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Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread
Posted: Tue October 15, 2013 6:39 am
by bodysnatcher
fishbob wrote:bodysnatcher wrote:fishbob wrote:That's pretty cool, let us know if the inside is any different!
Is that was the 10c version of the cd looks like on the back? I just got the store version, and it's just a list of songs on solid black
I was talking about the vinyl sorry, already got the CD here in Aus!
oh my bad, I misread that
Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread
Posted: Tue October 15, 2013 7:08 am
by Release_Me
stip wrote:McParadigm wrote:"Should be darker!" is just about the last thing on my mind when I'm going over all the reasons that song sucks.
McParadigm and Theplatypus are both wrong about infallible. I just want that stated. It's a great song. Possibly the best song on the record.
That is all.
Yup. Look at the polls!
Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread
Posted: Tue October 15, 2013 7:23 am
by Release_Me
harmless wrote:Yeah, I can tolerate a solo but I rarely get excited about them. The NAIS solos are way OTT, but I really like the song so I just shrug them off.
I personally think the "sing-along anthemic chorus trying to be sing-along anthemic" theory is wrong because... well, because it doesn't work. It's not very sing-along anthemic at all. Which makes it very comparable to something from Binaural or Riot Act (like NAIS). The people who dislike those songs dislike them because they hear "failed anthems" that don't quite lift the way they're (apparently) trying to. The people who love those songs, though, say that their quirky "failure" to properly lift into a sing-along chorus is what makes them special. "Infallible" is no different -- if you don't like it, it'll be "trying to be an anthem", but if you do like it, it'll just be good. This chorus is no more (and no less) an anthem than "Love boat captain, take the reins and steer us toward the clear." Which was a cheesy, horrible anthem in itself. The fact that Ed sings it in the lower register might make all the difference to the ear, perhaps.
When I say "horrible anthem" I don't mean that I dislike it. I love the song. But its failure to be a Ten anthem is part of its charm.
The chorus is anthemic because the melody is great. There is nothing sing-along about it. It's not Alive. You couldn't sing it if you wanted because the notes are so fucking high, you'd blow your voice or just sound embarrassingly bad. So you just listen to Ed deliver one of his greatest vocals and nod in appreciation. I liked the commentary by the band on Infallible:
6. "Infallible"
"There's a lot going on in that track. It's three dimensional, you can really hear each instrument playing," says Gossard, who co-wrote the song's much with Ament (the lyrics are Vedder's). "I think the melodies are so strong, the descending chords in the chorus and where Ed takes that vocally, it has this classic melody that is pretty instantaneous." Dark but not pitch-black, intricate and soaring all the same -- like many of Pearl Jam's best songs -- well-wrought "Infallible" builds and twists around sonic corners for five-and-a-half minutes while Vedder sings of the ill-advised hubris of modern humans. "By thinking we're infallible, we are tempting fate instead," is the hook, as his voice climbs along with the riffs.
Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread
Posted: Tue October 15, 2013 7:30 am
by Release_Me
stupidmop wrote:harmless wrote:Yeah, I can tolerate a solo but I rarely get excited about them. The NAIS solos are way OTT, but I really like the song so I just shrug them off.
I personally think the "sing-along anthemic chorus trying to be sing-along anthemic" theory is wrong because... well, because it doesn't work. It's not very sing-along anthemic at all. Which makes it very comparable to something from Binaural or Riot Act (like NAIS). The people who dislike those songs dislike them because they hear "failed anthems" that don't quite lift the way they're (apparently) trying to. The people who love those songs, though, say that their quirky "failure" to properly lift into a sing-along chorus is what makes them special. "Infallible" is no different -- if you don't like it, it'll be "trying to be an anthem", but if you do like it, it'll just be good. This chorus is no more (and no less) an anthem than "Love boat captain, take the reins and steer us toward the clear." Which was a cheesy, horrible anthem in itself. The fact that Ed sings it in the lower register might make all the difference to the ear, perhaps.
When I say "horrible anthem" I don't mean that I dislike it. I love the song. But its failure to be a Ten anthem is part of its charm.
Yeah, i had to youtube LBC to remind myself what i think about it. Meh generally, but its better than i remember. Parts of it are really good, but other parts ...are not.
I don't even think infallible is trying to be a ten anthem. Not in a big emotional release kind of way. Just in a pull out your lighters and sing along kinda way. I dunno. meeeeehhhhh.
Try singing along to the high parts and you'll realise it's only possible in your head. Infallible is a serious song delivered in a most melodic way. There's darkness in the theme combined with the uplifting melody in the chorus which just rises up and up as the song goes along. It's one of the bands greatest songs both in scope and execution. Comparing it to LBC is a crime, in my opinion. This one deserves to be mentioned with their very best, i.e. the first three albums.
Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread
Posted: Tue October 15, 2013 7:32 am
by Jorge
High notes have nothing to do with singalongability. Just play "Under Pressure" at your local bar jukebox and watch the drunks caterwaul their little alcohol-soaked hearts out.
Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread
Posted: Tue October 15, 2013 7:34 am
by super nintendo chalmers
Volcom midnight deal here in NY was a shit show. I can't even articulate my disgust right now.
Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread
Posted: Tue October 15, 2013 7:36 am
by Lament
theplatypus wrote:High notes have nothing to do with singalongability. Just play "Under Pressure" at your local bar jukebox and watch the drunks caterwaul their little alcohol-soaked hearts out.
People love singing along to Don't Stop Believing & Livin' On a Prayer because they sit so comfortably in a low register.
Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread
Posted: Tue October 15, 2013 7:38 am
by Release_Me
harmless wrote:"By thinking we're infallible, we are tempting fate instead" is kind of shitty lyrically, for an intended anthem. Maybe that's why I like it.
It's the biggest hook in the song. It's actually genius to take the line most representative of the song and make it so melodic. People are singing along to these lyrics in their head. As an artist, no better way to get the message across than to implant it in the heads of your listeners. This isn't a 'wave your lighters' personal song. It's social commentary done in a most effective way. You don't drone on so you put everyone off it. If you want to be heard,
this is how you do it.
Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread
Posted: Tue October 15, 2013 7:38 am
by fishbob
Release_Me wrote:It's one of the bands greatest songs both in scope and execution. Comparing it to LBC is a crime, in my opinion. This one deserves to be mentioned with their very best, i.e. the first three albums.
Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread
Posted: Tue October 15, 2013 7:41 am
by Release_Me
When I said it wasn't sing-along, I meant it wasn't possible to do it without sounding embarrassingly bad. I didn't say people won't try it. I've said it is melodic and does make one want to sing-along. That's one of the reasons it's a great song. The melody.
As a vocal fanatic, I just think people can't do it without completely butchering it. It's not Betterman.
Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread
Posted: Tue October 15, 2013 7:43 am
by nachosgrande
First post on the forum. I've been a huge Pearl Jam fan since their inception, even had a chance meeting with them when I was only 13 years old in Pittsburgh in 1992 during the Lollapalooza tour. Anyway, after Backspacer, I thought Pearl Jam was done. In my opinion they hadn't made a decent album since Binaural, so imagine my surprise when I put Lightning Bolt in for a spin and it was actually full of great tunes. Really enjoying this album upon first listen and I think it will end up comparing favorably to Binaural, Yield and Vs in the PJ canon.
Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread
Posted: Tue October 15, 2013 7:43 am
by fishbob
Release_Me wrote:When I said it wasn't sing-along, I meant it wasn't possible to do it without sounding embarrassingly bad. I didn't say people won't try it. I've said it is melodic and does make one want to sing-along. That's one of the reasons it's a great song. The melody.
As a vocal fanatic, I just think people can't do it without completely butchering it. It's not Betterman.
Challenge accepted
Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread
Posted: Tue October 15, 2013 7:44 am
by fishbob
Clearly though, you and I differ in what qualifies as their "very best"
Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread
Posted: Tue October 15, 2013 7:45 am
by Lament
What's up, nachosgrande?
Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread
Posted: Tue October 15, 2013 7:46 am
by Release_Me
fishbob wrote:Release_Me wrote:When I said it wasn't sing-along, I meant it wasn't possible to do it without sounding embarrassingly bad. I didn't say people won't try it. I've said it is melodic and does make one want to sing-along. That's one of the reasons it's a great song. The melody.
As a vocal fanatic, I just think people can't do it without completely butchering it. It's not Betterman.
Challenge accepted
Good luck with the outro! I meant people in general. If one of you has mad skills and can manage to do it, I would like to hear.
Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread
Posted: Tue October 15, 2013 7:47 am
by fishbob
The last chorus is good, his voice sounds shit on the "yeaaaaayeaaaaaah"s in the outro. I'll give it a crack tomorrow and let you know how it goes haha
Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread
Posted: Tue October 15, 2013 7:51 am
by Birds in Hell
super nintendo chalmers wrote:Volcom midnight deal here in NY was a shit show. I can't even articulate my disgust right now.
How about now?
Let's hear it.
Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread
Posted: Tue October 15, 2013 7:56 am
by Release_Me
stip wrote:harmless wrote:McParadigm wrote:harmless wrote:But the overall gist of what I'm saying is a response to what I felt was the overall gist of what you were saying: this song tries for something it doesn't achieve
Goodness, no. It's entirely likely that it is exactly the song they were trying to achieve.
Ah, OK. Because I think it's a successful blend of the downbeat groove of "You Are" and "Help, Help" with a more uplifting chorus (jarring because the lyrics aren't upbeat). But I get that people aren't liking the upbeat chorus. Damn that soundcheck. It sounded deep, dark and dirty.
here is why lyrics matter. The chorus is such an important part of the song because it is a counterpoint to the 'darker' verses, a plea to join the singer in imagining that a better world is possible--not the exhortation in MYM. It's a 'fliest with honey' approach. I should be careful with the phrase darkness, as well, since in this song it is largely implied. The person in the verses is making a point to ignore the world collapsing around him. The music is vaguely discordant, vaguely martial, because the problem is in the distance, not immediately felt.
But getting closer.
Perfectly put.
One thing I never understand is people's hate for Pearl Jam's best choruses. A chorus is the part of the song which is supposed to be most melodic. Something that get's imprinted into the listener's head. You don't cram the most difficult words into a chorus or try to make it musically 'complex'. When you do, you end up with forgettable songs. Going to the other extreme and making a chorus like 'Evacuation' is another thing. But they've not done that here at all. The balance is just right.
Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread
Posted: Tue October 15, 2013 7:56 am
by Release_Me
fishbob wrote:The last chorus is good, his voice sounds shit on the "yeaaaaayeaaaaaah"s in the outro. I'll give it a crack tomorrow and let you know how it goes haha
He sounds great. Don't know what you're hearing.
Re: Lightning Bolt: The Official Album Thread
Posted: Tue October 15, 2013 7:59 am
by fishbob
Release_Me wrote:fishbob wrote:The last chorus is good, his voice sounds shit on the "yeaaaaayeaaaaaah"s in the outro. I'll give it a crack tomorrow and let you know how it goes haha
He sounds great. Don't know what you're hearing.
Just sounds like something that should've been left out of a studio recording to me