stip wrote:it is not a good chorus. but habit and evacuation survived.
Really it is obvious that this song is going to live or die on two things
1. Does mike give us a two minute solo worth listening to (probably)
2. Is the opening build catchy (probably)
If those two things are executed well it can survive a seemingly cheesy chorus.
Otherwise it does feel like a backspacer track (which is not a bad thing) with the Mike solos that were missing. I wouldn't mind a handful of songs like that.
What I am really curious about (and I assume we'll know someday) is which songs were recorded at which sessions.
All of this would be nice. Whether this song ends up sounding like another Backspacer song *will*, in my mind, depend entirely on production. And I still don't think we'll get an entirely Backspacer-esque production. And now I'm repeating myself but man, can anyone work out the lyrics? Isn't it about receiving messages from the sky? That's OK, it gives me kind of a 90s X-Files spirituality vibe. Messages from the sky are always better than gems and rhinestones.
I'll take a stab at lyrics in the other thread if Ellie doesn't wake up. I thought it was a love song.
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Sat July 20, 2013 11:23 am
by WtOB?
For some reason I thought it was about some girl being a lightning bolt.
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Sat July 20, 2013 11:25 am
by stupidmop
I like big wave and habit and i prefer the chorus of this song to the verses. I dislike the vocal melody in the verse quite a bit, but i really like that pre chorus bit.
I'm coming round on this a little, the music might be kinda cool, but i guess ill have to wait and see with the studio version. And also the lyrics.
I don't have much faith that the production won't leave something to be desired. They need to record it like yield. YEILD.
I hope they keep in the michael jackson hoo hoo towards the end lol.
Is ed playing guitar on this?
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Sat July 20, 2013 11:28 am
by harmless
Yeah, guys, this song isn't as bad as I thought. It's too insubstantial to be bad, and the bits that are interesting are... interesting. I am really wondering whether they debuted these songs first because they are the best ones. And that doesn't bode well. But would they do that? What have they debuted first previously?
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Sat July 20, 2013 11:28 am
by stip
i was wondering who wrote it. I was trying to see in the video if ed was playing, since that's a give away. I'm guessing Ed or mike.
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Sat July 20, 2013 11:30 am
by harmless
Yeah, I think Ed's playing guitar on this. That LBC / UK strumming at the beginning is unmistakably Ed. It's not an interesting way to start the song and I'm hoping the studio version has a better intro.
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Sat July 20, 2013 11:31 am
by stip
harmless wrote:Yeah, guys, this song isn't as bad as I thought. It's too insubstantial to be bad, and the bits that are interesting are... interesting. I am really wondering whether they debuted these songs first because they are the best ones. And that doesn't bode well. But would they do that? What have they debuted first previously?
I'm sure they debuted them because they are the most accessible. A song like lightning bolt, like any song, will reveal itself with multiple listens (as is already happening). But if you only had time for once you have a simple chorus you can sing along to by the end, a catchy vocal melody, and a two minute guitar solo at the end.
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Sat July 20, 2013 11:33 am
by LetMeSleep
stip wrote:i was wondering who wrote it. I was trying to see in the video if ed was playing, since that's a give away. I'm guessing Ed or mike.
Ed plays guitar on it. New YouTube clips up. User mfc172. Damn iPhone won't let me link.
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Sat July 20, 2013 11:34 am
by stip
better sound?
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Sat July 20, 2013 11:36 am
by harmless
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Sat July 20, 2013 11:38 am
by stip
do you like the drumming, harmless?
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Sat July 20, 2013 11:39 am
by LetMeSleep
It's just four on the floor with basic rock punctuation. Seems to me that Matt has phoned this one in.
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Sat July 20, 2013 11:40 am
by WtOB?
Looks like it actually is called "Lightning Bolt". It just sounded like he only said "Lightning" on that other video.
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Sat July 20, 2013 11:40 am
by harmless
Yes, the drumming is pretty good. Matt sounds into it.
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Sat July 20, 2013 11:41 am
by WtOB?
LetMeSleep wrote:It's just four on the floor with basic rock punctuation. Seems to me that Matt has phoned this one in.
Completely. It's Matt doing his same old PJ thing.
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Sat July 20, 2013 11:41 am
by harmless
LetMeSleep wrote:It's just four on the floor with basic rock punctuation. Seems to me that Matt has phoned this one in.
I don't think we can judge a rock song based on the fact that it sounds like a rock song. But that might just be me.
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Sat July 20, 2013 11:42 am
by WtOB?
The sound is a helluva lot better on that video.
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Sat July 20, 2013 11:42 am
by harmless
Within the limits of what this song is (and those limits are... limited), Matt drums this with some enthusiasm. The rhythm isn't greatly inspired, but I can think of songs we all love whose rhythms are fairly standard and boring. It's not a deal-breaker.
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Sat July 20, 2013 11:44 am
by harmless
I'm at the point now where I want to like this, so I'm in danger of making excuses for it. But I don't think 'Matt doing his usual thing' is a valid criticism, especially considering other songs some of us like, which Matt also phoned in. Matt sometimes phones stuff in, that shouldn't be news to anybody at this point in time.
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Sat July 20, 2013 11:46 am
by LetMeSleep
I guess I'm not as keen on the head space Matt has for PJ vs the head space he has for SG. Its amazing how he changes to the people he's playing with. I just prefer his SG work hands down.
I dislike the vocal melody in the verse quite a bit, but i really like that pre chorus bit.