Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread

General Pearl Jam discussion.
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You Know What To Do!

Getaway
42
13%
Mind Your Manners
8
2%
My Father's Son
38
12%
Sirens
23
7%
Lightning Bolt
21
6%
Infallible
38
12%
Pendulum
88
27%
Swallowed Whole
21
6%
Let the Records Play
7
2%
Sleeping By Myself
7
2%
Yellow Moon
32
10%
Future Days
4
1%
 
Total votes: 329

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dimejinky99
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Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread

Post by dimejinky99 »

theplatypus wrote:
dimejinky99 wrote:
theplatypus wrote:You're all talking yourselves into liking a mediocre album just because it's Pearl Jam.
Spoiler: show
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Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread

Post by harmless »

track11 wrote:
theplatypus wrote:You're all talking yourselves into liking a mediocre album just because it's Pearl Jam.
Spoiler: show
Image
I am completely comfortable that I am doing no such thing.

I assume that you are referring to the kind of mental gymnastics that you must be doing with the Roots/Costello album? Good album, but not much more. That one has had ZERO staying power, unfortunately. And I was looking forward to that more than LB.

Or possibly, you know, people find quality in different things, and it doesn't need to be that they are forcing themselves to like something.
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Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread

Post by Jorge »

track11 wrote:
theplatypus wrote:You're all talking yourselves into liking a mediocre album just because it's Pearl Jam.
Spoiler: show
Image
I am completely comfortable that I am doing no such thing.

I assume that you are referring to the kind of mental gymnastics that you must be doing with the Roots/Costello album? Good album, but not much more. That one has had ZERO staying power, unfortunately. And I was looking forward to that more than LB.

Or possibly, you know, people find quality in different things, and it doesn't need to be that they are forcing themselves to like something.
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Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread

Post by Mine »

McParadigm wrote:I just realized I haven't listened to a single note off of this thing in 4 days. Even the songs I like are just...not particularly moving, I guess.

Bummer.
I think this may end up being a big problem for part of this record in the sense that when the initial enthusiasm for new PJ wears off those songs may sound more show off-y than sincere let alone moving.
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Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread

Post by BurtReynolds »

theplatypus wrote:
track11 wrote:
theplatypus wrote:You're all talking yourselves into liking a mediocre album just because it's Pearl Jam.
Spoiler: show
Image
I am completely comfortable that I am doing no such thing.

I assume that you are referring to the kind of mental gymnastics that you must be doing with the Roots/Costello album? Good album, but not much more. That one has had ZERO staying power, unfortunately. And I was looking forward to that more than LB.

Or possibly, you know, people find quality in different things, and it doesn't need to be that they are forcing themselves to like something.
Image
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Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread

Post by Jaeti »

Sarah. wrote:Halfway through my first listen. I kind of almost love Sirens.
That means by the end of the day you'll love it unconditionally.
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Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread

Post by Lostdog »

for me, the big difference between RA and LB is FD and his fucking piano. if FD had a guitar solo as All or none would be RA = LB
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Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread

Post by harmless »

You'd still have LTRP.
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Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread

Post by Sarah. »

Jaeti wrote:
Sarah. wrote:Halfway through my first listen. I kind of almost love Sirens.
That means by the end of the day you'll love it unconditionally.
Do I get a badge? :D
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Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread

Post by Habitman »

harmless wrote:
Strat wrote:
harmless wrote:
bluestate wrote:
harmless wrote:I find it difficult to believe they would make Backspacer again if it weren't a deliberate effort to regress.
The PJ from No Code to Riot Act wouldn't respond that way... but ever since S/T, they've clearly stated their desire for more commercial success/relevance (and isn't it a little obvious in the music?). They're gonna keep digging until they find that well... and that scares the shit of me, because that's certainly not their best path.

Lightning Bolt deserves credit for being a step in the right direction for many reasons.
I agree totally. The interesting thing, I think, is that this album sounds like it's pulling in several directions. There's a whole load of uncomfortable conflict, sonically, but I do get the feeling that it shows a bunch of guys not necessarily seeing eye-to-eye on where they'd prefer to be going. The biggest tension for me is that almost all of my being is crying "Sack Brendan". But the thing is, I disliked S/T a lot, and for the opposite reason. Whereas BoB has poured cheese all over this album, S/T was way too *unadorned*, and sonically bland. If given the choice, I'm not sure which approach I'd rather have.

I just want good songs. I can look past everything if the songs are good.
I said this before this bookend keyboard turned up. And, well, FD isn't amazing in the first place. It's solid, but the keyboard gets very close to rendering it unlistenable. This is coming from someone who can make all kinds of conceptual excuses to enjoy something, and have it actually work. LTRP is bland, to me, but not terrible. There are parts I like. But that keyboard on FD... I dunno. I'm satisfied that there's a conceptual reason for it to be there. But that doesn't make it something I'm going to appreciate. The best I can do is not mind it.

I can't recall a PJ song that I enjoy simply because of one moment..."I believe....".... the rest of the song is so bland but that one little gem makes me want to go back the song again and again....
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Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread

Post by JDonaldD »

Been listening to this a lot since the leak. I love it but am I the only one re-tracking it already? I know this is a die hard fan habit but the album is really all over the place at times. I'm not sure why this is the only band I listen to that I ever put so much thought into that I think I can better track the record. I think it's a compliment or just a weird habit I got into a long time ago when the Binarual outtakes were released. The songs are all pretty solid though. Only a few weak tracks. I don't like the phrase "return to form" but there are tracks on here like My Father's Son and moments on Infallible" where I was reminded of 90's Eddie. I remember a while back there were complaints on here that Eddie wasn't doing enough "yeah yeahing" for the lack of a better term like he used to and there's a lot of that on here. I'm curious about how they wrote and composed these songs cause A lot of the songs sound like they could work on their own without vocals. Which reminds me of the early PJ tracks that Eddie added vocals to after they were written.

Let the Records Play is the only one I skip and Future Days is hands down the weakest closer in this band's history. It just doesn't fit thematically or musically for me. I'm okay with sentimentality, I really love Sirens, but FD is just uninspired to me. Or maybe we've had so much solo Eddie stuff, it seems redundant at this point. I really wish Of the Earth would have gotten recorded for this album it would have fit really well with the some of the darker, aggressive tracks and the hippie surfer Eddie stuff. Oh, and Yellow Moon was not at all what I was expecting. Ed belting out songs at slower tempos is another thing that I feel is reminiscent of classic era PJ.
Last edited by JDonaldD on Mon October 14, 2013 8:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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McParadigm
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Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread

Post by McParadigm »

Sarah. wrote:
Jaeti wrote:
Sarah. wrote:Halfway through my first listen. I kind of almost love Sirens.
That means by the end of the day you'll love it unconditionally.
Do I get a badge? :D
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Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread

Post by stip »

McParadigm wrote:Jesus was more like 33, Burt.

Though to be fair his final 10 years were mostly seen as embarrassing, at the time, except to a very few fanclub members.

this was an excellent post that deserves to rise again.
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Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread

Post by Lament »

stip wrote:
McParadigm wrote:Jesus was more like 33, Burt.

Though to be fair his final 10 years were mostly seen as embarrassing, at the time, except to a very few fanclub members.

this was an excellent post that deserves to rise again.
Agreed.

Y'know, McP's posts are a lot like Jesus as well. He routinely drops pearls of wisdom and his contemporaries for the most part just walk by without noticing.
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Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread

Post by Hatfield »

Mine wrote:
McParadigm wrote:I just realized I haven't listened to a single note off of this thing in 4 days. Even the songs I like are just...not particularly moving, I guess.

Bummer.
I think this may end up being a big problem for part of this record in the sense that when the initial enthusiasm for new PJ wears off those songs may sound more show off-y than sincere let alone moving.

For me these 12 songs do feel sincere and moving. If Sirens didn't feel sincere it would be the pile of crap that some of you say you smell when listening.

I am not shocked that McP isn't moved. I am shocked that such a talented brain spends so much time dissecting things he doesn't like anymore. You really are fun to read McP :thumbsup: I wish Pearl Jam could have done it for you this time.
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Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread

Post by McParadigm »

Lament wrote:
stip wrote:
McParadigm wrote:Jesus was more like 33, Burt.

Though to be fair his final 10 years were mostly seen as embarrassing, at the time, except to a very few fanclub members.

this was an excellent post that deserves to rise again.
Agreed.

Y'know, McP's posts are a lot like Jesus as well. He routinely drops pearls of wisdom and his contemporaries for the most part just walk by without noticing.
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Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread

Post by ridleybradout »

So what do you think the 'exclusive digital content' that comes with the 10C version will be?

A longer Danny Clinch film? The 4 non-journo interviews in full? Or something lame like the vignettes and video clips we've already seen?
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Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread

Post by malice »

ridleybradout wrote:So what do you think the 'exclusive digital content' that comes with the 10C version will be?

A longer Danny Clinch film? The 4 non-journo interviews in full? Or something lame like the vignettes and video clips we've already seen?
digital trading cards?
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Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread

Post by McParadigm »

I'm guessing it's a text-based RPG based on Even Flow, but the words will go by too fast to play.
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Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread

Post by Lament »

ridleybradout wrote:So what do you think the 'exclusive digital content' that comes with the 10C version will be?

A longer Danny Clinch film? The 4 non-journo interviews in full? Or something lame like the vignettes and video clips we've already seen?
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