Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread

[warehouse]

Which riff? the verse riff or the opening guitar line? The opening guitar line is quite nice actually. The rest is about as bland shit as you can get though.

the one he stole from shania twain or whoever it was. the jumbled finger pick part is obviously the best part of the song, along with "the hens" line.

[verb_to_trust]

LTRP has to be one of the worst riffs I have ever heard...

what if you found out stone played that riff with his feet? would that change your mind?

It sounds like he did.


And the opening lick is sloppy too guys, sorry...

[Iholdthepain]

Which riff? the verse riff or the opening guitar line? The opening guitar line is quite nice actually. The rest is about as bland shit as you can get though.

the one he stole from shania twain or whoever it was. the jumbled finger pick part is obviously the best part of the song, along with "the hens" line.

Glad I'm not the only one who thought LTRP was as blatant as GTF... At least Going To California was a good song to steal from.

[warehouse]

Which riff? the verse riff or the opening guitar line? The opening guitar line is quite nice actually. The rest is about as bland shit as you can get though.

the one he stole from shania twain or whoever it was. the jumbled finger pick part is obviously the best part of the song, along with "the hens" line.

Glad I'm not the only one who thought LTRP was as blatant as GTF... At least Going To California was a good song to steal from.

only one? everyone here was all over that comparison when the first 4 songs leaked before the album. i actually kinda like the song.

[Iholdthepain]

Which riff? the verse riff or the opening guitar line? The opening guitar line is quite nice actually. The rest is about as bland shit as you can get though.

the one he stole from shania twain or whoever it was. the jumbled finger pick part is obviously the best part of the song, along with "the hens" line.

Glad I'm not the only one who thought LTRP was as blatant as GTF... At least Going To California was a good song to steal from.

only one? everyone here was all over that comparison when the first 4 songs leaked before the album. i actually kinda like the song.

I'm not from 'round these parts. Forgive me, Father.

[warehouse]

Which riff? the verse riff or the opening guitar line? The opening guitar line is quite nice actually. The rest is about as bland shit as you can get though.

the one he stole from shania twain or whoever it was. the jumbled finger pick part is obviously the best part of the song, along with "the hens" line.

Glad I'm not the only one who thought LTRP was as blatant as GTF... At least Going To California was a good song to steal from.

only one? everyone here was all over that comparison when the first 4 songs leaked before the album. i actually kinda like the song.

I'm not from 'round these parts. Forgive me, Father.

i think there's a video around here of the shania twain song playing over a video of stone the LTRP riff, its pretty funny. it is shania twain, right? either way, they should go back to stealing from led zeppelin.

[Iholdthepain]

Which riff? the verse riff or the opening guitar line? The opening guitar line is quite nice actually. The rest is about as bland shit as you can get though.

the one he stole from shania twain or whoever it was. the jumbled finger pick part is obviously the best part of the song, along with "the hens" line.

Glad I'm not the only one who thought LTRP was as blatant as GTF... At least Going To California was a good song to steal from.

only one? everyone here was all over that comparison when the first 4 songs leaked before the album. i actually kinda like the song.

I'm not from 'round these parts. Forgive me, Father.

i think there's a video around here of the shania twain song playing over a video of stone the LTRP riff, its pretty funny. it is shania twain, right? either way, they should go back to stealing from led zeppelin.

Once upon a time, I saw a magic show in Vegas. The lovely assistant unleashed her boobies to that Twain song, so I have a special place in my heart for it. When I heard PJ play that riff, I just felt super gay.

[Sgt. Crackpot]

Which riff? the verse riff or the opening guitar line? The opening guitar line is quite nice actually. The rest is about as bland shit as you can get though.

the one he stole from shania twain or whoever it was. the jumbled finger pick part is obviously the best part of the song, along with "the hens" line.

Glad I'm not the only one who thought LTRP was as blatant as GTF... At least Going To California was a good song to steal from.

only one? everyone here was all over that comparison when the first 4 songs leaked before the album. i actually kinda like the song.

I'm not from 'round these parts. Forgive me, Father.

i think there's a video around here of the shania twain song playing over a video of stone the LTRP riff, its pretty funny. it is shania twain, right? either way, they should go back to stealing from led zeppelin.

Once upon a time, I saw a magic show in Vegas. The lovely assistant unleashed her boobies to that Twain song, so I have a special place in my heart for it. When I heard PJ play that riff, I just felt super gay.

[Thejambi]

Had me a few good whacks to that video back in the day.

[Thejambi]

[stip]

[Thejambi]

Good to see Joey alive and well over there.

[stip]

Ahh, here is the right thread

[stip]

Lightning Bolt rankings on year out:

5 Stars
Mind Your Manners - Still not tired of this song. Eddie's best aggressive vocal performance in ages, snappy lyrics, great outro, good solo, and I love the flattened and compressed feel of the song and the way that plays against the sloppy energy you'd normally find in this kind of song. And the chorus is one of their best.

4.5 Stars
Lightning Bolt - The chorus lyrics are still weak, and it's not a good first verse, but the music is a clinic in how to write an anthem, and the way the song manages to sustain a constant build without ever feeling like it plateaus is remarkable. Once we get to the solo everything in this song is aces. This was the song Eddie was trying to write at least as far back as LBC, and it's almost perfect. One of my favorite Mike solo's ever, and the worst fade in pearl jam history.

Pendulum - One of my favorite pieces of atmospheric music in the catalog, with strong performances from everyone. Very rich song despite its simplicity

4 Stars
Sirens - Takes quite a few power ballad tropes and alters them just enough to make the final result pretty compelling, aided by the fact that, unlike most songs in the genre, I don't doubt its sincerity. Some of my favorite background harmonies they've ever done. the solo kinda sucks, though.

Infallible - It would have been interesting to see them take this in a heavier/darker direction, especially with the chorus, but I like the heart on sleeve optimism of the chorus and the way it stands in opposition to the martial elements of the verses. Musically it sounds like nothing they've done before. I'd love to hear them push this kind of sound even further

Sleeping By Myself - Thank you BoB. I really liked the uke version, but this is a gem. Such a brave, scrappy song that's trying to desperately to smile at a time when the world has dropped out beneath it.

Yellow Moon - I wish it got bigger during its bridge (which is really nicely written) but this is a great headphones/let the music envelope you moment. It is a stately and refined song, and while I'd love to hear a more earthy demo someday, I love the way this feels like someone painted a eulogy, and the way the music feels like you're falling and rooted at the same time is excellent. This is a wonderfully understated song that reminds me a lot of sleight of hand thematically, but trying less hard and (for me) more emotionally honest as a result

All of these except sirens are 4.5 star songs on good days.

3.5 stars

Getaway - I love the playful bounce but it is overwritten a bit too clean. There are some sharp and strident moments in the song (when the guitars kick pack after the 'science says' verse and the outro that, if more prominent throughout the song really would have elevated it.

My Father's Son - Another song that doesn't really have many antecedents in the catalog. I like the music a lot, the bridge is fantastic, and I love the way there are all these little moments in the song that make it feel almost haunted--quite appropriate given the subject matter. But, excepting the bridge, I really don't like these lyrics and it drags the song down a bit.

Swallowed Whole - If the acoustic guitar and the vocals sounded less processed this song would be even better, and these were surprisingly sterile choices for a song that clearly calls for a more organic touch. But the fundamental song is strong. They played the solo during someone (ed's?) ice bucket video and I was surprised by how much I liked it on its own, since it never really lifted off during the full song like I wanted it to.

Let the Records Play -A weird mesh of pop sheen, scuffed barroom blues, and a pretty dark subject matter. It'll never be a top tier song, but the pieces all fit together. I do think it would have been even better if they just dragged it through the mud and didn't worry about cleaning it up afterwards

Future Days - trite, sentimental, and cheesy, but heartfelt and authentic. Not as good as just breathe, but still solid, and I think eddie's performance is lovely. He's still trying to get this song right, and Eddie doesn't write well when his own feelings are clear (it's why so many of his political lyrics don't work) but I hope he stays with it until he does. I'd probably feel differently if this wasn't Mia's bedtime song, but I think Eddie sounds lovely and I love the harvest feel to the music (bracketing BoB's piano).

Most of these songs (excepting Getaway and LTRP are 4 star songs on a good day)


I'm still in love with this album a year out. I think Eddie sounds really good, and Jeff is a star. The only person who let me down here is Mike. Although I am a big fan of his two major writing contributions this is an album full of solos and while there are great ones in Lightning Bolt and Mind Your Manners, the rest of them underwhelm.

[dimejinky99]

Saw this on Gremmie.net's FB page

Something's come our way. A bit hot, may have to speak with our pals at Anonymouse. Stay tuned.

[stip]

Go on...

[dimejinky99]

That's all they've said..nothing on their site that's new i dont think

[BurtReynolds]

Betterman (live)?

[dimejinky99]

They did post an incomplete recording of eds set from portugal on the anonymouse page

[Jorge]

The dot net is mysterious.