Lightning Bolt: the official album thread

[Heathen]

The remake of Dawn of The Dead was full of corny songs that made up the soundtrack. But that was deliberate and it helped to make it a decent film; and you could say the same about plenty of films. What if this was an album full of dark rock, pop and experimentation, with FD (a little light pop) right at the end? Wouldn't that change how you view it somewhat? Doesn't 'Soon Forget' or 'Thumbing My Way' or even 'Betterman' change what it's doing in the context of the album? I think so.

If this was the case, and if I had reasons to believe they put that song here for artistic/conceptual reasons and not just in order to try and replicate the success of Just Breathe, it might change how I view it, but it wouldn't change how it sounds when I hear it. And I'm not sure what, say, TMW is doing on RA that it would not be doing on its own.

[harmless]

The remake of Dawn of The Dead was full of corny songs that made up the soundtrack. But that was deliberate and it helped to make it a decent film; and you could say the same about plenty of films. What if this was an album full of dark rock, pop and experimentation, with FD (a little light pop) right at the end? Wouldn't that change how you view it somewhat? Doesn't 'Soon Forget' or 'Thumbing My Way' or even 'Betterman' change what it's doing in the context of the album? I think so.

If this was the case, and if I had reasons to believe they put that song here for artistic/conceptual reasons and not just in order to try and replicate the success of Just Breathe, it might change how I view it, but it wouldn't change how it sounds when I hear it. And I'm not sure what, say, TMW is doing on RA that it would not be doing on its own.

Fair enough; if you think it's just sweet and trite and it does nothing for you emotionally, that's that. My only point about TMW is that what it does on its own, and what it does on the record, might be slightly different and the latter might have more depth (or not). But the songs still do that. I don't think a song's function in a certain context is any less important than the same song's function in isolation, and I have the same view of poems in books. A poem might work to some extent on its own, but in the right context it can shine and perhaps be something different or more.

[Heathen]

The remake of Dawn of The Dead was full of corny songs that made up the soundtrack. But that was deliberate and it helped to make it a decent film; and you could say the same about plenty of films. What if this was an album full of dark rock, pop and experimentation, with FD (a little light pop) right at the end? Wouldn't that change how you view it somewhat? Doesn't 'Soon Forget' or 'Thumbing My Way' or even 'Betterman' change what it's doing in the context of the album? I think so.

If this was the case, and if I had reasons to believe they put that song here for artistic/conceptual reasons and not just in order to try and replicate the success of Just Breathe, it might change how I view it, but it wouldn't change how it sounds when I hear it. And I'm not sure what, say, TMW is doing on RA that it would not be doing on its own.

Fair enough; if you think it's just sweet and trite and it does nothing for you emotionally, that's that. My only point about TMW is that what it does on its own, and what it does on the record, might be slightly different and the latter might have more depth (or not). But the songs still do that. I don't think a song's function in a certain context is any less important than the same song's function in isolation, and I have the same view of poems in books. A poem might work to some extent on its own, but in the right context it can shine and perhaps be something different or more.

Oh yeah I don't disagree about that. If anything nowadays I tend to not pay too much attention to individual songs and more to how the whole thing hangs together. But most of the time with an emphasis on sound/atmosphere/feeling rather than lyrics/themes.

[Lounge Lizard]

The remake of Dawn of The Dead was full of corny songs that made up the soundtrack. But that was deliberate and it helped to make it a decent film; and you could say the same about plenty of films. What if this was an album full of dark rock, pop and experimentation, with FD (a little light pop) right at the end? Wouldn't that change how you view it somewhat? Doesn't 'Soon Forget' or 'Thumbing My Way' or even 'Betterman' change what it's doing in the context of the album? I think so.

If this was the case, and if I had reasons to believe they put that song here for artistic/conceptual reasons and not just in order to try and replicate the success of Just Breathe, it might change how I view it, but it wouldn't change how it sounds when I hear it. And I'm not sure what, say, TMW is doing on RA that it would not be doing on its own.

Fair enough; if you think it's just sweet and trite and it does nothing for you emotionally, that's that. My only point about TMW is that what it does on its own, and what it does on the record, might be slightly different and the latter might have more depth (or not). But the songs still do that. I don't think a song's function in a certain context is any less important than the same song's function in isolation, and I have the same view of poems in books. A poem might work to some extent on its own, but in the right context it can shine and perhaps be something different or more.

I think the last 'alright' song from this category on a record was Off He Goes. The others that followed were just not up to it.

[Thejambi]

The remake of Dawn of The Dead was full of corny songs that made up the soundtrack. But that was deliberate and it helped to make it a decent film; and you could say the same about plenty of films. What if this was an album full of dark rock, pop and experimentation, with FD (a little light pop) right at the end? Wouldn't that change how you view it somewhat? Doesn't 'Soon Forget' or 'Thumbing My Way' or even 'Betterman' change what it's doing in the context of the album? I think so.

If this was the case, and if I had reasons to believe they put that song here for artistic/conceptual reasons and not just in order to try and replicate the success of Just Breathe, it might change how I view it, but it wouldn't change how it sounds when I hear it. And I'm not sure what, say, TMW is doing on RA that it would not be doing on its own.

Fair enough; if you think it's just sweet and trite and it does nothing for you emotionally, that's that. My only point about TMW is that what it does on its own, and what it does on the record, might be slightly different and the latter might have more depth (or not). But the songs still do that. I don't think a song's function in a certain context is any less important than the same song's function in isolation, and I have the same view of poems in books. A poem might work to some extent on its own, but in the right context it can shine and perhaps be something different or more.

I think the last 'alright' song from this category on a record was Off He Goes. The others that followed were just not up to it.

Ill take TMW over speed of sound demo over just breathe over Off He Goes any day. I'd put Man of the Hour in here too which I would take over all of these.

[harmless]

The remake of Dawn of The Dead was full of corny songs that made up the soundtrack. But that was deliberate and it helped to make it a decent film; and you could say the same about plenty of films. What if this was an album full of dark rock, pop and experimentation, with FD (a little light pop) right at the end? Wouldn't that change how you view it somewhat? Doesn't 'Soon Forget' or 'Thumbing My Way' or even 'Betterman' change what it's doing in the context of the album? I think so.

If this was the case, and if I had reasons to believe they put that song here for artistic/conceptual reasons and not just in order to try and replicate the success of Just Breathe, it might change how I view it, but it wouldn't change how it sounds when I hear it. And I'm not sure what, say, TMW is doing on RA that it would not be doing on its own.

Fair enough; if you think it's just sweet and trite and it does nothing for you emotionally, that's that. My only point about TMW is that what it does on its own, and what it does on the record, might be slightly different and the latter might have more depth (or not). But the songs still do that. I don't think a song's function in a certain context is any less important than the same song's function in isolation, and I have the same view of poems in books. A poem might work to some extent on its own, but in the right context it can shine and perhaps be something different or more.

Oh yeah I don't disagree about that. If anything nowadays I tend to not pay too much attention to individual songs and more to how the whole thing hangs together. But most of the time with an emphasis on sound/atmosphere/feeling rather than lyrics/themes.

I guess I use words all the time so I'm particularly sensitive to that. The moods and sounds I can usually make sense of around the lyrics, so what I want from those is less rigid and subject to change. So, for example, MYM wasn't what I wanted from PJ, but it sounded good enough on its own terms so I said OK. And I liked the lyrics and the delivery. FD is trite-sounding, but I guess I'm trying to imagine a context in which it might be anything but. Or rather, it might be less so. But I'll have to wait and see if I was right, and even then, it's all subjective and people might call me a conspiracy theorist even when we have the lyrics for 12 songs. People read stuff in.

[harmless]

The remake of Dawn of The Dead was full of corny songs that made up the soundtrack. But that was deliberate and it helped to make it a decent film; and you could say the same about plenty of films. What if this was an album full of dark rock, pop and experimentation, with FD (a little light pop) right at the end? Wouldn't that change how you view it somewhat? Doesn't 'Soon Forget' or 'Thumbing My Way' or even 'Betterman' change what it's doing in the context of the album? I think so.

If this was the case, and if I had reasons to believe they put that song here for artistic/conceptual reasons and not just in order to try and replicate the success of Just Breathe, it might change how I view it, but it wouldn't change how it sounds when I hear it. And I'm not sure what, say, TMW is doing on RA that it would not be doing on its own.

Fair enough; if you think it's just sweet and trite and it does nothing for you emotionally, that's that. My only point about TMW is that what it does on its own, and what it does on the record, might be slightly different and the latter might have more depth (or not). But the songs still do that. I don't think a song's function in a certain context is any less important than the same song's function in isolation, and I have the same view of poems in books. A poem might work to some extent on its own, but in the right context it can shine and perhaps be something different or more.

I think the last 'alright' song from this category on a record was Off He Goes. The others that followed were just not up to it.

Ill take TMW over speed of sound demo over just breathe over Off He Goes any day. I'd put Man of the Hour in here too which I would take over all of these.

I really like all of these songs a lot, which is why I'm kind of OK to see what happens in the studio with this one. I don't think it's bad; I think it's saccharine, which you can either take or leave. Some like it, others hate it, others (like me) could put it on on a warm summer night, during a barbeque with the wife and some cigarettes, when cheesy schmaltz is just what you need.

[Thejambi]

The remake of Dawn of The Dead was full of corny songs that made up the soundtrack. But that was deliberate and it helped to make it a decent film; and you could say the same about plenty of films. What if this was an album full of dark rock, pop and experimentation, with FD (a little light pop) right at the end? Wouldn't that change how you view it somewhat? Doesn't 'Soon Forget' or 'Thumbing My Way' or even 'Betterman' change what it's doing in the context of the album? I think so.

If this was the case, and if I had reasons to believe they put that song here for artistic/conceptual reasons and not just in order to try and replicate the success of Just Breathe, it might change how I view it, but it wouldn't change how it sounds when I hear it. And I'm not sure what, say, TMW is doing on RA that it would not be doing on its own.

Fair enough; if you think it's just sweet and trite and it does nothing for you emotionally, that's that. My only point about TMW is that what it does on its own, and what it does on the record, might be slightly different and the latter might have more depth (or not). But the songs still do that. I don't think a song's function in a certain context is any less important than the same song's function in isolation, and I have the same view of poems in books. A poem might work to some extent on its own, but in the right context it can shine and perhaps be something different or more.

I think the last 'alright' song from this category on a record was Off He Goes. The others that followed were just not up to it.

Ill take TMW over speed of sound demo over just breathe over Off He Goes any day. I'd put Man of the Hour in here too which I would take over all of these.

I really like all of these songs a lot, which is why I'm kind of OK to see what happens in the studio with this one. I don't think it's bad; I think it's saccharine, which you can either take or leave. Some like it, others hate it, others (like me) could put it on on a warm summer night, during a barbeque with the wife and some cigarettes, when cheesy schmaltz is just what you need.

They are all very situational songs.

[harmless]

The remake of Dawn of The Dead was full of corny songs that made up the soundtrack. But that was deliberate and it helped to make it a decent film; and you could say the same about plenty of films. What if this was an album full of dark rock, pop and experimentation, with FD (a little light pop) right at the end? Wouldn't that change how you view it somewhat? Doesn't 'Soon Forget' or 'Thumbing My Way' or even 'Betterman' change what it's doing in the context of the album? I think so.

If this was the case, and if I had reasons to believe they put that song here for artistic/conceptual reasons and not just in order to try and replicate the success of Just Breathe, it might change how I view it, but it wouldn't change how it sounds when I hear it. And I'm not sure what, say, TMW is doing on RA that it would not be doing on its own.

Fair enough; if you think it's just sweet and trite and it does nothing for you emotionally, that's that. My only point about TMW is that what it does on its own, and what it does on the record, might be slightly different and the latter might have more depth (or not). But the songs still do that. I don't think a song's function in a certain context is any less important than the same song's function in isolation, and I have the same view of poems in books. A poem might work to some extent on its own, but in the right context it can shine and perhaps be something different or more.

I think the last 'alright' song from this category on a record was Off He Goes. The others that followed were just not up to it.

Ill take TMW over speed of sound demo over just breathe over Off He Goes any day. I'd put Man of the Hour in here too which I would take over all of these.

I really like all of these songs a lot, which is why I'm kind of OK to see what happens in the studio with this one. I don't think it's bad; I think it's saccharine, which you can either take or leave. Some like it, others hate it, others (like me) could put it on on a warm summer night, during a barbeque with the wife and some cigarettes, when cheesy schmaltz is just what you need.

They are all very situational songs.

[Heathen]

Some like it, others hate it, others (like me) could put it on on a warm summer night, during a barbeque with the wife and some fags, when cheesy schmaltz is just what you need.

[IlluminEddie]

I may have been the originator of opening up the convo on this concept album /rock opera idea when I first heard Future Days. Not sure. Regardless, I'd like to say I've been hoping for this from them for some time.

When I first heard Life (or what it was going to be called prior to Vitalogy), I had high hopes it was a concept album about that subject - Life. It may have touched on the subject, but it was scattered and not unified. It happened again when I heard Riot Act. I thought to myself this will certainly be about 9/11, particularly when I heard I Am Mine to lead it out and looking at the tracklist like Crop Duster and so on. Upon listening - no dice. Then I thought surely S/T had hope to be a unified album from it's lead single and it's track list. Names like "Worldwide Suicide, Life Wasted, Inside Job, Army Reserve, etc. It just seemed there was a theme there. When I listened, nope... not really, it wasn't united. Surely, someone has talked to Ed about this at some point?

Bottom line: the band has the potential to do just that and do it really, really well. Especially now that Ed's back at the helm handling all lyrics. A full fledged rock opera or concept album should be quite easy for them to put together.

Now, as I listen to the first single and heard two additional songs, I feel that there's certainly a theme here: Religious vs. Ed-like. This "theme" isn't even a first for him - he loves talking these sorts of issues when he's good with the guy at the helm of President (Obama). For examples, see No Code and Yield (Clinton). Instead of political songs, he goes likes talking religion and nature.

So, it's my hope that the band (or more particular - Ed) has finally realized this is possible to present a unified work. It would be such a good move for a talented yet aging rock band. Yet, as proven in the past, my hopes and reality often don't mesh. We need more here and we may only get it come tour time.

[harmless]

Some like it, others hate it, others (like me) could put it on on a warm summer night, during a barbeque with the wife and some fags, when cheesy schmaltz is just what you need.

I didn't choose that word for precisely that reason. My wife is not that accommodating, sadly.

[scrub12]

People are saying they heard a song called "Sirens" - where?

Which people? 'Sirens' has been rumoured and we're wondering whether it was a murky recording of a soundchecked song some of us heard.

Oh the London thing. Nevermind then.

Listened to the tune in the 2013 Tour video on YT - sounds remarkably like the chords used in CC, dont you think?

I've heard a few people say this but I'm not good enough with music and chords to tell if they're the same. That would be interesting.

[Walker Bait]

Post apocalyptic concept album would be so cool. I wish i could see future days as some kind of lovers at the end of the word love ballad but i'm not, currently.

yeah that looks like a huge stretch

If you look at the lyrics we have I don't think it's a stretch at all.

Exactly, after reading someones theory on LB about it having to do with the world and mother nature and us screwing everything up, I started to think about Future Days and the lyrics. They talk about hurricanes, cyclones, winds and dust, tides raising....and closer became us...like after it all happened...And I'm still hearing what sounds like a storm siren at the begining of that soundcheck song soooo....

It might look like a stretch to say that FD by itself is a 'post-apocalyptic love song', but we've got other songs which also suggest apocalyptic literature / religious fundamentalism. The same "speaker" in MYM could've written FD and LB imo, and it's pretty clear from the lyrics, which refer to natural disasters, end times, religious fundamentalism and faith vs. reason -- "Seeing is believing." I'm only reading the lyrics to get all this, and I guess I'll only cool on my theory if we end up getting songs on the album which vastly disagree. PJ are very good at making almost-concept-albums, which are then let down by random 'whimsy' like Supersonic. If they keep that off, then given the artwork and the possibility we've heard 'Sirens' (complete with storm siren at the start), we might have a real unified piece of work on our hands. I think those of us who flat out deny this are probably so bored of Pearl Jam they're not open to being impressed. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt until they show me a song on the awful-level of Supersonic.

^^THIS^^

[harmless]

People are saying they heard a song called "Sirens" - where?

Which people? 'Sirens' has been rumoured and we're wondering whether it was a murky recording of a soundchecked song some of us heard.

Oh the London thing. Nevermind then.

Listened to the tune in the 2013 Tour video on YT - sounds remarkably like the chords used in CC, dont you think?

I've heard a few people say this but I'm not good enough with music and chords to tell if they're the same. That would be interesting.

Very interesting theory, I'd have to listen again but I'm currently listening to The Mynabirds so it won't happen tonight. Anyone?

[Walker Bait]

Post apocalyptic concept album would be so cool. I wish i could see future days as some kind of lovers at the end of the word love ballad but i'm not, currently.

yeah that looks like a huge stretch

If you look at the lyrics we have I don't think it's a stretch at all.

Exactly, after reading someones theory on LB about it having to do with the world and mother nature and us screwing everything up, I started to think about Future Days and the lyrics. They talk about hurricanes, cyclones, winds and dust, tides raising....and closer became us...like after it all happened...And I'm still hearing what sounds like a storm siren at the begining of that soundcheck song soooo....

It might look like a stretch to say that FD by itself is a 'post-apocalyptic love song', but we've got other songs which also suggest apocalyptic literature / religious fundamentalism. The same "speaker" in MYM could've written FD and LB imo, and it's pretty clear from the lyrics, which refer to natural disasters, end times, religious fundamentalism and faith vs. reason -- "Seeing is believing." I'm only reading the lyrics to get all this, and I guess I'll only cool on my theory if we end up getting songs on the album which vastly disagree. PJ are very good at making almost-concept-albums, which are then let down by random 'whimsy' like Supersonic. If they keep that off, then given the artwork and the possibility we've heard 'Sirens' (complete with storm siren at the start), we might have a real unified piece of work on our hands. I think those of us who flat out deny this are probably so bored of Pearl Jam they're not open to being impressed. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt until they show me a song on the awful-level of Supersonic.

Religious themes and metaphors are SO widespread in our culture that it'd take much more than a couple references to cyclones and demons to make me buy into a deliberate post-apocalyptic concept-album or anything like that.

It's not just Future Days though is what we're saying... In LB theres the "Burning meteor from miles high" and "with no repair in sight, there is no god with such might, as you open her world wide with such a view. and your efforts to arrive, as she finally decides that all her problems, they will die with you" meaning the human race dying is the only thing that will "repair" the planet. and so on and so on...storm siren, MYM views...blah blah...

[McParadigm]

where does the micropenis come in?

[harmless]

Basically, it doesn't really matter whether all of this goes together objectively. If it's all there, it's all there. The appreciation of that will be subjective.

[Heathen]

Post apocalyptic concept album would be so cool. I wish i could see future days as some kind of lovers at the end of the word love ballad but i'm not, currently.

yeah that looks like a huge stretch

If you look at the lyrics we have I don't think it's a stretch at all.

Exactly, after reading someones theory on LB about it having to do with the world and mother nature and us screwing everything up, I started to think about Future Days and the lyrics. They talk about hurricanes, cyclones, winds and dust, tides raising....and closer became us...like after it all happened...And I'm still hearing what sounds like a storm siren at the begining of that soundcheck song soooo....

It might look like a stretch to say that FD by itself is a 'post-apocalyptic love song', but we've got other songs which also suggest apocalyptic literature / religious fundamentalism. The same "speaker" in MYM could've written FD and LB imo, and it's pretty clear from the lyrics, which refer to natural disasters, end times, religious fundamentalism and faith vs. reason -- "Seeing is believing." I'm only reading the lyrics to get all this, and I guess I'll only cool on my theory if we end up getting songs on the album which vastly disagree. PJ are very good at making almost-concept-albums, which are then let down by random 'whimsy' like Supersonic. If they keep that off, then given the artwork and the possibility we've heard 'Sirens' (complete with storm siren at the start), we might have a real unified piece of work on our hands. I think those of us who flat out deny this are probably so bored of Pearl Jam they're not open to being impressed. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt until they show me a song on the awful-level of Supersonic.

Religious themes and metaphors are SO widespread in our culture that it'd take much more than a couple references to cyclones and demons to make me buy into a deliberate post-apocalyptic concept-album or anything like that.

It's not just Future Days though is what we're saying... In LB theres the "Burning meteor from miles high" and "with no repair in sight, there is no god with such might, as you open her world wide with such a view. and your efforts to arrive, as she finally decides that all her problems, they will die with you" meaning the human race dying is the only thing that will "repair" the planet. and so on and so on...storm siren, MYM views...blah blah...

I get that. I just don't think that what's going on on the other songs & the artwork is enough evidence atm of FD being more that what it looks like.

[Walker Bait]

Post apocalyptic concept album would be so cool. I wish i could see future days as some kind of lovers at the end of the word love ballad but i'm not, currently.

yeah that looks like a huge stretch

If you look at the lyrics we have I don't think it's a stretch at all.

Exactly, after reading someones theory on LB about it having to do with the world and mother nature and us screwing everything up, I started to think about Future Days and the lyrics. They talk about hurricanes, cyclones, winds and dust, tides raising....and closer became us...like after it all happened...And I'm still hearing what sounds like a storm siren at the begining of that soundcheck song soooo....

It might look like a stretch to say that FD by itself is a 'post-apocalyptic love song', but we've got other songs which also suggest apocalyptic literature / religious fundamentalism. The same "speaker" in MYM could've written FD and LB imo, and it's pretty clear from the lyrics, which refer to natural disasters, end times, religious fundamentalism and faith vs. reason -- "Seeing is believing." I'm only reading the lyrics to get all this, and I guess I'll only cool on my theory if we end up getting songs on the album which vastly disagree. PJ are very good at making almost-concept-albums, which are then let down by random 'whimsy' like Supersonic. If they keep that off, then given the artwork and the possibility we've heard 'Sirens' (complete with storm siren at the start), we might have a real unified piece of work on our hands. I think those of us who flat out deny this are probably so bored of Pearl Jam they're not open to being impressed. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt until they show me a song on the awful-level of Supersonic.

Religious themes and metaphors are SO widespread in our culture that it'd take much more than a couple references to cyclones and demons to make me buy into a deliberate post-apocalyptic concept-album or anything like that.

Right, well I've given you more than cyclones and demons so I'm not sure I get your point. Yes, religious language is spread all over our culture, but these are a few songs crammed into a tiny space. One of them could have been about cricket, the other about burglary and the next one about Christmas. They weren't; the dots are there to join up, all bound together with artwork evoking the same imagery. It seems kind of deliberate.

P.S. I haven't said 'post-apocalyptic', that's different to religious fundamentalism / Revelation language.

And the only thing I said post apocalyptic about was Future Days, but the album as a whole feels like it would have a central theme of religious fundamentalism / Revelation /and the state of the world as a whole Enviornmental/nature kind of stuff...