Red Mosquito

Ok! after a long night full of coffee and music, i just finished my third listen of Lightning Bolt.
First impression : I really like it, its better than Backspacer and very different from S/T. Sounds like a mix between BS and Riot Act but they get it right this time; all songs sound finished, not like a rough demo.

Getaway: love it. Instant love...great opener, love the lyrics, the chorus...fuck Jeff Ament! that the groove man.

MYM: well, i already love this songs, and its perfect here as the second number.

My Father´s Son : weird intro ( dusty?) great groove, great guitar work..im loving this one. Seems better with every listen.

Sirens: already talked about this one, i love it....the placement is weird. It should be after LB...

LB: its a good song, but it doesnt quite click for me. Im thinking its a better version of UK,the guitars sound very nice but i wish they were more violent than this..also..the fade out.

Infallible: WOW. yes yes yes...awesome song, weird, funky as hell, that bass, those guitars....and Ed vocal melody is fucking awesome. Great, great, great.

Pendulum: WOW again....what the fuck Jeff Ament?? Matt rules on this one and im loving the little acoustic guitars, the vocal delivery, the haunting melody,,and i love Eddie here, he is awesome..i can see now why they are opening with this one.

SW: i think this one might be a grower..so far i get the REM influence, and i like that acoustic intro, reminded me of ITW and Guided By Voices. Nice delivery from Ed and good solo!

LTRP: people dont like this one? Im loving it..that intro! great work from Matt too...Seems like a fun song to hear live and i love the ending...WTF WITH THE FADE OUT!! those guitars...

SBM: ok, i dont think we needed this one. It could have been a very nice b side...having said that; the band arrangement is awesome...i get the idea of including this one to try to make it a crossover hit or something, and its actually a very good song..better than Gone but not as good as Cant Keep ( thinking about songs we heard in eddie´s solo treatment).

YM: thanks Mike!! this song is amazing!! there is a little indifference there, a little low light...those guitars sound very very good too.

FD: well, i really dont care about this one...im not sure what it is..maybe because it feels like an eddie solo song? Maybe the lyrics? i dont know. Yellow Moon should have closed this album

flannelking wrote:

BurtReynolds wrote:

flannelking wrote:
this month will be the best month of music for me in my entire life, with releases from: pearl jam (favorite band), pelican (favorite instrumental band), russian circles (top 5 favorite instrumental band), kayo dot (2nd or 3rd favorite band. was released digitally in september but put on cd a bit after), grails (top 5 favorite instrumental band) and earthless.

holy shit! I had no idea. PJ can wait!

I have sniffed the sarcasm in your post but why didn't you also emphasize the other 2 instrumental bands? They're worthy of attention too, so no sense leaving them out in the cold. I'm a little curious if Pendulum is anything like the non-eastern stuff Grail's has put out. Grails are a great band to listen with headphones on. Earthless "rhythms from a cosmic sky" is great. Fear not, I will include all this great stuff and more on my upcoming "flannelkings list of good songs".

No sarcasm. I eat that stuff up. I'm just not that familiar with the other bands. Grails sounds cool, though.

yeah Grails are great

dimejinky99 wrote:I don't get it.

It's easily the best record since Yield. And as a statement of intent/snapshot of their musical geographical location, it works on almost every level.

Sometimes I think people overanalyze all things Pearl Jam that it is impossible to find true enjoyment. Dunno. I have put zero thought to their intentions musically just as I put zero thought into questioning my love of Lightning Bolt. It's like some (im not singling out anyone in particular) feel like they shouldn't like it and if they do they need to dissect it to the point that they rationalize enough reasons to say they don't like it. Strange to me but altogether an option for anyone if they want.

sward wrote:

dimejinky99 wrote:I don't get it.

It's easily the best record since Yield. And as a statement of intent/snapshot of their musical geographical location, it works on almost every level.

Sometimes I think people overanalyze all things Pearl Jam that it is impossible to find true enjoyment. Dunno. I have put zero thought to their intentions musically just as I put zero thought into questioning my love of Lightning Bolt. It's like some (im not singling out anyone in particular) feel like they shouldn't like it and if they do they need to dissect it to the point that they rationalize enough reasons to say they don't like it. Strange to me but altogether an option for anyone if they want.

While the landscape of opinion on RM is more jagged and varied than one from Tolkien, there very often is a grey overcast sky of group think on most things. With the occasional break of sunshine here and there. It's to be expected.

What, 1400+ pages of ore release anticipation. And a measly few pages of post release discussion where people seem to be falling into line about not liking it. Cos they have to? Or feel like they have to? I can't say.

dimejinky99 wrote:

sward wrote:

dimejinky99 wrote:I don't get it.

It's easily the best record since Yield. And as a statement of intent/snapshot of their musical geographical location, it works on almost every level.

Sometimes I think people overanalyze all things Pearl Jam that it is impossible to find true enjoyment. Dunno. I have put zero thought to their intentions musically just as I put zero thought into questioning my love of Lightning Bolt. It's like some (im not singling out anyone in particular) feel like they shouldn't like it and if they do they need to dissect it to the point that they rationalize enough reasons to say they don't like it. Strange to me but altogether an option for anyone if they want.

While the landscape of opinion on RM is more jagged and varied than one from Tolkien, there very often is a grey overcast sky of group think on most things. With the occasional break of sunshine here and there. It's to be expected.

What, 1400+ pages of ore release anticipation. And a measly few pages of post release discussion where people seem to be falling into line about not liking it. Cos they have to? Or feel like they have to? I can't say.

Where are you reading this "falling into line" about anything?

sward wrote:

dimejinky99 wrote:I don't get it.

It's easily the best record since Yield. And as a statement of intent/snapshot of their musical geographical location, it works on almost every level.

Sometimes I think people overanalyze all things Pearl Jam that it is impossible to find true enjoyment. Dunno. I have put zero thought to their intentions musically just as I put zero thought into questioning my love of Lightning Bolt. It's like some (im not singling out anyone in particular) feel like they shouldn't like it and if they do they need to dissect it to the point that they rationalize enough reasons to say they don't like it. Strange to me but altogether an option for anyone if they want.

I'm really not one to overanalyze music or question myself about why I should like or not like stuff, and I happen to think this album might be worse than Backspacer.

Tell me it's your favourite record since Yield or Binaural or gtfo.
I know you have feelings for Riot Act. But it's now. That was then.

Heathen wrote:

sward wrote:

dimejinky99 wrote:I don't get it.

It's easily the best record since Yield. And as a statement of intent/snapshot of their musical geographical location, it works on almost every level.

Sometimes I think people overanalyze all things Pearl Jam that it is impossible to find true enjoyment. Dunno. I have put zero thought to their intentions musically just as I put zero thought into questioning my love of Lightning Bolt. It's like some (im not singling out anyone in particular) feel like they shouldn't like it and if they do they need to dissect it to the point that they rationalize enough reasons to say they don't like it. Strange to me but altogether an option for anyone if they want.

I'm really not one to overanalyze music or question myself about why I should like or not like stuff, and I happen to think this album might be worse than Backspacer.

And that's valid of course. Can't deny opinion. Thing is, for me, I've liked enough from the 10 albums that I have no reason to question the bands path.. I do however, understand that if someone hasn't enjoyed an album for awhile that there may be an ingrained thread of questioning there. This is the first album since Yield that I am forming any sort of bond with other than just finding bits to enjoy so it has been refreshing for me and I wish that for others but I suspect it will never be the case. Consensus is tough to come by. Maybe the next two will be albums more to their liking. Who knows but I'm anxious to hear even if only to add to my existing list of songs I like. Lightning Bolt just happened to add to albums I love.

stip wrote:sounds like you did not share my enthusiasm for the song lightning bolt

The song Lightning Bolt is actually one of the most difficult songs for me on the record. I absolutely love everything about the music. If someone would have played me an instrumental version before hearing the finished product I would've been every bit as enthusiastic as you. I love the guitars, the way the drums build, the little keyboard flourishes in the prechoruses, all of it. In a lot of ways it's a perfect representation of why Pearl Jam can still be great in 2013 and beyond. But Ed's vocal performance really brings it down for me. The melody does absolutely nothing for me(outside of the "Always something, never nothing..." part). It doesn't sound natural to me at all, and for that reason strikes me as being in contrast with everything else that makes the song great. For as layered and intricate as the song is, everything feels very natural about it. I wish Ed's vocals felt like were as organic as everything else, but they feel like they're the work of a guy who didn't want to take the time to come up with something that would make the track truly transcendent (which I believe it definitely had the potential to be). It's still a nice track, and a welcome respite after Sirens. It'll be a lot of fun live if they can nail the music, but part of me will probably always see it as a missed opportunity to do something really special.

This kinda hints at my other early take away from the album (so far at least). I never thought I'd say this, but I think Ed's vocals on the whole are the weak link on this album. When he's playing to his strengths (for me My Father's Son is a great example of this), he sounds better than he has in years. But when he doesn't (like on Lightning Bolt) he's really pulling the proceedings down quite a bit.

VinylGuy wrote:Ok! after a long night full of coffee and music, i just finished my third listen of Lightning Bolt.
First impression : I really like it, its better than Backspacer and very different from S/T. Sounds like a mix between BS and Riot Act but they get it right this time; all songs sound finished, not like a rough demo.

Getaway: love it. Instant love...great opener, love the lyrics, the chorus...fuck Jeff Ament! that the groove man.

MYM: well, i already love this songs, and its perfect here as the second number.

My Father´s Son : weird intro ( dusty?) great groove, great guitar work..im loving this one. Seems better with every listen.

Sirens: already talked about this one, i love it....the placement is weird. It should be after LB...

LB: its a good song, but it doesnt quite click for me. Im thinking its a better version of UK,the guitars sound very nice but i wish they were more violent than this..also..the fade out.

Infallible: WOW. yes yes yes...awesome song, weird, funky as hell, that bass, those guitars....and Ed vocal melody is fucking awesome. Great, great, great.

Pendulum: WOW again....what the fuck Jeff Ament?? Matt rules on this one and im loving the little acoustic guitars, the vocal delivery, the haunting melody,,and i love Eddie here, he is awesome..i can see now why they are opening with this one.

SW: i think this one might be a grower..so far i get the REM influence, and i like that acoustic intro, reminded me of ITW and Guided By Voices. Nice delivery from Ed and good solo!

LTRP: people dont like this one? Im loving it..that intro! great work from Matt too...Seems like a fun song to hear live and i love the ending...WTF WITH THE FADE OUT!! those guitars...

SBM: ok, i dont think we needed this one. It could have been a very nice b side...having said that; the band arrangement is awesome...i get the idea of including this one to try to make it a crossover hit or something, and its actually a very good song..better than Gone but not as good as Cant Keep ( thinking about songs we heard in eddie´s solo treatment).

YM: thanks Mike!! this song is amazing!! there is a little indifference there, a little low light...those guitars sound very very good too.

FD: well, i really dont care about this one...im not sure what it is..maybe because it feels like an eddie solo song? Maybe the lyrics? i dont know. Yellow Moon should have closed this album

nice write up and your thoughts on LTRP were mine exactly, might be word for word what i put in my first impression post its a great tune but so many people hate it

Lament wrote:

stip wrote:sounds like you did not share my enthusiasm for the song lightning bolt

The song Lightning Bolt is actually one of the most difficult songs for me on the record. I absolutely love everything about the music. If someone would have played me an instrumental version before hearing the finished product I would've been every bit as enthusiastic as you. I love the guitars, the way the drums build, the little keyboard flourishes in the prechoruses, all of it. In a lot of ways it's a perfect representation of why Pearl Jam can still be great in 2013 and beyond. But Ed's vocal performance really brings it down for me. The melody does absolutely nothing for me(outside of the "Always something, never nothing..." part). It doesn't sound natural to me at all, and for that reason strikes me as being in contrast with everything else that makes the song great. For as layered and intricate as the song is, everything feels very natural about it. I wish Ed's vocals felt like were as organic as everything else, but they feel like they're the work of a guy who didn't want to take the time to come up with something that would make the track truly transcendent (which I believe it definitely had the potential to be). It's still a nice track, and a welcome respite after Sirens. It'll be a lot of fun live if they can nail the music, but part of me will probably always see it as a missed opportunity to do something really special.

This kinda hints at my other early take away from the album (so far at least). I never thought I'd say this, but I think Ed's vocals on the whole are the weak link on this album. When he's playing to his strengths (for me My Father's Son is a great example of this), he sounds better than he has in years. But when he doesn't (like on Lightning Bolt) he's really pulling the proceedings down quite a bit.

Fair enough. And I can definitely hear that in the first two verses and the chorus. But the always something never nothing part on I think he's great. And the judicious use of the screaming in the final verse is still fantastic. It reminds me of the end of save you, where he suddenly goes for broke after being restrained the whole song, although L-bolt is a more aggressive vocal from start to finish.

Lament wrote:

stip wrote:sounds like you did not share my enthusiasm for the song lightning bolt

The song Lightning Bolt is actually one of the most difficult songs for me on the record. I absolutely love everything about the music. If someone would have played me an instrumental version before hearing the finished product I would've been every bit as enthusiastic as you. I love the guitars, the way the drums build, the little keyboard flourishes in the prechoruses, all of it. In a lot of ways it's a perfect representation of why Pearl Jam can still be great in 2013 and beyond. But Ed's vocal performance really brings it down for me. The melody does absolutely nothing for me(outside of the "Always something, never nothing..." part). It doesn't sound natural to me at all, and for that reason strikes me as being in contrast with everything else that makes the song great. For as layered and intricate as the song is, everything feels very natural about it. I wish Ed's vocals felt like were as organic as everything else, but they feel like they're the work of a guy who didn't want to take the time to come up with something that would make the track truly transcendent (which I believe it definitely had the potential to be). It's still a nice track, and a welcome respite after Sirens. It'll be a lot of fun live if they can nail the music, but part of me will probably always see it as a missed opportunity to do something really special.

This kinda hints at my other early take away from the album (so far at least). I never thought I'd say this, but I think Ed's vocals on the whole are the weak link on this album. When he's playing to his strengths (for me My Father's Son is a great example of this), he sounds better than he has in years. But when he doesn't (like on Lightning Bolt) he's really pulling the proceedings down quite a bit.

I think there's something to be said for Ed's flawed vocal take here. It adds roughness and (yes, I'm using the word again) flaw to a song which otherwise could have ended up sounding like a clean and slickly-produced, by-the-numbers PJ anthem. Ed dirties it up, sometimes unintentionally, but also very intentionally, especially in that final screaming verse, and the stuff he yells over the top of the outro. These moments are better than anything I would've ever expected from this song, especially after the Wrigley performance. And that keyboard in the outro, which sounds so much like a deliberate Springsteen homage, I've begun to really like. I love how the various sections of this song are pasted together in unexpected ways. It's pretty Yield-esque in that way.

I still haven't written my track-by-track review of LB. Maybe tonight? I have to wake up with my son at 2 AM and keep him awake until 12:30 PM tomorrow (he needs to be super tired but awake for an EEG tomorrow afternoon - not looking forward to that). Somewhere in that 10 hour span I should be plenty jittery and delirious enough to provide an accurate description of this "schizophrenic" album

On another note, even though my CD sits at home and the vinyl is on its way, maybe for old time's sake I'll stop by the local record store on the way home and buy another copy of the CD. And for new time's sake maybe I'll stop by the iTunes store and purchase one of those fancy "Mastered for iTunes" versions!

VinylGuy wrote:Ok! after a long night full of coffee and music, i just finished my third listen of Lightning Bolt.
First impression : I really like it, its better than Backspacer and very different from S/T. Sounds like a mix between BS and Riot Act but they get it right this time; all songs sound finished, not like a rough demo.

Getaway: love it. Instant love...great opener, love the lyrics, the chorus...fuck Jeff Ament! that the groove man.

MYM: well, i already love this songs, and its perfect here as the second number.

My Father´s Son : weird intro ( dusty?) great groove, great guitar work..im loving this one. Seems better with every listen.

Sirens: already talked about this one, i love it....the placement is weird. It should be after LB...

LB: its a good song, but it doesnt quite click for me. Im thinking its a better version of UK,the guitars sound very nice but i wish they were more violent than this..also..the fade out.

Infallible: WOW. yes yes yes...awesome song, weird, funky as hell, that bass, those guitars....and Ed vocal melody is fucking awesome. Great, great, great.

Pendulum: WOW again....what the fuck Jeff Ament?? Matt rules on this one and im loving the little acoustic guitars, the vocal delivery, the haunting melody,,and i love Eddie here, he is awesome..i can see now why they are opening with this one.

SW: i think this one might be a grower..so far i get the REM influence, and i like that acoustic intro, reminded me of ITW and Guided By Voices. Nice delivery from Ed and good solo!

LTRP: people dont like this one? Im loving it..that intro! great work from Matt too...Seems like a fun song to hear live and i love the ending...WTF WITH THE FADE OUT!! those guitars...

SBM: ok, i dont think we needed this one. It could have been a very nice b side...having said that; the band arrangement is awesome...i get the idea of including this one to try to make it a crossover hit or something, and its actually a very good song..better than Gone but not as good as Cant Keep ( thinking about songs we heard in eddie´s solo treatment).

YM: thanks Mike!! this song is amazing!! there is a little indifference there, a little low light...those guitars sound very very good too.

FD: well, i really dont care about this one...im not sure what it is..maybe because it feels like an eddie solo song? Maybe the lyrics? i dont know. Yellow Moon should have closed this album

Pretty similar to my initial reactions. (Maybe with a little of the "love, WOW and amazing" trimmed off?)

bluestate wrote:I still haven't written my track-by-track review of LB. Maybe tonight? I have to wake up with my son at 2 AM and keep him awake until 12:30 PM tomorrow (he needs to be super tired but awake for an EEG tomorrow afternoon - not looking forward to that). Somewhere in that 10 hour span I should be plenty jittery and delirious enough to provide an accurate description of this "schizophrenic" album

On another note, even though my CD sits at home and the vinyl is on its way, maybe for old time's sake I'll stop by the local record store on the way home and buy another copy of the CD. And for new time's sake maybe I'll stop by the iTunes store and purchase one of those fancy "Master for iTunes" versions!

if you do pick up a CD on the way home, let us know if there is any difference from the fan club version, ill probably grab one if it is different

Dr. Van Nostrand wrote:

bluestate wrote:I still haven't written my track-by-track review of LB. Maybe tonight? I have to wake up with my son at 2 AM and keep him awake until 12:30 PM tomorrow (he needs to be super tired but awake for an EEG tomorrow afternoon - not looking forward to that). Somewhere in that 10 hour span I should be plenty jittery and delirious enough to provide an accurate description of this "schizophrenic" album

On another note, even though my CD sits at home and the vinyl is on its way, maybe for old time's sake I'll stop by the local record store on the way home and buy another copy of the CD. And for new time's sake maybe I'll stop by the iTunes store and purchase one of those fancy "Master for iTunes" versions!

if you do pick up a CD on the way home, let us know if there is any difference from the fan club version, ill probably grab one if it is different

Yea, that's definitely another reason why I want to check it out. I keep thinking the regular store version will have a white background, but we'd probably know that by now if it did.

VinylGuy wrote:Ok! after a long night full of coffee and music, i just finished my third listen of Lightning Bolt.
First impression : I really like it, its better than Backspacer and very different from S/T. Sounds like a mix between BS and Riot Act but they get it right this time; all songs sound finished, not like a rough demo.

Getaway: love it. Instant love...great opener, love the lyrics, the chorus...fuck Jeff Ament! that the groove man.

MYM: well, i already love this songs, and its perfect here as the second number.

My Father´s Son : weird intro ( dusty?) great groove, great guitar work..im loving this one. Seems better with every listen.

Sirens: already talked about this one, i love it....the placement is weird. It should be after LB...

LB: its a good song, but it doesnt quite click for me. Im thinking its a better version of UK,the guitars sound very nice but i wish they were more violent than this..also..the fade out.

Infallible: WOW. yes yes yes...awesome song, weird, funky as hell, that bass, those guitars....and Ed vocal melody is fucking awesome. Great, great, great.

Pendulum: WOW again....what the fuck Jeff Ament?? Matt rules on this one and im loving the little acoustic guitars, the vocal delivery, the haunting melody,,and i love Eddie here, he is awesome..i can see now why they are opening with this one.

SW: i think this one might be a grower..so far i get the REM influence, and i like that acoustic intro, reminded me of ITW and Guided By Voices. Nice delivery from Ed and good solo!

LTRP: people dont like this one? Im loving it..that intro! great work from Matt too...Seems like a fun song to hear live and i love the ending...WTF WITH THE FADE OUT!! those guitars...

SBM: ok, i dont think we needed this one. It could have been a very nice b side...having said that; the band arrangement is awesome...i get the idea of including this one to try to make it a crossover hit or something, and its actually a very good song..better than Gone but not as good as Cant Keep ( thinking about songs we heard in eddie´s solo treatment).

YM: thanks Mike!! this song is amazing!! there is a little indifference there, a little low light...those guitars sound very very good too.

FD: well, i really dont care about this one...im not sure what it is..maybe because it feels like an eddie solo song? Maybe the lyrics? i dont know. Yellow Moon should have closed this album

Really similar to my reaction too.

Dr. Van Nostrand wrote:

VinylGuy wrote:Ok! after a long night full of coffee and music, i just finished my third listen of Lightning Bolt.
First impression : I really like it, its better than Backspacer and very different from S/T. Sounds like a mix between BS and Riot Act but they get it right this time; all songs sound finished, not like a rough demo.

Getaway: love it. Instant love...great opener, love the lyrics, the chorus...fuck Jeff Ament! that the groove man.

MYM: well, i already love this songs, and its perfect here as the second number.

My Father´s Son : weird intro ( dusty?) great groove, great guitar work..im loving this one. Seems better with every listen.

Sirens: already talked about this one, i love it....the placement is weird. It should be after LB...

LB: its a good song, but it doesnt quite click for me. Im thinking its a better version of UK,the guitars sound very nice but i wish they were more violent than this..also..the fade out.

Infallible: WOW. yes yes yes...awesome song, weird, funky as hell, that bass, those guitars....and Ed vocal melody is fucking awesome. Great, great, great.

Pendulum: WOW again....what the fuck Jeff Ament?? Matt rules on this one and im loving the little acoustic guitars, the vocal delivery, the haunting melody,,and i love Eddie here, he is awesome..i can see now why they are opening with this one.

SW: i think this one might be a grower..so far i get the REM influence, and i like that acoustic intro, reminded me of ITW and Guided By Voices. Nice delivery from Ed and good solo!

LTRP: people dont like this one? Im loving it..that intro! great work from Matt too...Seems like a fun song to hear live and i love the ending...WTF WITH THE FADE OUT!! those guitars...

SBM: ok, i dont think we needed this one. It could have been a very nice b side...having said that; the band arrangement is awesome...i get the idea of including this one to try to make it a crossover hit or something, and its actually a very good song..better than Gone but not as good as Cant Keep ( thinking about songs we heard in eddie´s solo treatment).

YM: thanks Mike!! this song is amazing!! there is a little indifference there, a little low light...those guitars sound very very good too.

FD: well, i really dont care about this one...im not sure what it is..maybe because it feels like an eddie solo song? Maybe the lyrics? i dont know. Yellow Moon should have closed this album

nice write up and your thoughts on LTRP were mine exactly, might be word for word what i put in my first impression post its a great tune but so many people hate it

I really like it...love the intro, those guitars...Ed´s vocal delivery and melody are pretty good too...hate the fade though and maybe the guitars should be louder in the mix, more present like a garage type of song.

VinylGuy wrote:

Dr. Van Nostrand wrote:nice write up and your thoughts on LTRP were mine exactly, might be word for word what i put in my first impression post its a great tune but so many people hate it

I really like it...love the intro, those guitars...Ed´s vocal delivery and melody are pretty good too...hate the fade though and maybe the guitars should be louder in the mix, more present like a garage type of song.

I'm starting to get borderline furious over the fact that so many are shitting on LTRP... I just absolutely do not get it all. I played it for a friend of mine who's not a PJ fan but listens to a lot of the same music as I do (Flaming Lips, Tame Impala, Radiohead, Yo La Tengo, Walkmen, etc.) and he basically turned his head immediately and said "Woah, what the hell is that? Turn it up!"