What Is Each Album's Major Flaw?: Lightning Bolt

[Got Some]

Getaway- terrible intro. Should have been jeff playing the bass line as an intro. Love the rest.
MYM- needs a lengthier intro. Ed to relax the vocals better lyrics at the end. " That's swell" line is terrible
MFS- Start plods but it ends well. Need another curse word in the final verse "thanks for this and fucking thanks for that" would of been cool.
Sirens- I like the lyrics and what they've attempted but its a bit flat.
LB- worst recording of a pj song ever Period
Infallible- needed to emphasise the bass line more, less piano no fade out
Swallowed whole- acoustic guitar is horrible the lead guitar part at the start needed to be louder in the mix.
Pendulum- could of been a better ending only minor flaw
LTRP- cool song . No fade out for me.
SBM- Doesn't fit at all. Should of been sirens b side
Yellow Moon- love the bridge.
Future Days- piano could of been better hate the accoustic guitar sound.


I like this album.

They need to have one more recrding session at the end with no new material. Pick out the best 15 songs from the batch and work on them until the are as close to perfect as possible.

Not just leave to BOB to complete

[bodysnatcher]

the problems with this album started with a 90 day countdown clock. you better have something SPECIAL if you're gonna do that.

[stip]

The irony is that the buildup to L-bolt was actually really really good, other than that first anti-climax.

[bodysnatcher]

the buildup was better than the album though. i really liked the artwork slow release via twitter and instagram, the info here and there, the interviews. but for me, the album just didn't follow through on that promise unfortunately I still like moments on the album, don't get me wrong. but there's a lot of flatlining in between

edit: i also like that the biggest complaint of the artwork release and listening parties was the discovery that Sleeping By Myself was on the album, but it ended up being one of the best songs after the dust cleared

[Strat]

I find it enjoyable but its pj by the numbers and im tired and over that approach. Been there done that. better.

[Tuolumne]

I'm not one to dissect the mixes and stuff, not sure I understand how people do that. The songs are what they are. My main issue is song sequencing. MFS into Sirens doesn't work and I can't just put the album on and sit back, I have to skip around. I think they should have went from MFS into LB and then Sirens. LB would have slowed the album tempo down like they did with Sirens but still kept it rocking and eased the album into Sirens if it were 5th.

Not a fan at all of LTRP and I think I'm begrudgingly warming up to SBM, although I just don't see how it fits into the album thematically at all. Also, there is that noticeable tempo change late into the album, they need a better rocker in there, I think they thought LTRP fit that role but it just doesn't. What I loved about Backspacer was that it has that distinctive and consistent quality that gives it it's own character. When I think Vitalogy or Yield or Ten I think of a certain style or attitude and I think Backspacer also accomplishes that consistent identifiable quality.

It's a good middle of the pack album for me, like Vs or No Code, where there are a few outstanding songs but what's missing is that the whole album doesn't have this consistent identifiable "thing" or flow in the sequence.

[bodysnatcher]

The biggest mistake is that they used PJ Getaway and not Doug Getaway

[stip]

Can't argue that

[Sgt. Crackpot]

the buildup was better than the album though.

[digster]

What are your thoughts are Infallible, Lightning Bolt, and Swallowed Whole?

I'd say they match my feelings on the overall record; better than Backspacer but still relatively in the ditch. I enjoy the last verse of Lightning Bolt quite a lot, but the first half of it leaves something to be desired. Swallowed Whole leaves me cold; that vein of Ed's writing (he's breathing in the forgiveness of the universe or something) has always been one of his weaker strands to me. Infallible. Infallible, like Lightning Bolt has one or two good lines, some mediocre stuff, and a few craters.

I think it's also hard to dissect the lyrical power from the music. Take the chorus in Infallible; "with everything that's possible in the hearts and minds of men." Seeing that on the page, it's a line I think is pretty sub-standard. But when you hear it in the context of the song, with the melody Ed chose for the musical backing, it's far weakened. The musical backing and the lyric itself skirt the edges of cliche, and combined walk straight into the brick wall.

[stip]

oh man, I really like the delivery on the album with that infallible chorus. I think it's what helps it rise above a cliche--there's some youthful optimism bursting out of a jaded shell. The sentiment feels real (to me, anyway) and feels earned, and so it works. But you're right--lyrics are tricky because they're not poetry. The presentation is as important as the writing.

[digster]

Yeah, don't know what else to say to that; I think that Infallible chorus is rough stuff, which is a shame, because the music in the verse is one of the more interesting things on the record. I'm fine with optimism, I just don't feel like the sappiness I feel is the emotion they were hoping to generate at that moment.

[Django Butterworth]

It's too short.

And they didn't dirty up the guitars on Infallible enough for me.

[samiad]

It's fine.

Not as fun as Backspacer - and the songs are a bit more forgettable. Still shits all over Avocado - but that's not hard.

The flaw? The tracklisting. Massively front-loaded album this one.

/10

Getaway - 8 - Sweet.
MYM - 8 - I like it more and more with each listen.
My Fathers Son - 7 - Terrible sequencing after MYM.
Sirens - 7 - Good song. In the wrong place.
Lightning Bolt - 8 - Best song on the album.
Infallible - 6 - Sounds like a Third Eye Blind b-side.
Pendulum - 8 - Great. But not mind blowing. And in the wrong bloody place!!!
Swallowed Whole - 6 - Meh.
Let the records play - 7 - I enjoy this in the car.
Sleeping by myself - 8 - Surprise winner - lovely song!!
Yellow Moon - 5 - Complete bore. Even the nice bridge bit can't save it.
Future Days - 7 - Pretty. Don't get the hatred for this song - feels genuine to me.

[Birds in Hell]

Still shits all over Avocado - but that's not hard.

Without wanting to inflate the self-titled record beyond its merits, this sentiment is pretty unfathomable to me.

It's by no means a classic (or even consistently very good) Pearl Jam record but the quality of the songwriting on the self-titled album outstrips the band's work on the last two records by miles for me; it's not even close.

[numbers]

Still shits all over Avocado - but that's not hard.

Without wanting to elevate the self-titled record beyond its merits, this sentiment is pretty unfathomable to me.

I think Lightning Bolt is a bit better, but I wouldnt say it's miles better. They are both miles better than Backspacer.

[Birds in Hell]

Still shits all over Avocado - but that's not hard.

Without wanting to elevate the self-titled record beyond its merits, this sentiment is pretty unfathomable to me.

I think Lightning Bolt is a bit better, but I wouldnt say it's miles better. They are both miles better than Backspacer.

I think Lightning Bolt is both better and worse in some respects than Backspacer; the highs are higher but the lows much lower.

The self-titled record is really only a notch (or two) below Riot Act for me.

[numbers]

Still shits all over Avocado - but that's not hard.

Without wanting to elevate the self-titled record beyond its merits, this sentiment is pretty unfathomable to me.

I think Lightning Bolt is a bit better, but I wouldnt say it's miles better. They are both miles better than Backspacer.

I think Lightning Bolt is both better and worse in some respects than Backspacer; the highs are higher but the lows much lower.

The self-titled record is really only a notch (or two) below Riot Act for me.

self-titled has grown on me alot over the years, I never hated it, but it's much stronger in my eyes now than it was a few years ago.

[LetMeSleep]

ST is the better of the last 3 albums for sure. It is a coherent assembly of tracks that vary in quality. Backspacer was at least semi successful in it's attempt at a sound/record.

LBolt is a mess. Bottom of the pack and barely a listenable ep amongst it all.

[bodysnatcher]

every time I try and remember what Infallible sounds like, i start humming Marker In The Sand