Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread

[mackeycold]

For all of the talk of the production, has anyone else noticed how this sounds like very much like the last two R.E.M. albums?

[BoltofLightning]

The vinyl version looks like it is cut out around the "eye" kind of like Backspacer's "brain".

[given2fly23]

Ok, where´s the FLAC rip of this thing?

If anyone who has the album in hand could post images of the lyrics to each song, that'd be spectacular.

Get on it Germans!

PRETTY PLEASE!

[harmless]

Yep, I was just thinking earlier how R.E.M it sounds. For some reason, nobody has an issue with their very polished late-career sound. Having said that, I'm not sure if they've had a "Speed of Sound" or "Future Days" cheese buffet.

[Thurman Murman]

Getaway, My Father's Son, Infallible, Pendulum and Sirens (yes Sirens!) is better than anything off Backspacer not named The End.

[Mine]

The newsletter:

http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=890 ... a93e3f64bf

"Lightning Bolt" on TV:

"Future Days" on ABC's 'Grey's Anatomy' Thursday 10/10

Visit Pearl Jam's YouTube channel to check out the latest "Lightning Bolt" vignettes, short films and performance videos.

I presume this refers to the performances from the EPK.

[Thurman Murman]

"Lightning Bolt" on TV:

"Future Days" on ABC's 'Grey's Anatomy' Thursday 10/10

Like we all needed another reason to not watch Grey's Anatomy.

[mav22erick]

So Ed hinted at Lightning Bolt being a concept album in a recent interview, and that shouldn't be surprising given he loves the Who and they did two concept LP's (Tommy and Quadrophenia).

As I decipher and type out the lyrics I think I can make out part of the story, key words being I think.

I've been sort of working it out backwards, and I've certainly not figured it all out yet, but I think the lyrics will make it so much easier for everyone to see... Also, I can clearly see now why Sleeping By Myself was included and Future Days ends the LP... Subtle but key words in a few songs are I believe...

In Getaway the person clearly has his own way to believe - in God, what happens after death, etc. By mind your manners he doesn't believe - possibly the result of the catholic church sex scandals... the topic of the afterlife / heaven comes up in MYM...

I've not worked out My Father's Son yet, but the anger makes sense to follow MYM... By Sirens he is in love, possibly dying, certainly appreciates what he has with his love, and wants his significant other to know how much she is loved. He has turned the corner from all the anger.

The LP is very much about mortality and one's place in the world. What's important to be focused on (humans, the world, relationships), and what to not be distracted from and our responsibilities to act appropriately to help save the world (climate change - see Infallible) Stop focusing only on ourselves. Lyrics include "put your faith in big hands (God), pay those disasters no mind, they didn't get you this time, No friends left at the crime." Ed mentioned in a recent interview how there's so much happening we move so quickly from disaster to disaster without really addressing the first one completely. We become numb to it with overload from the news... We need to look at the world differently and mortality again is in play here... The chorus says it all.

Pendulum - again mortality is the focus and questions about the afterlife / heaven "understand what we don't know, we are here and then we go

By Swallowed Whole the person realizes he needs to focus on living life and enjoying the natural aspects of it. The lyrics are quite clear about this.

At some point, I think the singer's loved one dies and he is now alone.

Let the records play and sleeping by myself go together quite nicely as a result. The person is alone and drowning in sorrows and trying to heal.

Yellow Moon - the artwork makes so much sense... The barrel of the gun and single bullet. At this point the loved one has already died and I think the singer now has as well. They're both gone. Definitely the person singing in Sirens anyway... Lyrics towards the end of Yellow Moon incude "an echo that rings, a bullet unchained, one life, one grave, joins the parade. Under the sky grows dark with falling stars who've come so far, a headstone and grave, the colors turn grey, the black and white fade. Maybe the singer kills himself because he no longer can live in this world as it is, and without his loved one? Not sure, just an idea.

Future Days ties it all together. The lyrics make so much sense... The person is now in heaven, and he believes again... Perhaps because they are both there? If so, Pendulum might be where he lost his loved one. Dark quiet song, all about mortality and time ticking away in life... Anyway, the chorus addresses the believe word again. Full circle from the beginning... "I believe, I believe cause I can see, our future days, days of you and me... Listen to the heavenly organ sound playing during the chorus... Lyrics later in the song include "all the promises at sundown (death), I meant then like the rest, all the demons used to come around, I'm grateful now they've left. So persistent in my ways, here an angel I am to stay, No resistance, no alarms, please this is just so good to be gone." The climate change topic comes into play again, but never was stronger than the love they had.

The person has died and see he is or will be with his love in heaven. Again, the artwork image helps here. Also, the last part about "please this is just so good to be gone" alludes to the next life being in a better place than this world (cause there's so much going wrong on the earth now with so little being done to address it).

I'm quickly typing this while at home during a lunch break. I was excited to start seeing the puzzle pieces and wanted to share for discussion...

I love the LP. Happy to see more Jeff songs. The lyrics are brilliant and the performance is tight. Looking forward to shows starting in Brooklyn next week.

Standout songs to me are Getaway, MYM, Sirens, Lightning Bolt (will be awesome live-maybe even a set closer), Infallible, Swallowed Whole (another great song I expect live) and Yellow Moon. LOVE Yellow Moon...

Curious what you guys think... Again, the lyrics will be much more helpful... My apologies if this is rambling. Only had a few minutes to get this all out.

[given2fly23]

finally a CD rip, but only mp3. FLAC should be around soon since I'm busy the rest of teh day and then the Bears play tonight.

[warehouse]

where did he say it was a concept album?

[given2fly23]

finally a CD rip, but only mp3. FLAC should be around soon since I'm busy the rest of teh day and then the Bears play tonight.

and there it is.

[Mine]

where did he say it was a concept album?

He said it wasn't in the Huffington post interview. Close enough?

[harmless]

where did he say it was a concept album?

Fox News thinks he said it was "almost" a concept album.

[wilkins]

Didn't the news article say S/T was almost a concept album?

[wilkins]

finally a CD rip, but only mp3. FLAC should be around soon since I'm busy the rest of teh day and then the Bears play tonight.

and there it is.

Where? Can someone put this in the email account?

[Revelator]

finally a CD rip, but only mp3. FLAC should be around soon since I'm busy the rest of teh day and then the Bears play tonight.

Finally! Can someone help me out with this (mp3 version)?

[Mine]

Didn't the news article say S/T was almost a concept album?

He said it could have been but it didn't end up being.

[gardenparty]

The newsletter:

http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=890 ... a93e3f64bf

"Lightning Bolt" on TV:

"Future Days" on ABC's 'Grey's Anatomy' Thursday 10/10

are we just breaking balls here or is this actually the correct news?

[harmless]

Didn't the news article say S/T was almost a concept album?

I was kidding about Fox News. Ed said something like a lot of their albums could be called concept albums, but they're not really. He said they might do that one day, but that it would be cooler not to advertise it as such.

[scrub12]

Read on twitter that PJ TV news will come out tomorrow, so they're likely going to play a talk show soon. Maybe SNL?