Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread

[Lament]

For all that I disagree, you're hardly the first person to say that and I respect the opinion. I feel as if this would've been an absolutely fine song to end the album on, if not for the piano making it sound like an Australian soap opera. It's cute, trite, sentimental, all the rest, but I really like that bridge and I'm a sucker for the violin. I needed guitar, violin and slide guitar. Nothing else.

I kinda wish that there were like ten seconds of silence after Yellow Moon, and then that Brendan piano part, maybe played twice through, and then nothing. That would've been a nice way to close the album. The piano part by itself it's nice enough. Everything else about FD drive me nuts.

[Lament]

Quite frankly, it's all I can do not to grind pepper on your head.

I love it when you talk to me like this.

[harmless]

The production is quite clean, not super interesting, but pretty, a good test to headphones and stereo systems.

Yeah, I feel like the production really puts the band and the songs themselves front and center. Everything is out there to fail or succeed on its own merits. There's no place to hide.

That's interesting; so you think the clean production is actually exposing the songs' flaws rather than prettying them up. I would've said that a more low-fi sound can cover up a host of sins in terms of song-writing. A lot of RMers love a good, live-sounding, low-fi record, and I understand why. But it does make the low points of PJ's "middle period" sound utterly fucking cool...

[Human Bass]

The production is quite clean, not super interesting, but pretty, a good test to headphones and stereo systems.

Yeah it certainly sounds great on a decent pair of head cans, especially Pendulum.

I could barely note Pendulum playing on the mediocre stereo of my car, but on my sennheisers it really got my attention.

2nd impression: this album is really a big recovery from Avocado and Backspacer starting from Infallible.

[harmless]

For all that I disagree, you're hardly the first person to say that and I respect the opinion. I feel as if this would've been an absolutely fine song to end the album on, if not for the piano making it sound like an Australian soap opera. It's cute, trite, sentimental, all the rest, but I really like that bridge and I'm a sucker for the violin. I needed guitar, violin and slide guitar. Nothing else.

I kinda wish that there were like ten seconds of silence after Yellow Moon, and then that Brendan piano part, maybe played twice through, and then nothing. That would've been a nice way to close the album. The piano part by itself it's nice enough. Everything else about FD drive me nuts.

Either way, the piano needs to be more distant, ethereal, as if closing a cheesy 80s apocalypse movie.

[harmless]

The production is quite clean, not super interesting, but pretty, a good test to headphones and stereo systems.

Yeah it certainly sounds great on a decent pair of head cans, especially Pendulum.

I could barely note Pendulum playing on the mediocre stereo of my car, but on my sennheisers it really got my attention.

2nd impression: this album is really a big recovery from Avocado and Backspacer starting from Infallible.

LTRP is probably the song on here with the most Backspacer spirit.

[Sgt. Crackpot]

For all that I disagree, you're hardly the first person to say that and I respect the opinion. I feel as if this would've been an absolutely fine song to end the album on, if not for the piano making it sound like an Australian soap opera. It's cute, trite, sentimental, all the rest, but I really like that bridge and I'm a sucker for the violin. I needed guitar, violin and slide guitar. Nothing else.

I kinda wish that there were like ten seconds of silence after Yellow Moon, and then that Brendan piano part, maybe played twice through, and then nothing. That would've been a nice way to close the album. The piano part by itself it's nice enough. Everything else about FD drive me nuts.

Either way, the piano needs to be more distant, ethereal, as if closing a cheesy 80s apocalypse movie.

Just like a grand piano being played in a massive cathedral?

[Lament]

For all that I disagree, you're hardly the first person to say that and I respect the opinion. I feel as if this would've been an absolutely fine song to end the album on, if not for the piano making it sound like an Australian soap opera. It's cute, trite, sentimental, all the rest, but I really like that bridge and I'm a sucker for the violin. I needed guitar, violin and slide guitar. Nothing else.

I kinda wish that there were like ten seconds of silence after Yellow Moon, and then that Brendan piano part, maybe played twice through, and then nothing. That would've been a nice way to close the album. The piano part by itself it's nice enough. Everything else about FD drive me nuts.

Either way, the piano needs to be more distant, ethereal, as if closing a cheesy 80s apocalypse movie.

Just like a grand piano being played in a massive cathedral?

I would be down with the album closing like that.

[harmless]

For all that I disagree, you're hardly the first person to say that and I respect the opinion. I feel as if this would've been an absolutely fine song to end the album on, if not for the piano making it sound like an Australian soap opera. It's cute, trite, sentimental, all the rest, but I really like that bridge and I'm a sucker for the violin. I needed guitar, violin and slide guitar. Nothing else.

I kinda wish that there were like ten seconds of silence after Yellow Moon, and then that Brendan piano part, maybe played twice through, and then nothing. That would've been a nice way to close the album. The piano part by itself it's nice enough. Everything else about FD drive me nuts.

Either way, the piano needs to be more distant, ethereal, as if closing a cheesy 80s apocalypse movie.

Just like a grand piano being played in a massive cathedral?

Yup. While we're watching the metaphysically redeemed being taken away by the men in the stars.

[harmless]

Why would anyone ever imagine that a keyboard is a better idea than a piano? Seriously, this is actually depressing me.

[digster]

At the risk of having the villagers come after me with the torches, three listens into the record I don't really have any overwhelming gripes with BO'B's production. The things I don't like so far don't strike me as being his fault. Maybe that'll change as I get more acquainted with it, but so far I haven't had a "Damn you O'Brien!" moment.

Not even the FD keyboard?

I wasn't gonna say this because I think 99% of people would consider it to be trolling, but I find the keyboards on FD to be the least of it's problems. It has a really good chance of going down as my least favorite Pearl Jam song ever, but not because of BO'B.

Agreed. I don't enjoy the keyboards, but it's not what kills the song.

[Lament]

That's interesting; so you think the clean production is actually exposing the songs' flaws rather than prettying them up. I would've said that a more low-fi sound can cover up a host of sins in terms of song-writing. A lot of RMers love a good, live-sounding, low-fi record, and I understand why. But it does make the low points of PJ's "middle period" sound utterly fucking cool...

I think great material can transcend production, but that production can help hide flaws in less than great material. I love an album with "character" in the production, but I don't think album has enough of a unified "character" to call for that kind of treatment. I think the best thing you can do in a situation like that is to put the songs front and center. If that makes any sense...

[Human Bass]

The production is quite clean, not super interesting, but pretty, a good test to headphones and stereo systems.

Yeah it certainly sounds great on a decent pair of head cans, especially Pendulum.

I could barely note Pendulum playing on the mediocre stereo of my car, but on my sennheisers it really got my attention.

2nd impression: this album is really a big recovery from Avocado and Backspacer starting from Infallible.

LTRP is probably the song on here with the most Backspacer spirit.

LTRP is very bluesy when not in the chourus, Backspacer strikes me more as a pseudo bland punk.

[harmless]

That's interesting; so you think the clean production is actually exposing the songs' flaws rather than prettying them up. I would've said that a more low-fi sound can cover up a host of sins in terms of song-writing. A lot of RMers love a good, live-sounding, low-fi record, and I understand why. But it does make the low points of PJ's "middle period" sound utterly fucking cool...

I think great material can transcend production, but that production can help hide flaws in less than great material. I love an album with "character" in the production, but I don't think album has enough of a unified "character" to call for that kind of treatment. I think the best thing you can do in a situation like that is to put the songs front and center. If that makes any sense...

Yeah, I guess it does. I mean, there are so many different genre experiments here (probably a more pretentious description than they deserve, but regardless), it probably makes sense to unify them with a limited production aesthetic, otherwise they really would sound like they came from different albums.

[harmless]

The production is quite clean, not super interesting, but pretty, a good test to headphones and stereo systems.

Yeah it certainly sounds great on a decent pair of head cans, especially Pendulum.

I could barely note Pendulum playing on the mediocre stereo of my car, but on my sennheisers it really got my attention.

2nd impression: this album is really a big recovery from Avocado and Backspacer starting from Infallible.

LTRP is probably the song on here with the most Backspacer spirit.

LTRP is very bluesy when not in the chourus, Backspacer strikes me more as a pseudo bland punk.

Stylistically, yeah, but I feel like there's more depth to the earlier fast songs. LTRP is pretty generic.

[Birds in Hell]

The production is quite clean, not super interesting, but pretty, a good test to headphones and stereo systems.

Yeah, I feel like the production really puts the band and the songs themselves front and center. Everything is out there to fail or succeed on its own merits. There's no place to hide.

That's interesting; so you think the clean production is actually exposing the songs' flaws rather than prettying them up. I would've said that a more low-fi sound can cover up a host of sins in terms of song-writing. A lot of RMers love a good, live-sounding, low-fi record, and I understand why. But it does make the low points of PJ's "middle period" sound utterly fucking cool...

Though I get what you mean, there's clearly a different production aesthetic being employed in those "middle period" records compared to Backspacer and Lightning Bolt, it's worth pointing out that there's really nothing lo-fi about any of Pearl Jam's records - particularly albums like No Code, Yield and Riot Act.

[harmless]

The production is quite clean, not super interesting, but pretty, a good test to headphones and stereo systems.

Yeah, I feel like the production really puts the band and the songs themselves front and center. Everything is out there to fail or succeed on its own merits. There's no place to hide.

That's interesting; so you think the clean production is actually exposing the songs' flaws rather than prettying them up. I would've said that a more low-fi sound can cover up a host of sins in terms of song-writing. A lot of RMers love a good, live-sounding, low-fi record, and I understand why. But it does make the low points of PJ's "middle period" sound utterly fucking cool...

Though I get what you mean, there's clearly a different production aesthetic being employed in those "middle period" records compared to Backspacer and Lightning Bolt, it's worth pointing out that there's really nothing lo-fi about any of Pearl Jam's records - particularly albums like No Code, Yield and Riot Act.

Oh yeah, I'm perfectly aware that I'm using the phrase badly and it's all relative. I don't know how else to describe it really.

[Thejambi]

The production is quite clean, not super interesting, but pretty, a good test to headphones and stereo systems.

Yeah, I feel like the production really puts the band and the songs themselves front and center. Everything is out there to fail or succeed on its own merits. There's no place to hide.

That's interesting; so you think the clean production is actually exposing the songs' flaws rather than prettying them up. I would've said that a more low-fi sound can cover up a host of sins in terms of song-writing. A lot of RMers love a good, live-sounding, low-fi record, and I understand why. But it does make the low points of PJ's "middle period" sound utterly fucking cool...

Though I get what you mean, there's clearly a different production aesthetic being employed in those "middle period" records compared to Backspacer and Lightning Bolt, it's worth pointing out that there's really nothing lo-fi about any of Pearl Jam's records - particularly albums like No Code, Yield and Riot Act.

Oh yeah, I'm perfectly aware that I'm using the phrase badly and it's all relative. I don't know how else to describe it really.

Natural might be the word.

[harmless]

Yeah. Even that I'm not sure about, though. It's not as if "Sleight of Hand" or "Push Me, Pull Me" are without unnatural effects. Or others, but that's just two to start with.

[verb_to_trust]

Stone's 'main contribution' was LTRP? Sounds even sloppier and more derivative in that vignette. Four years and this is all Stone can manage? A song he wrote on the fly using another guys tuning?