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Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Fri July 12, 2013 2:55 am
by evenslow
H2O wrote:evenslow wrote:Chris_H_2 wrote:Thejambi wrote:Chris_H_2 wrote:theplatypus wrote:I know this is very cynical of me, but I can't help but think that some people are kind of forcing themselves to like this song. I think if you presented this same song with a different singer (say a Bob Mould or a Greg? Graffin) to a bunch of Pearl Jam fans, most of them would go "meh."
Not only that, but if everything about this song remained unchanged, including the music, Eddie's voice, etc., and you were to hear this song for the first time and the band Pearl Jam never existed, people would think "meh."
You could say that about a majority of songs on all of their albums.
That's true -- and that's a reflection of how mediocre a lot of them are and yet people think they're deserving of songs of the year.
Totally agreed. AND if you just left the song as is, but humans didn't have ears and alligators made music, people would scrawl something on their hand like Helen Keller and then the alligators would eat them.
guys this was a pretty good post
I've been hitting home runs all week to be honest.
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Fri July 12, 2013 3:01 am
by E.H. Ruddock
I've been listening to Husker Du, The Ramones, Motorhead, and whatever else MYM has been compared to for a lot longer than I have Pearl Jam. While these "punk" numbers are entertaining and enjoyable, they still sound to me like a band trying to fit in to a genre they are not.
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Fri July 12, 2013 3:07 am
by BDB
after 3 listens on the computer headphones, meh.
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Fri July 12, 2013 3:13 am
by evenslow
E.H. Ruddock wrote:I've been listening to Husker Du, The Ramones, Motorhead, and whatever else MYM has been compared to for a lot longer than I have Pearl Jam. While these "punk" numbers are entertaining and enjoyable, they still sound to me like a band trying to fit in to a genre they are not.
You're right. This isn't their best genre. But I do like what they've done here, much like I like what the Beatles did with "Act Naturally." Variety is the spice of life and all that shit.
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Fri July 12, 2013 3:21 am
by WaitingForBluey
Sorry if this was already mentioned, but in the iTunes store Lightning Bolt is listed as 12 tracks with Mind Your Manners at Track 2. Something to keep in mind when fake tracklists start to get thrown around in here. There was a rumored tracklist that I saw in the 10th album speculation thread which had 12 tracks and MYM as track 2 but I can't remember where it was and it was never added to the 1st post along with the other rumored tracklists. I believe it was the one that listed the album title as Citizen. Could that tracklist be legit in any possible way? Probably not.
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Fri July 12, 2013 3:22 am
by evenslow
bluestate wrote:Probably not.
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Fri July 12, 2013 3:25 am
by WaitingForBluey
evenslow wrote:bluestate wrote:Probably not.
Yea, I just went back and looked at it and realized it was the one with Battle Cry and Sleeping By Myself. Ha ha... No way. The chances of that being the real tracklist are about as likely as the band naming this thing Lightning Bolt or something like that.
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Fri July 12, 2013 3:27 am
by Birds in Hell
The general disappointment with the title is baffling.
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Fri July 12, 2013 3:28 am
by Norah
The title is awful.
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Fri July 12, 2013 3:29 am
by Birds in Hell
I'm afraid you're mistaken.
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Fri July 12, 2013 3:30 am
by WaitingForBluey
Birds in Hell wrote:The general disappointment with the title is baffling.
I thought it was awful at first but now I'm lovin it. The artwork and the song have won me over that quickly.
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Fri July 12, 2013 3:33 am
by evenslow
bluestate wrote:Birds in Hell wrote:The general disappointment with the title is baffling.
I thought it was awful at first but now I'm lovin it. The artwork and the song have won me over that quickly.
I'm still not a fan of the title but I will say the artwork fits it.
If the songs/packaging fit it as well then I'm sure I'd eventually be okay with it.
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Fri July 12, 2013 3:34 am
by Jorge
Birds in Hell wrote:theplatypus wrote:That, and I think the whole "any song is instantly better if it's Pearl Jam playing it" is a foolish way to approach music.
If you really like Pearl Jam, I think that's a perfectly valid approach.
(see my longer post on the previous page)
I don't think I can get past the first line of that post. Songwriting and performance will always be the main things I listen for and judge my music by, not unmeasurables and intangibles like "the
feel of these 5 specific people playing music together".
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Fri July 12, 2013 3:41 am
by Birds in Hell
evenslow wrote:bluestate wrote:Birds in Hell wrote:The general disappointment with the title is baffling.
I thought it was awful at first but now I'm lovin it. The artwork and the song have won me over that quickly.
I'm still not a fan of the title but I will say the artwork fits it.
If the songs/packaging fit it as well then I'm sure I'd eventually be okay with it.
I guess I'm not sure I grasp why a lot of posters seem to have an immediately negative reaction to the title, but hey, diff'rent strokes.
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Fri July 12, 2013 3:42 am
by evenslow
theplatypus wrote:Birds in Hell wrote:theplatypus wrote:That, and I think the whole "any song is instantly better if it's Pearl Jam playing it" is a foolish way to approach music.
If you really like Pearl Jam, I think that's a perfectly valid approach.
(see my longer post on the previous page)
I don't think I can get past the first line of that post. Songwriting and performance will always be the main things I listen for and judge my music by, not unmeasurables and intangibles like "the
feel of these 5 specific people playing music together".
Music is the ultimate intangible.
I'm going to make you a bookmark with that on it.
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Fri July 12, 2013 3:42 am
by stip
theplatypus wrote:Birds in Hell wrote:theplatypus wrote:That, and I think the whole "any song is instantly better if it's Pearl Jam playing it" is a foolish way to approach music.
If you really like Pearl Jam, I think that's a perfectly valid approach.
(see my longer post on the previous page)
I don't think I can get past the first line of that post. Songwriting and performance will always be the main things I listen for and judge my music by, not unmeasurables and intangibles like "the
feel of these 5 specific people playing music together".
I just want to quote Spenno's post since I think it says this well
Birds in Hell wrote:
I think, with a lot of artists I like, the actual nuts and bolts of the songwriting is secondary to the overall sound created by that particular bunch of musicians. That isn't to say it's not still important, of course it is, but what I like about Pearl Jam (or The Cure or Unwound or Shellac or Sonic Youth, etc.) isn't attributable to songwriting alone. There's a unique noise that this particular bunch of people make when they play together that I respond to: great songs are a (very welcome) bonus.
I think what you may be missing here (platy et al) is the intangible in the performance itself. If this board makes anything clear it's that no one around here (or very few people, anyway) likes something JUST because it is pearl jam. Excluding the few people around here who think that anyone who still likes pearl jam is an uncritical fanboy this is a hard group to please. The pearl jam label isn't enough.
But, for most of the people here, there is an intangible magic this group playing together CAN, when they get it right, add those indefinable but still tangible elements to a song that elevates it. It might be Eddie's voice. It might be something else, but it is a part of the experience of the music.
And this can unlock doors people had no prior interest in opening. I don't care for punk, but I'll listen to pearl jam do it and am far more likely to enjoy it. It's not because pearl jam is performing, but because what pearl jam performing adds to the song. And that is part of the performance. it's even part of the songwriting. When they do it well they write songs that make space for the intangibles.
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Fri July 12, 2013 3:45 am
by Iowaska_Experience
I'm really digging MYM more and more with each new listen. I don't really get the Bad Religion comparisons, but YMMV. Also, the argument about "well if this was the Foos playing it" doesn't resonate with me b/c I just really don't think many other current bands could credibly pull off a song like this. It's a "made for PJ" moment.
I will say, though, that, if I were ranking the first singles off the recent releases from the "era" bands, I'd have it: 'Hollow' > 'MYM' > 'Been Away Too Long'
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Fri July 12, 2013 3:47 am
by VinylGuy
evenslow wrote:theplatypus wrote:Birds in Hell wrote:theplatypus wrote:That, and I think the whole "any song is instantly better if it's Pearl Jam playing it" is a foolish way to approach music.
If you really like Pearl Jam, I think that's a perfectly valid approach.
(see my longer post on the previous page)
I don't think I can get past the first line of that post. Songwriting and performance will always be the main things I listen for and judge my music by, not unmeasurables and intangibles like "the
feel of these 5 specific people playing music together".
Music is the ultimate intangible.
I'm going to make you a bookmark with that on it.
great post.
i still agree with Platypus and his original post. He had a point, most of you are missing by saying " hey i like it because its pearl jam". That is pretty obvious...Im guessing he was pointing about how a lot of people here ( me included and he included im sure ) seem to dismiss some other bands when they are making similar music, just because we dont like those bands for whatever reason.
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Fri July 12, 2013 3:48 am
by stip
Honestly, some of this is also about relationships, and many of us still have quite strong relationships with the music. Some of us are still happily married. Some of us feel like they've been cheating and want to be taken back, but the emotional connection you've established (at some point presumably on the strength of songwriting and performance) enhances the songs you like, and may make you turn against the ones you don't with greater vitriol (since it's not just a song you don't like. it's a betrayal).
This is a real thing. Your girlfriend will look more attractive to you than she probably 'objectively' is. I'm sure I think my daughter is more adorable than she objectively is. The objective standards don't matter. How you feel about the person obviously affects how you process who they are and what they do. But a lot of this is earned. Once you've made that commitment you never listen to songs in a vacuum. You hear them in the context of a career, and that adds all sorts of layers and dimensions to the experience that the simple writing can't account for.
I can't believe there aren't Elvis Costello songs you appreciate, even love, that would bore you if someone else wrote them. I'd say the same thing to McP about Tom Waits.
Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15
Posted: Fri July 12, 2013 3:48 am
by mray10
stip wrote:theplatypus wrote:Birds in Hell wrote:theplatypus wrote:That, and I think the whole "any song is instantly better if it's Pearl Jam playing it" is a foolish way to approach music.
If you really like Pearl Jam, I think that's a perfectly valid approach.
(see my longer post on the previous page)
I don't think I can get past the first line of that post. Songwriting and performance will always be the main things I listen for and judge my music by, not unmeasurables and intangibles like "the
feel of these 5 specific people playing music together".
I just want to quote Spenno's post since I think it says this well
Birds in Hell wrote:
I think, with a lot of artists I like, the actual nuts and bolts of the songwriting is secondary to the overall sound created by that particular bunch of musicians. That isn't to say it's not still important, of course it is, but what I like about Pearl Jam (or The Cure or Unwound or Shellac or Sonic Youth, etc.) isn't attributable to songwriting alone. There's a unique noise that this particular bunch of people make when they play together that I respond to: great songs are a (very welcome) bonus.
I think what you may be missing here (platy et al) is the intangible in the performance itself. If this board makes anything clear it's that no one around here (or very few people, anyway) likes something JUST because it is pearl jam. Excluding the few people around here who think that anyone who still likes pearl jam is an uncritical fanboy this is a hard group to please. The pearl jam label isn't enough.
But, for most of the people here, there is an intangible magic this group playing together CAN, when they get it right, add those indefinable but still tangible elements to a song that elevates it. It might be Eddie's voice. It might be something else, but it is a part of the experience of the music.
And this can unlock doors people had no prior interest in opening. I don't care for punk, but I'll listen to pearl jam do it and am far more likely to enjoy it. It's not because pearl jam is performing, but because what pearl jam performing adds to the song. And that is part of the performance. it's even part of the songwriting. When they do it well they write songs that make space for the intangibles.
Team spenno/stip.
Team spenno/stip. First time for everything, I guess.