways, it makes me wonder. Even though the official release date in the US is 10/15, I'm hoping this is an indication that the ten club plans on making our digital download available on 10/14. Plus hopefully they also plan on shipping them out in time for them to arrive before 10/15. That's at least one less day I'll have to wait but I'll take it anyways!

[ABNorman]

I listen to albums as albums until I think I have a good sense of the album as a whole, and how the context affects how I hear the songs, etc. after that I tend to either listen to my favorites or on shuffle to see if any song is demanding further attention

Some of that may just be because I have to deliberately carve out space for a whole album

Pretty much this.

No Code is my favourite album of all time, but I'd much rather listen to it sans Habit and I'm Open, and often Mankind and Around the Bend.

[EJ]

When I listen to music, it's pretty much only full albums; I can't really envisage doing it any other way, honestly.

If I can't enjoy the flow of the record as a whole, I'm very unlikely to reach for it (which may explain why none of Pearl Jam's post-Yield albums get that many plays from me).

Aside from the fact I think Binaural and Riot Act are great listens from beginning to end, I agree.

Riot Act has always been a bit of a slog to listen to straight through. But, it's gotten so much better for me over the years. There's some really great stuff in there.

[Iowaska_Experience]

Did anyone else notice this with the countdown clock? When they first revealed the 90 day countdown it was set to go until 10/15 right at midnight EST. But at some point the clock must have been adjusted because now it goes until 12 noon EST on 10/14, 12 hours earlier than it was originally set at. Unless I'm missing something here.

Anyways, it makes me wonder. Even though the official release date in the US is 10/15, I'm hoping this is an indication that the ten club plans on making our digital download available on 10/14. Plus hopefully they also plan on shipping them out in time for them to arrive before 10/15. That's at least one less day I'll have to wait but I'll take it anyways!

I remember it not going all the way to 10/15 when it first came out.

[Dr. Van Nostrand]

Did anyone else notice this with the countdown clock? When they first revealed the 90 day countdown it was set to go until 10/15 right at midnight EST. But at some point the clock must have been adjusted because now it goes until 12 noon EST on 10/14, 12 hours earlier than it was originally set at. Unless I'm missing something here.

Anyways, it makes me wonder. Even though the official release date in the US is 10/15, I'm hoping this is an indication that the ten club plans on making our digital download available on 10/14. Plus hopefully they also plan on shipping them out in time for them to arrive before 10/15. That's at least one less day I'll have to wait but I'll take it anyways!

I noticed that the other day, not sure what will happen when the countdown ends though, i do hope to have the album in my hands before the 15th though