Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread

[stip]

What does Harmless think of the Bolt?

To quote me on the other page:

This album is a bit like raiding the Pick-n-Mix at the cinema, and you grab all of your favourite colours and textures and tastes to put in the bag. But when the lights go off and the movie starts, you reach into the bag, put your first morsel in your mouth, and realise you accidentally picked up chocolate raisins instead of chocolate peanuts.

All of which doesn't put me off the movie, and I might even try another chocolate raisin, just to make sure I don't hate it, because most of the stuff is nice. And even if I find I still don't like the chocolate raisins, I'll still find it fun to throw them at the couple kissing in the next row. The album will go where I wanted in the rankings.

Canon: Ten-Riot Act

Good latter-day PJ: Lightning Bolt

OK latter-day PJ: S/T and Backspacer

i just cannot fathom how someone (and I know you are FAR from alone) would prefer Riot Act to this.

[McParadigm]

One of the highlights of this record is Jeff's bass playing that isn't on this record.

Vignetted!

Holy shit.

Rat Bastards.

[EJ]

Yellow Moon > Lowlight

No way in hell it is. And, I think YM is pretty good.

I wouldn't mess with Django Butterworth

Heisenberg would.

[Jaeti]

Well guys, it really is good. It might have less of a "code" than No Code, but it's good. It wouldn't have worked six years ago, but intentionally or not, the band has been preparing us to accept this kind of record. Not everyone will, but I think in many ways they have gotten better at some of the things that have held the past two albums down.

Again, I get that lots of people have pretty much jumped ship, and this isn't the album to make you forget why you did that or bring you back. In a perfect world it wouldn't have taken six years to get to this point, but again, if you've been underwhelmed by the past two album but have hung in anyway and held out a bit of optimism for this one, then I think there are a lot of rewards here.

At least eight rewards, and maybe even twelve.

[McParadigm]

i just cannot fathom how someone (and I know you are FAR from alone) would prefer Riot Act to this.

[stip]

for some reason I keep expecting to see different things on the fridge.

[stip]

What does Harmless think of the Bolt?

To quote me on the other page:

This album is a bit like raiding the Pick-n-Mix at the cinema, and you grab all of your favourite colours and textures and tastes to put in the bag. But when the lights go off and the movie starts, you reach into the bag, put your first morsel in your mouth, and realise you accidentally picked up chocolate raisins instead of chocolate peanuts.

All of which doesn't put me off the movie, and I might even try another chocolate raisin, just to make sure I don't hate it, because most of the stuff is nice. And even if I find I still don't like the chocolate raisins, I'll still find it fun to throw them at the couple kissing in the next row. The album will go where I wanted in the rankings.

Canon: Ten-Riot Act

Good latter-day PJ: Lightning Bolt

OK latter-day PJ: S/T and Backspacer

So all we get out of you after 3 months and 10 billion pages is that you kinda don't mind chocolate raisins???

It was all about the journey for harmless. Never the destination.

I think that other thread should now be renamed: And, on October 7th, Harmless rested.

And verily he said of Lightning Bolt: "It is good!"

I will only allow him to rest and eat his chocolate raisins after he's finished his drum review.

Stip, can we get a place holder thread for that so he's forced to do it?

good idea!

[jdopj]

What does Harmless think of the Bolt?

To quote me on the other page:

This album is a bit like raiding the Pick-n-Mix at the cinema, and you grab all of your favourite colours and textures and tastes to put in the bag. But when the lights go off and the movie starts, you reach into the bag, put your first morsel in your mouth, and realise you accidentally picked up chocolate raisins instead of chocolate peanuts.

All of which doesn't put me off the movie, and I might even try another chocolate raisin, just to make sure I don't hate it, because most of the stuff is nice. And even if I find I still don't like the chocolate raisins, I'll still find it fun to throw them at the couple kissing in the next row. The album will go where I wanted in the rankings.
Canon: Ten-Riot Act

Good latter-day PJ: Lightning Bolt

OK latter-day PJ: S/T and Backspacer

i just cannot fathom how someone (and I know you are FAR from alone) would prefer Riot Act to this.

I agree Stip.
Great write up Stip. Enjoyed it. Don't understand how you have time to do these things. I have a nine month old and I barely have enough time to listen to a whole album.

[evenslow]

What does Harmless think of the Bolt?

To quote me on the other page:

This album is a bit like raiding the Pick-n-Mix at the cinema, and you grab all of your favourite colours and textures and tastes to put in the bag. But when the lights go off and the movie starts, you reach into the bag, put your first morsel in your mouth, and realise you accidentally picked up chocolate raisins instead of chocolate peanuts.

All of which doesn't put me off the movie, and I might even try another chocolate raisin, just to make sure I don't hate it, because most of the stuff is nice. And even if I find I still don't like the chocolate raisins, I'll still find it fun to throw them at the couple kissing in the next row. The album will go where I wanted in the rankings.

Canon: Ten-Riot Act

Good latter-day PJ: Lightning Bolt

OK latter-day PJ: S/T and Backspacer

So all we get out of you after 3 months and 10 billion pages is that you kinda don't mind chocolate raisins???

It was all about the journey for harmless. Never the destination.

I think that other thread should now be renamed: And, on October 7th, Harmless rested.

And verily he said of Lightning Bolt: "It is good!"

I will only allow him to rest and eat his chocolate raisins after he's finished his drum review.

Stip, can we get a place holder thread for that so he's forced to do it?

good idea!

Also, one for Release_Me vocal review and one where McP can put his cartoon gifs thanks.

[wilkins]

So:

-What was the song part from the Joseph Arthur clip?

-This never did leak, ever! The band leaked the four songs in shitty quality, and then streamed the album a week early.

-What was Jeff's vignette from, if anything?

-Live, this could be very interesting/good, and they've been rehearsing new stuff a lot it seems.

[Monkey_Driven]

So:

-What was the song part from the Joseph Arthur clip?

-This never did leak, ever! The band leaked the four songs in shitty quality, and then streamed the album a week early.

-What was Jeff's vignette from, if anything?

-Live, this could be very interesting/good, and they've been rehearsing new stuff a lot it seems.

Yeah, I can't believe this thing didn't leak.

[Norah]

i just cannot fathom how someone (and I know you are FAR from alone) would prefer Riot Act to this.

[stip]

i just cannot fathom how someone (and I know you are FAR from alone) would prefer Riot Act to this.

I wish you wouldn't go near the ladles when you've been drinking

[harmless]

It's a good review, stip. A few typos I spotted, but I'm sure you'll go over those at some point.

One interesting thing I spotted is that "Swallowed Whole" and "Let the Records Play" are both partly about oblivion. So that'll be a connection between those two. And then "Sleeping By Myself" is actually an amusing metaphor for being alone and... well, dead. "Yellow Moon" describes the night of death rising up, and then "Future Days" uses religious language for end times / the afterlife. This is what I get when I try to tie them together thematically, and it's more intelligent, witty and subversive than the music of the songs would ever suggest.

[Jorge]

Overall I think I have a more positive view of the album than some of my "middle-period" brethren. Other than "Future Days" and "Let the Records Play" I don't think there are any bad songs on the record.

On the album, Future Days >>>>>> Sirens through Infallible.

Well, I mean, no.

[stip]

It's a good review, stip. A few typos I spotted, but I'm sure you'll go over those at some point.

One interesting thing I spotted is that "Swallowed Whole" and "Let the Records Play" are both partly about oblivion. So that'll be a connection between those two. And the "Sleeping By Myself" is actually an amusing metaphor for being alone and... well, dead. "Yellow Moon" describes the night, and then "Future Days" uses religious language for end times / the afterlife. This is what I get when I try to tie them together thematically, and it's more intelligent, witty and subversive than the music of the songs would ever suggest.

My editing skills are not at their best at 2 am. at that point I basically had 8 hours of sleep in 72 hours. I was worried that thing would be a fever dream.

that's a good observation. I may steal that when it's time for the guided tour in a few months

[stupidmop]

i just cannot fathom how someone (and I know you are FAR from alone) would prefer Riot Act to this.

There's fewer highs, that aren't as high and the low's are way lower.

I forgot to snag the rip of swallowed whole and now the gmails dead. Boo urns.

How do you figure sleeping by myself is about dying harmless?

[harmless]

i just cannot fathom how someone (and I know you are FAR from alone) would prefer Riot Act to this.

Yeah, I feel as if I'm being subjected to some micro-aggression here!

[McParadigm]

and one where McP can put his cartoon gifs thanks.

[McParadigm]