Lightning Bolt: the official album thread

[gems and rhinestones]

Is it possible this band just doesn't know who it is anymore? I don't know about the rest of you but I've been getting that impression. For most of their existence PJ is a band that has been fighting something: MTV, record companies, industry expectation, Ticketmaster, various social and political causes, themselves, etc. MYM is a perfect example for me: it's energy and and urgency seem completely forced, like Ed is trying to bring back the vigor of the early years without any clear target. Then you have utterly bland and innocuous tracks mixed in like FD and LB. Huh? What kind of band are we dealing with in 2013? I have zero excitement for this album based on what I've heard and that has never happened in almost 18 years of following this band.

Well at least the new album has JayZ joining Darth Vedder for a nice cover of this.




Yes, that's Boom playing Chewie.

[Lounge Lizard]

Well, ignoring that facts that I'm neither able to sing, write songs, and don't have a vagina, then - yes absolutely.

I'd say excluding the vagina part it fits the description perfectly

[Lament]

Is it possible this band just doesn't know who it is anymore? I don't know about the rest of you but I've been getting that impression. For most of their existence PJ is a band that has been fighting something: MTV, record companies, industry expectation, Ticketmaster, various social and political causes, themselves, etc. MYM is a perfect example for me: it's energy and and urgency seem completely forced, like Ed is trying to bring back the vigor of the early years without any clear target. Then you have utterly bland and innocuous tracks mixed in like FD and LB. Huh? What kind of band are we dealing with in 2013? I have zero excitement for this album based on what I've heard and that has never happened in almost 18 years of following this band.

There was a thread a while back where we got really into this idea. I think there's definitely something to it.

[harmless]

Is it possible this band just doesn't know who it is anymore? I don't know about the rest of you but I've been getting that impression.

Two real possibilities: 1) Yes, it's possible, even likely. 2) No, they know exactly who they are, and they're 5 ageing men who enjoy playing music when they get the chance (given their other life priorities). 3) They never knew who they were, and every album was so different because they were always searching and trying to find out. So every album has an eclectic range of styles, and so does every concert. This band was never one thing. I'd go with option 3), and I think when the band uses the word 'experimental' these days, they mean in terms of what PJ is now, because they're probably not sure, for the first time. So they have fun seeing what works (and doesn't), as they always did. Except this time, it's because they want to find that style and substance they'll take forward into the 'new PJ', they just don't know exactly what it is. Growing old gracefully: it's not as obvious to them how to do this as it seems to many of their fans, especially given the fact that every fan wants something different from them. Perhaps it was inevitable that in their later years, they would try to give something to everyone. That's what we're getting. The only thing PJ is certain of at this point is that they've lost that need to fight everything. What's wrong with that? Fighting is exhausting; eventually people want to live, enjoy themselves. Whether we enjoy the sounds they produce at that point is what it is, but I can't blame them for wanting it.

For most of their existence PJ is a band that has been fighting something: MTV, record companies, industry expectation, Ticketmaster, various social and political causes, themselves, etc. MYM is a perfect example for me: it's energy and and urgency seem completely forced, like Ed is trying to bring back the vigor of the early years without any clear target.

Well, my opinion is that MYM's 'target' is perfectly clear, given its imagery, helped by the single artwork. Whether you think that target is hackneyed by now is subjective, and if you do, I get that. But I'm not sure Ed is forcing anything. If anything, he's doing something that's easy and recognisable at this point. This doesn't mean that it isn't sincere; it just might not be as fresh. Also, I'm not sure this band was always fighting against something at all. One 'stream' of their work was the fighting against; another stream was the introverted, agnostic searching that you find on every album. So this band had a 'fighting against injustice' angle, but they weren't Rage Against the Machine, who were all fight and no real inner searching. It makes perfect sense to me that in middle age (whether I like it or not), Ed would want to kick back with his family and write about the beauty of life. Even Yield gave us hints of this. And if the success of Into the Wild, wasn't a huge clue, well...

Then you have utterly bland and innocuous tracks mixed in like FD and LB. Huh? What kind of band are we dealing with in 2013? I have zero excitement for this album based on what I've heard and that has never happened in almost 18 years of following this band.

Are you less excited than during Backspacer, or S/T? I think every album has its 'utterly innocuous tracks'. Every album has one or two tracks that are just 'old Ed doing what he does'. This band has been accused of that ever since its conception. They've always made songs like that. Whether or not you like them is subjective, obviously, but every album has contained tracks that weren't in line with an album's general thrust / message. Vs. has 'Elderly Woman', which isn't in line with the anger, searching and force of the rest. That's just one example, but regardless of your feelings about that song, it could easily have been read as just a pretty bland song that doesn't fit the rest of the album. You didn't see it that way because you were a fan and heavily invested, but plenty of people did. It was always thus, and there are plenty of non or casual fans now sitting back and saying 'I told you so' -- PJ are just a rock band.

[Heathen]

Well, my opinion is that MYM's 'target' is perfectly clear, given its imagery, helped by the single artwork. Whether you think that target is hackneyed by now is subjective, and if you do, I get that. But I'm not sure Ed is forcing anything. If anything, he's doing something that's easy and recognisable at this point. This doesn't mean that it isn't sincere; it just might not be as fresh. Also, I'm not sure this band was always fighting against something at all. One 'stream' of their work was the fighting against; another stream was the introverted, agnostic searching that you find on every album. So this band had a 'fighting against injustice' angle, but they weren't Rage Against the Machine, who were all fight and no real inner searching. It makes perfect sense to me that in middle age (whether I like it or not), Ed would want to kick back with his family and write about the beauty of life. Even Yield gave us hints of this. And if the success of Into the Wild, wasn't a huge clue, well...

Into the Wild wasn't really about kicking back with your family, having fun and enjoying a settled life though. Pretty much the opposite actually.

[stupidmop]

I've definitely had that thought before. I think ed especially uses the situation around him personally to write, and I guess that was just more interesting before he mellowed out and got a family and everything.

A lot on ten (and vs) references eds life up till then. I don't think we would have got vs and vitalogy had they not got super famous and panicked, there's a lot of songs there that directly refer to that whole situation (blood, not for you) and a lot that came from the emotions that came with it. No code was still ed fighting with his audience, and Yeild was created the way it was to keep the band together. Not to say that there weren't songs on those albums that tackled broader issues, but if they hadn't gotten as big as they did and were able to create albums without the outside world batting an eye I think we'd have got different albums completely.

Nowadays thier albums aren't a reaction to anything, they don't need the albums to say anything for them, they're just collections of songs rather than an outlet for any kind of release/reacton to something for ed. Not that they have to be, I'd consider binaural more outward focused, lyrically, and its my favourite album, probably. The next two dont do it aswell I don't think, and backspacer is...backspacer. I guess that's ed writing more about his immediate situation again which is mostly woo life! songs, love songs and wondering about dying songs. But with thier whole "fun" "poppy" and no homework songs thing going on.

I'm not sure ed is forcing things so much as he doesn't get as worked up about them as he did before, they don't inspire as much flat out hatred/vitrol. Maybe he is trying to sound angrier than he is, or maybe he was just better at putting it into a song convincingly back then, sync is about vinyl and go might be about a truck but eds voice still makes them sound intense.

[harmless]

Well, my opinion is that MYM's 'target' is perfectly clear, given its imagery, helped by the single artwork. Whether you think that target is hackneyed by now is subjective, and if you do, I get that. But I'm not sure Ed is forcing anything. If anything, he's doing something that's easy and recognisable at this point. This doesn't mean that it isn't sincere; it just might not be as fresh. Also, I'm not sure this band was always fighting against something at all. One 'stream' of their work was the fighting against; another stream was the introverted, agnostic searching that you find on every album. So this band had a 'fighting against injustice' angle, but they weren't Rage Against the Machine, who were all fight and no real inner searching. It makes perfect sense to me that in middle age (whether I like it or not), Ed would want to kick back with his family and write about the beauty of life. Even Yield gave us hints of this. And if the success of Into the Wild, wasn't a huge clue, well...

Into the Wild wasn't really about kicking back with your family, having fun and enjoying a settled life though. Pretty much the opposite actually.

Right. I didn't mean to imply that it was. I just meant that it was about observing nature, and quiet reflection on the world around; the criticisms of society took a back seat to the more beautiful 'tree-hugging' stuff about the natural world. I don't necessarily see reflections on domestic family life and love as a very different category. It's strange to me that we see suburban blandness and financially-rich boredom in Ed's songs instead of, well, the love of friends and family, which is perfectly natural. Does it somehow seem less sincere because Ed has money? Well maybe it does, but I'd suggest that's merely instinctual, or we should all go and give our money to the poor and live in a truck or we're being just as insincere in what we feel.

[Thejambi]

Imagine what he would write being stuck in the desert for a month.

[harmless]

I've definitely had that thought before. I think ed especially uses the situation around him personally to write, and I guess that was just more interesting before he mellowed out and got a family and everything.

A lot on ten (and vs) references eds life up till then. I don't think we would have got vs and vitalogy had they not got super famous and panicked, there's a lot of songs there that directly refer to that whole situation (blood, not for you) and a lot that came from the emotions that came with it. No code was still ed fighting with his audience, and Yeild was created the way it was to keep the band together. Not to say that there weren't songs on those albums that tackled broader issues, but if they hadn't gotten as big as they did and were able to create albums without the outside world batting an eye I think we'd have got different albums completely.

Nowadays thier albums aren't a reaction to anything, they don't need the albums to say anything for them, they're just collections of songs rather than an outlet for any kind of release/reacton to something for ed. Not that they have to be, I'd consider binaural more outward focused, lyrically, and its my favourite album, probably. The next two dont do it aswell I don't think, and backspacer is...backspacer. I guess that's ed writing more about his immediate situation again which is mostly woo life! songs, love songs and wondering about dying songs. But with thier whole "fun" "poppy" and no homework songs thing going on.

I'm not sure ed is forcing things so much as he doesn't get as worked up about them as he did before, they don't inspire as much flat out hatred/vitrol. Maybe he is trying to sound angrier than he is, or maybe he was just better at putting it into a song convincingly back then, sync is about vinyl and go might be about a truck but eds voice still makes them sound intense.

I'd like to think that Ed's 'no homework' quotes were said at a time when he was just feeling that. I'd like to think that Backspacer was produced in a phase. Brendan O'Brien made it clear that they were pretty distracted with other stuff, and maybe were more interested in doing that other stuff. So you had 'holding patterns' and a bunch of quotes about 'efficiency' in the studio. I'm hoping all of this is a turning point, in which the band decides how they want to go on. They'll go on as they are, being just 5 guys making music every now and then because they sorta like it and it pays them money, or they'll keep making albums that do different things, play with different styles, until they find something which feels 'Pearl Jam'. And then the chances are, they'll develop that until it's very good in its own right. I feel as if maybe that's what's happening, and I'm hoping the quotes about 'experimentation' in Lightning Bolt suggest that. But we'll see. If they don't go with option 1) or option 2), they'll just quit, and I don't think they want to do that. For all their seeming confusion and playing around the idea of 'Pearl Jam' at the moment, it's clear that they want to find a new direction even if they haven't found it yet. Hence their quotes about not going backwards, always going forwards. Something makes them unsatisfied about looking back. They know they're not the angry rage band anymore. But are they satisfied that 'Backspacer' is good enough to represent what they are now? I'm not at all sure they are. I wasn't wholly satisfied with S/T, and in some ways I wish they hadn't emblazoned it with the name of the band. But now I think I can see why they might have. The album didn't necessarily represent 'Pearl Jam' as a sound, but it did represent them as a band that relentlessly pursues new ideas, even if some of them are whimsical, off-the-cuff and ultimately forgettable. They're not afraid to fuck up if it means they arrive at something carefully considered 10 years later.

[Dr. Van Nostrand]

has there been any news on this album? I almost forgot it existed.

maybe we will get some tidbit this week, maybe some other interview that mentions song titles

[harmless]

has there been any news on this album? I almost forgot it existed.

maybe we will get some tidbit this week, maybe some other interview that mentions song titles

Or we could something else.

[stip]

I've definitely had that thought before. I think ed especially uses the situation around him personally to write, and I guess that was just more interesting before he mellowed out and got a family and everything.

A lot on ten (and vs) references eds life up till then. I don't think we would have got vs and vitalogy had they not got super famous and panicked, there's a lot of songs there that directly refer to that whole situation (blood, not for you) and a lot that came from the emotions that came with it. No code was still ed fighting with his audience, and Yeild was created the way it was to keep the band together. Not to say that there weren't songs on those albums that tackled broader issues, but if they hadn't gotten as big as they did and were able to create albums without the outside world batting an eye I think we'd have got different albums completely.

Nowadays thier albums aren't a reaction to anything, they don't need the albums to say anything for them, they're just collections of songs rather than an outlet for any kind of release/reacton to something for ed. Not that they have to be, I'd consider binaural more outward focused, lyrically, and its my favourite album, probably. The next two dont do it aswell I don't think, and backspacer is...backspacer. I guess that's ed writing more about his immediate situation again which is mostly woo life! songs, love songs and wondering about dying songs. But with thier whole "fun" "poppy" and no homework songs thing going on.

I'm not sure ed is forcing things so much as he doesn't get as worked up about them as he did before, they don't inspire as much flat out hatred/vitrol. Maybe he is trying to sound angrier than he is, or maybe he was just better at putting it into a song convincingly back then, sync is about vinyl and go might be about a truck but eds voice still makes them sound intense.

You may not like it but s/t is arguably the album that is most about something concrete in the entire catalog. Most definitely a response to something. So is backspacer to, in a more oblique way. Both are as much if not more so than binauarl, for instance

[Dr. Van Nostrand]

has there been any news on this album? I almost forgot it existed.

maybe we will get some tidbit this week, maybe some other interview that mentions song titles

Or we could something else.

if they are wanting to release info slowly then with in a month of the release start having tons of info, then another interview of some sort would seem small enough to put out there now. but who knows if they have any kinda strategy for this album

[harmless]

has there been any news on this album? I almost forgot it existed.

maybe we will get some tidbit this week, maybe some other interview that mentions song titles

Or we could something else.

if they are wanting to release info slowly then with in a month of the release start having tons of info, then another interview of some sort would seem small enough to put out there now. but who knows if they have any kinda strategy for this album

I'm just not confident they're planning on any big release of news until the countdown clock is finished. Why put it there otherwise? If they needed a countdown clock to give us the last bits of news (including the tour announcement, which didn't justify a countdown) is there any reason to think we'll get anything without a pointless countdown now?

[Dr. Van Nostrand]

has there been any news on this album? I almost forgot it existed.

maybe we will get some tidbit this week, maybe some other interview that mentions song titles

Or we could something else.

if they are wanting to release info slowly then with in a month of the release start having tons of info, then another interview of some sort would seem small enough to put out there now. but who knows if they have any kinda strategy for this album

I'm just not confident they're planning on any big release of news until the countdown clock is finished. Why put it there otherwise? If they needed a countdown clock to give us the last bits of news (including the tour announcement, which didn't justify a countdown) is there any reason to think we'll get anything without a pointless countdown now?

so you thinking aside from the countdown clock, they have no plans to get press for the release? cuz the clock ends on release day doesnt it?

[stupidmop]

has there been any news on this album? I almost forgot it existed.

maybe we will get some tidbit this week, maybe some other interview that mentions song titles

Every week I think, this week we'll get something! And so far nada.

I do think the no homework thing was just for backspacer. But I do feel like they're in the "five guys making music and going on a tour cause its fun" mode. That's thier own fault though, none of the quotes from this past year scream of enthusiasm or a burning desire to create but that might just be how they talk.

I really wanted this album to be something memorable/important (within the context of the band), coming out of pj20 just to prove why they're awesome.

I dunno fuck all that, I really hope I like it. LB (while ok) and FD (which sucks) both seem a little bland so I'm kind of deflated, but that's only 2 songs and they're live so, here's hoping.

[Dr. Van Nostrand]

has there been any news on this album? I almost forgot it existed.

maybe we will get some tidbit this week, maybe some other interview that mentions song titles

Every week I think, this week we'll get something! And so far nada.

same for me, but i will keep on hoping that this is the week

[stupidmop]

I've definitely had that thought before. I think ed especially uses the situation around him personally to write, and I guess that was just more interesting before he mellowed out and got a family and everything.

A lot on ten (and vs) references eds life up till then. I don't think we would have got vs and vitalogy had they not got super famous and panicked, there's a lot of songs there that directly refer to that whole situation (blood, not for you) and a lot that came from the emotions that came with it. No code was still ed fighting with his audience, and Yeild was created the way it was to keep the band together. Not to say that there weren't songs on those albums that tackled broader issues, but if they hadn't gotten as big as they did and were able to create albums without the outside world batting an eye I think we'd have got different albums completely.

Nowadays thier albums aren't a reaction to anything, they don't need the albums to say anything for them, they're just collections of songs rather than an outlet for any kind of release/reacton to something for ed. Not that they have to be, I'd consider binaural more outward focused, lyrically, and its my favourite album, probably. The next two dont do it aswell I don't think, and backspacer is...backspacer. I guess that's ed writing more about his immediate situation again which is mostly woo life! songs, love songs and wondering about dying songs. But with thier whole "fun" "poppy" and no homework songs thing going on.

I'm not sure ed is forcing things so much as he doesn't get as worked up about them as he did before, they don't inspire as much flat out hatred/vitrol. Maybe he is trying to sound angrier than he is, or maybe he was just better at putting it into a song convincingly back then, sync is about vinyl and go might be about a truck but eds voice still makes them sound intense.

You may not like it but s/t is arguably the album that is most about something concrete in the entire catalog. Most definitely a response to something. So is backspacer to, in a more oblique way. Both are as much if not more so than binauarl, for instance

If I'm honest I haven't put much thought into s/t, its just never grabbed me as a whole. What would you say its about?

I wrote a whole post somewhere with how I think binaural works as a series of character studies during a war/ pre apocalypse. But that might just be me reading too much into my favourite album.

[Heathen]

Well, my opinion is that MYM's 'target' is perfectly clear, given its imagery, helped by the single artwork. Whether you think that target is hackneyed by now is subjective, and if you do, I get that. But I'm not sure Ed is forcing anything. If anything, he's doing something that's easy and recognisable at this point. This doesn't mean that it isn't sincere; it just might not be as fresh. Also, I'm not sure this band was always fighting against something at all. One 'stream' of their work was the fighting against; another stream was the introverted, agnostic searching that you find on every album. So this band had a 'fighting against injustice' angle, but they weren't Rage Against the Machine, who were all fight and no real inner searching. It makes perfect sense to me that in middle age (whether I like it or not), Ed would want to kick back with his family and write about the beauty of life. Even Yield gave us hints of this. And if the success of Into the Wild, wasn't a huge clue, well...

Into the Wild wasn't really about kicking back with your family, having fun and enjoying a settled life though. Pretty much the opposite actually.

Right. I didn't mean to imply that it was. I just meant that it was about observing nature, and quiet reflection on the world around; the criticisms of society took a back seat to the more beautiful 'tree-hugging' stuff about the natural world. I don't necessarily see reflections on domestic family life and love as a very different category.

I don't think ITW the quiet, tree-hugging, enjoying nature thing you're describing. It's not just let's go for a picnic what the sunset and go home. The character leaves everything, leaves his family and society (and criticisms of society definitely are a part of it), and goes out in the wilderness looking for something, looking for himself, looking for whatever he needs (or he feels he needs, same difference). There's a turmoil and quest, and an attempt to fulfill that quest that leads to dramatic consequences for him and his relatives. However naive/silly one may think this quest or the character is, there is nothing quiet about this. The "reflective" songs now seem to be more conservative/materialist, fearing the loss of something/someone, wishing them to come back etc. It's very different IMO.

[harmless]

has there been any news on this album? I almost forgot it existed.

maybe we will get some tidbit this week, maybe some other interview that mentions song titles

Or we could something else.

if they are wanting to release info slowly then with in a month of the release start having tons of info, then another interview of some sort would seem small enough to put out there now. but who knows if they have any kinda strategy for this album

I'm just not confident they're planning on any big release of news until the countdown clock is finished. Why put it there otherwise? If they needed a countdown clock to give us the last bits of news (including the tour announcement, which didn't justify a countdown) is there any reason to think we'll get anything without a pointless countdown now?

so you thinking aside from the countdown clock, they have no plans to get press for the release? cuz the clock ends on release day doesnt it?

Yeah. I guess I wasn't thinking of their intention to get press before the release. Hopefully that's there; maybe my questions are more to do with the fact I'm still wondering what the point of the countdown clock is If they can start a countdown clock for arbitrary info, are we going to get any arbitrary info before the end of this one, and if so, isn't that a bit inconsistent?