Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread

[Oversize]

Still listening a couple times a week (in the car, cranked way up!).

While driving to Vegas last month, my wife, who isn't necessarily a fan (but does like the Into the Wild Soundtrack and some of PJ's catalog), stated, "I like this album because none of the songs sound the same. They're all very different."

FYI (for whatever it's worth - probably nothing) when I play it with her in the car, I almost always start at Pendulum. It was after MFS ended and Sirens just began when she made that statement...

Anyhow, next single speculation, anyone?

I was thinking that they have a bit of a choice to make here. To stay top of mind in radio world, and to possibly expand audience, SBM is an interesting choice. However, like someone said before me, PJ would be in danger of having their grunge card pulled if SBM was the follow-up to Sirens.

So, here's my thinking. Give it the Got Some / Just Breathe treatment. Release a double single. The question I pose to you? What's the second single? Getaway or LB? Maybe MFS?

I'm leaning more towards Getaway or MFS because, if the "rock" part of the double-single were to flop, you still have a chance to throw LB out as a true single (maybe with a B-Side?).

[warehouse]

the third single is gonna be lightning bolt. if they had balls they'd release a double album and put pendulum on the other side.

[McParadigm]

I wouldn't be surprised by any track being offered up as a single, to be honest. None of the rock songs have either the lift or the bite to really achieve much at radio, and a balladic follow-up to Sirens will indeed feel unsatisfactory and probably only do well at adult radio.

What WILL surprise me is if they don't release another single. Both of these did very well, and we're already a week or two past the time they usually would have issued a new one.

[southp]

The only choice for a next single would be Lightning Bolt.
This album isn't commercial enough to run a string of radio hits.

[Monkey_Driven]

I vote for SBM as the next single.

[VinylGuy]

I vote for SBM as the next single.

Should be the next single. Could be pretty big too.

[guitar_davey]

I vote for SBM as the next single.

Should be the next single. Could be pretty big too.

I've heard a few people suggest this, and while I really like the tune a lot, I can't see the general public latching onto it that strongly.

Lightning Bolt is probably the best bet for a third single, but at this point, I doubt it would get much traction either.

[Got Some]

Lightning Bolt or Getaway would be awesome.


Lost my shit to this album pumped in the car today



Also lost my shit to 'Let it ride" today. What an awesome song that is

[southp]

Lightning Bolt or Getaway would be awesome.


Lost my shit to this album pumped in the car today



Also lost my shit to 'Let it ride" today. What an awesome song that is

I was listening to LB on the way into work today. While I really like the 1st three songs, there is something special that happens with Sirens and the album becomes so much better. Typically I like the first-half of PJ records, but in this case I find the album gets much more interesting from track 4 onwards.

[Monkey_Driven]

Listened to Stip's tracklist yesterday while walking the dog. Thematically it is a bit jumbled, but musically, it flowed really well.

I hadn't listened to the album in probably 2-3 weeks. It holds up really well. I even enjoyed Swallowed Whole, which has been hit or miss for me.

[evenslow]

Getaway is the no brainer for single. A left turn from Sirens and the most immediate fun bouncy melodic (adjectives!) song on the album.

LB takes too damn long to sink in and takes a big leap when heard live - two luxuries a single doesn't have.

[Tuolumne]

It's crazy how many times I've played Getaway. I don't remember being so hooked by a song since RVM back in the day.

But I think SBM has more reach maybe? They put the darn thing on the album, which still doesn't make sense to me (except for the fact that BoB is a douche), so why is it there if not to release it as a single?

I agree on Lightning Bolt (the song), I'm way into it now, but it took me a long time to appreciate it. I loved it when I heard it at Wrigley, but I think it took awhile for the structure of the song to sink in with it's various ebbs and flows. Great song, though, just not a good single.

[Tuolumne]

Lightning Bolt or Getaway would be awesome.


Lost my shit to this album pumped in the car today



Also lost my shit to 'Let it ride" today. What an awesome song that is

I was listening to LB on the way into work today. While I really like the 1st three songs, there is something special that happens with Sirens and the album becomes so much better. Typically I like the first-half of PJ records, but in this case I find the album gets much more interesting from track 4 onwards.

Sirens through Swallowed Whole is sort of the heart and soul of the album, and what I think will determine if a listener will stick to the album for months on end or not. I truly did not "get" the album until I felt the SW bridge, so I'm in that stage where I'm feeling more of the effects of the middle songs - LB, Pendulum, SW, etc. Although I'm still blasting Getaway countless times a day.

[Thurman Murman]

I was listening to LB on the way into work today. While I really like the 1st three songs, there is something special that happens with Sirens and the album becomes so much better. Typically I like the first-half of PJ records, but in this case I find the album gets much more interesting from track 4 onwards.

For me its the middle part of this album that makes it so much better than Backspacer. I'd say the opening 3 tracks and closing 3 tracks off both albums are kind of in the same ballpark, but the middle section of Lightning Bolt is 100x better than Backspacer's middle run.

[Strat]

I was listening to LB on the way into work today. While I really like the 1st three songs, there is something special that happens with Sirens and the album becomes so much better. Typically I like the first-half of PJ records, but in this case I find the album gets much more interesting from track 4 onwards.

For me its the middle part of this album that makes it so much better than Backspacer. I'd say the opening 3 tracks and closing 3 tracks off both albums are kind of in the same ballpark, but the middle section of Lightning Bolt is 100x better than Backspacer's middle run.

Man alive. Their albums are so goddamn formulaic.

[Thurman Murman]

I was listening to LB on the way into work today. While I really like the 1st three songs, there is something special that happens with Sirens and the album becomes so much better. Typically I like the first-half of PJ records, but in this case I find the album gets much more interesting from track 4 onwards.

For me its the middle part of this album that makes it so much better than Backspacer. I'd say the opening 3 tracks and closing 3 tracks off both albums are kind of in the same ballpark, but the middle section of Lightning Bolt is 100x better than Backspacer's middle run.

Man alive. Their albums are so goddamn formulaic.

Well the last two certainly follow the same formula.

[evenslow]

Sounds like Pearl Jam.

[EJ]

So, I'm reading the Deep issue. I guess its almost word for word from the video interviews. Anyway, when Judd talks them about Neil Young I got excited and annoyed. Its like a giant tease about Neil's approach to writing music. And, I say this while still really enjoying Lightning Bolt. I almost get the impression the guys want to go this route, but have these massive constraints on what Pearl Jam must produce for each album - which Stone has talked about before.

Anyway, here's that section if you haven't read it:

Spoiler: show

Judd: What was it like touring with Neil Young? What did you take from that experience afterwards? Did that have a big impact?

Stone: I think for me personally, he had be the most influential character that we’ve been able to play music with or get close to, just because his depth is so great, and just watching him, and how long he’s been around, and the variety of songs, and the simplicity with which he plays. The fact that he’s this amazing singer, and this lead player, and all the variations that he’s done, and all the chances he’s taken, and all of his ups and downs, and all that stuff … just inspired me for sure and I know the rest of the band were all like... “Okay, what would Neil do?”

Jeff: And he just doesn’t give a fuck.

Stone: Yeah.

Judd: He just doesn’t give a fuck?

Jeff: Y’know he’s just like... the muse is the whole deal.

Ed: He’s getting closer and closer to the core at all times, and it’s his own journey. He just doesn’t care what anybody else thinks about what direction he should take because he’s tuned into something that he won’t even take the time to explain to anybody else. He’s onto something pretty much at all times. He’s usually onto about three or four things at once.

Judd: ‘Cause he was on the American Masters, and they were talking about records that don’t sell because you’re experimenting, and they asked him if he felt bad that a record didn’t sell, and he said, “No I always feel like I got another one through. I tricked ‘em again. I was able to do a new thing, and I got it made.” It’s so the reverse of how most people think about what they do. I mean, just as a comedy writer, I’ve watched that interview and thought, “Okay, I’ve got to have balls to just say what I wanna say and not worry, you know, if I’m going to take a hit on it, and maybe that’s why it will connect with the audience because it’s getting more pure because I’m not trying to figure them out at every moment. “

Mike: I think some of the moments I remember were when we were on that tour, we were sitting waiting for the plane a couple times, and he would pull out his guitar, and just kinda jam, and it was “There’s Neil right there, he’s playin’guitar…”

Judd: Yeah.

Mike: It sounds really great but it’s Neil Young and...

Jeff: He’s kinda not afraid to be bad either, you know what I mean? Like I remember the first time we went to his ranch, and we were in a room playing, and he came in and strapped on a guitar, and just started playing the weirdest stuff. It was like, “What is he doing?” And then all of a sudden he made his thing work with these two chords that we were kind of playing, and I remember thinking... he’s the most uninhibited, pure guy that I’ve ever been around... finding that weird thing that actually made our jam special.

[malice]

enjoyed reading that, EJ - thx

[Tuolumne]

I've said this before, but it's jsut a whole other deal artistically when it's a band, and not a solo act. There's pros and cons to each. To get a band to agree on a specific direction or sound or approach is difficult/next to impossible. But, the pros are that you have this collaborative interaction which yeilds results that would never exist by any one band member. Apples and oranges.