Lightning Bolt: the official album thread

[Birds in Hell]

This song is confusing...it is so unlike anything they've ever done...no one expected this...got me thinking, isn't that what art's supposed to do?

Not always, sometimes art is simply to be enjoyed.

I'm not sure there's much virtue in being challenging (or atypical) for its own sake.

[mastaflatch]

This song is confusing...it is so unlike anything they've ever done...no one expected this...got me thinking, isn't that what art's supposed to do?

Not always, sometimes art is simply to be enjoyed.

I'm not sure there's much virtue in being challenging (or atypical) for its own sake.

it's not really atypical imo - it's just PJ mixing up Lightyears with Black with a little bit of Better Days thrown in. you decide which is your least favorite influence.

[hlniv]

This song is much better with committed listening. Lights off, headphones on, as was earlier suggested. Plus, I just spent some good quality time with my 2yo son.

Experience with this tune and focused lyric listening is a lot better than earlier today. I retract my disgust.

Don't worry, this is happening to pretty much everyone who initially recoiled. No hard feelings.

I don't think I've ever had a worse immediate reaction to a Pearl Jam tune than this one. Only Come Back and You Are even come close to the magnitude of immediate disgust. I still can't stand Come Back, but hearing You Are live changed that one pretty dramatically.

I thought Bugs was the perfect "fuck you" tune, so I liked it out of the gate, I got it right away. Who You Are was perfect for me at the time, I was a becoming a little bit of a hippie. There's a few tracks on Binaural and some others on Riot Act that I didn't like at all at first, but nothing like this.

Sirens was just pure immediate dissappointment. Then, all it took was concentration and thinking of my son, it took all of 12 hours.

[Jorge]

Sirens is the first time I couldn't be bothered listening to a new Pearl Jam single all the way through. I gave it a minute and a half and then thought to myself if I heard this song on the radio and had no idea who the band was I would have changed stations ages ago. It sounds like it should be in a Grey's Anatomy soundtrack or something similarly bland.

What season of Grey's?

The one where the short guy Doctor marries the big dark haired knee Doctor and then he dies.

Dude those ending montages in "Grey's Anatomy" have some good fucking songs.

You know the ones, where they show all the characters having simultaneous grand epiphanies while a voice-over narration neatly ties up the episode's themes and Bon Iver's "Blindsided" plays in the background.

I do enjoy a slow motion character realisation of some epic life changing catastrophy put to appropriate music.

The camera pans in on Strat, in a crowded yoga studio, as he settles into a graceful Upward Facing Dog. His lips move slightly-- he seems to be mouthing lyrics. Suddenly, in his eyes, surprised recognition.

Because sometimes, in music as in life, what you get is not exactly what you thought you wanted. And what you thought you wanted wasn't what you actually needed.

McParadigm sits in a drunken stupor, hunched over a desk, surrounded by abject squalor. An empty glass in one hand and a bottle of Glenlivet in the other. He starts to pour himself a drink, but stops in his tracks. He pauses for a few beats and pushes the bottle away. He buries his face in his hands.

Sometimes you have to look beyond your expectations, and let yourself be caught up and whisked away by the experience.

Pan in on Harmless, frantically clicking on his computer, typing up responses at breakneck speed. The forum stalls as its members retreat for the evening. Harmless grows impatient and repeatedly reloads the main page, muttering to himself. Suddenly, a new thread reply. Harmless goes to type up a response, but stops himself. He looks down at his hands, unable to recognize this thign he has become. He shuts his computer off. He hugs his wife.

Because sometimes we get so caught up in the notion of finding the perfect song for ourselves, that we forget to be the best selves we can be for others. And maybe that's all that life is. Being there for each other, for however long we have.

verb_to_trust runs alone through a deserted trail, his brow soaked with sweat, his eyes filled with purpose. Each step strengthens his resolve.

My dear...

v_t_t's eyes go blank. His pace lowers.

... the end...

He falters.

... is near...

He falls down.

... I'm here...

He is having another stroke.

... but not much longer.

Overhead shot of v_t_t's lifeless body.

Fade to black.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER BRIAN STIPELMAN

I never would have guessed the platy account was actually Shonda Rimes.

Sounds like you weren't looking close enough.

[Komatoasted]

I guess they want to go to the grammys next year. Will BOB accept the award?

[mastaflatch]

I guess they want to go to the grammys next year. Will BOB accept the award?

yes and welcome to the board

[Jorge]

I guess they want to go to the grammys next year. Will BOB accept the award?

Welcome to RM, Tchad

[Komatoasted]

Seriously though.. With the diversity of the album so far and the rumored diversity of what's left. Why not? At the very least a strong candidate for rock album of the year will be in order. Plus Mumford won last year......

[Walker Bait]

Sirens is the first time I couldn't be bothered listening to a new Pearl Jam single all the way through. I gave it a minute and a half and then thought to myself if I heard this song on the radio and had no idea who the band was I would have changed stations ages ago. It sounds like it should be in a Grey's Anatomy soundtrack or something similarly bland.

What season of Grey's?

The one where the short guy Doctor marries the big dark haired knee Doctor and then he dies.

Dude those ending montages in "Grey's Anatomy" have some good fucking songs.

You know the ones, where they show all the characters having simultaneous grand epiphanies while a voice-over narration neatly ties up the episode's themes and Bon Iver's "Blindsided" plays in the background.

I do enjoy a slow motion character realisation of some epic life changing catastrophy put to appropriate music.

The camera pans in on Strat, in a crowded yoga studio, as he settles into a graceful Upward Facing Dog. His lips move slightly-- he seems to be mouthing lyrics. Suddenly, in his eyes, surprised recognition.

Because sometimes, in music as in life, what you get is not exactly what you thought you wanted. And what you thought you wanted wasn't what you actually needed.

McParadigm sits in a drunken stupor, hunched over a desk, surrounded by abject squalor. An empty glass in one hand and a bottle of Glenlivet in the other. He starts to pour himself a drink, but stops in his tracks. He pauses for a few beats and pushes the bottle away. He buries his face in his hands.

Sometimes you have to look beyond your expectations, and let yourself be caught up and whisked away by the experience.

Pan in on Harmless, frantically clicking on his computer, typing up responses at breakneck speed. The forum stalls as its members retreat for the evening. Harmless grows impatient and repeatedly reloads the main page, muttering to himself. Suddenly, a new thread reply. Harmless goes to type up a response, but stops himself. He looks down at his hands, unable to recognize this thign he has become. He shuts his computer off. He hugs his wife.

Because sometimes we get so caught up in the notion of finding the perfect song for ourselves, that we forget to be the best selves we can be for others. And maybe that's all that life is. Being there for each other, for however long we have.

verb_to_trust runs alone through a deserted trail, his brow soaked with sweat, his eyes filled with purpose. Each step strengthens his resolve.

My dear...

v_t_t's eyes go blank. His pace lowers.

... the end...

He falters.

... is near...

He falls down.

... I'm here...

He is having another stroke.

... but not much longer.

Overhead shot of v_t_t's lifeless body.

Fade to black.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER BRIAN STIPELMAN

ROTFLMFAO!!!!

[PHATJ]

This thread has grown by about 150 pages since I last checked in. That was about a day or so ago. You people are intense.

That said, I just want to say that I really love what we've heard from this album so far. By my count we have seven songs so far. I love four of them, like two of them quite a lot, and I am fairly indifferent on Future Days (the sound board / demo leak raised this from hating it to indifference). With the song that remain to be heard, I think this could easily surpass my affections of the last four albums. That would put it in the group with everything from Ten-Yield. That is a feat that I didn't think PJ still had in them.

[Lounge Lizard]

'How many ways can you polish up a turd' (c)

[hlniv]

'How many ways can you polish up a turd' (c)

Three

[Walker Bait]

This thread has grown by about 150 pages since I last checked in. That was about a day or so ago. You people are intense.

That said, I just want to say that I really love what we've heard from this album so far. By my count we have seven songs so far. I love four of them, like two of them quite a lot, and I am fairly indifferent on Future Days (the sound board / demo leak raised this from hating it to indifference). With the song that remain to be heard, I think this could easily surpass my affections of the last four albums. That would put it in the group with everything from Ten-Yield. That is a feat that I didn't think PJ still had in them.

Right on!! I feel the same. I didn't think they had it in them on the surface but deep down inside I really hoped they did and BOOM! Lightning Bolt! I can only hope that this isn't the end and the next will be the next logical progression in a good direction. I can't wait to hear what we have yet to!!

[PHATJ]

This thread has grown by about 150 pages since I last checked in. That was about a day or so ago. You people are intense.

That said, I just want to say that I really love what we've heard from this album so far. By my count we have seven songs so far. I love four of them, like two of them quite a lot, and I am fairly indifferent on Future Days (the sound board / demo leak raised this from hating it to indifference). With the songs that remain to be heard, I think this could easily surpass my affections of the last four albums. That would put it in the group with everything from Ten-Yield. That is a feat that I didn't think PJ still had in them.

Right on!! I feel the same. I didn't think they had it in them on the surface but deep down inside I really hoped they did and BOOM! Lightning Bolt! I can only hope that this isn't the end and the next will be the next logical progression in a good direction. I can't wait to hear what we have yet to!!

I hope this isn't the end too, but if it is, they will go out in style. Like R.E.M. did.

[Soulfire]

I guess they want to go to the grammys next year. Will BOB accept the award?

What's sad is that I honestly would not be the least bit surprised if exactly that happened.

This album is a big mystery to me so far. It's got some stuff that I'm loving butted up right next to some of the most jarring and literally heinous shit Pearl Jam has ever done. It goes from ballsy swagger to the Bosom Buddies theme and back again with alarming frequency.

I find myself wondering what the fuck has happened and what the final result of this album will be.

It also has me wondering if Stone has essentially checked out of the building and really meant it when he stated he needed something different and gave up trying to control "it."

[WtOB?]

stone needs to get his bloody arse back in there!

[PHATJ]

It also has me wondering if Stone has essentially checked out of the building and really meant it when he stated he needed something different and gave up trying to control "it."

Where is that Stone quote from?

[Soulfire]

It also has me wondering if Stone has essentially checked out of the building and really meant it when he stated he needed something different and gave up trying to control "it."

Where is that Stone quote from?

I'm just referencing his song "I need something different." He's a clever guy and I was wondering about the lyrics the first time I heard them, but this latest music really has me wondering about them. The "control it" part is me taking some liberty with possible interpretation, but listen to the song and think about Matt Chamberlain drumming on it, etc. Is it not possible to take the song in the context that Stone isn't satisfied with PJ currently?

[PHATJ]

It also has me wondering if Stone has essentially checked out of the building and really meant it when he stated he needed something different and gave up trying to control "it."

Where is that Stone quote from?

I'm just referencing his song "I need something different." He's a clever guy and I was wondering about the lyrics the first time I heard them, but this latest music really has me wondering about them. The "control it" part is me taking some liberty with possible interpretation, but listen to the song and think about Matt Chamberlain drumming on it, etc. Is it not possible to take the song in the context that Stone isn't satisfied with PJ currently?

Is the song from his "Moonlander" stuff? 'Cus I haven't listened to any of that yet.

[hlniv]

It also has me wondering if Stone has essentially checked out of the building and really meant it when he stated he needed something different and gave up trying to control "it."

Where is that Stone quote from?

I'm just referencing his song "I need something different." He's a clever guy and I was wondering about the lyrics the first time I heard them, but this latest music really has me wondering about them. The "control it" part is me taking some liberty with possible interpretation, but listen to the song and think about Matt Chamberlain drumming on it, etc. Is it not possible to take the song in the context that Stone isn't satisfied with PJ currently?

Nothing that I've heard sounds the least bit like Stone. Even LTRP, which was supposedly written by him. Makes me think he brought in a song, and it got all jangled up with Eddie O'Brien bullshit.

Now, personally, I like almost all of these, and Sirens has grown on me today, but very little of this sounds like Stone had much to do with it. So, yes, I think your theory has merit.