Red Mosquito

5. Lightning Bolt: I'm dying at whoever mentioned Eddie sounding like he's singing the first verse from the bushes.

Honestly I love this song? It seems they perfected the rousing rock anthem they've been trying for for a while. I like it a lot better than Unthought Known. It's just...pure fun. It's pretty rousing, its exciting, the melody and vocals sound good. I love the drums (though they're a bit stiff on the album), and the guitar solos in between verses.

The song grows and evolves as it goes on, it keeps up its momentum, which reminds me of what I liked about some of their earlier songs. The chorus is a bit lame but the guitar makes it worse. Then when it strips back for the "Crashing stormy waves" verse, I'm like...yeah. Then of course Eddie starts yelling, and I'm feeling it too, and then it heads into the ending stretch and its just awesome, I love the drum fills, and the things going on in the background in the ending. And the guitar lines at the end while Eddie sings is great.

BUT!!! But but but....I understand what people mean because this song is TWICE as good live. When Mike gets to unleash at the end with a crazy solo, and I think the mixing is just different....I dunno...whenever I hear this song live it is better than the album, more exciting...and it means this song has wasted potential. BUT its one of the only later songs I LIKE hearing live, so I see it as a good thing. Its my favorite song of theirs live thats in its lane. Like Id way rather hear it than Unthought Known.

6. Infallible: This was definitely one of my favorites on the album when it came out. Its another song that sounds unique and different from their other songs. Cool melody and interesting bounce to it. I still like it, though its another song where Eddie sounds like he's straining for all hes worth to get it out, which affects things when he tries to sing it live. I really like the chorus melody. Don't really like the lyrics at all but whatever, it sounds cool. When Eddie goes up the octave its like O__O and it sounds pretty good.

Oh I don't like the little guitar break bridge thing that comes in before the final chorus. Its ok, but Im just not a big fan. It's kind of cool how the song brings it back down at the end.

7. Pendulum: I know people love this song but I find it boring. It does make a nice opener for a concert though and I like it then, like in 2013. Its vibe works better live with a bit more volume behind it than on the album. It just sounds really good in an arena. I'm not as big a fan of the more mild album version.

I die laughing when I think of somebody on here that posted a video of him singing the "long time a GOOOOOOOOO" part, but then it went to a dog howling.

That part is definitely the best part of the song though, as well as the first time you hear the "Ah ah ah ah ahhhh" part, bringing back in the rest of the band. I listening to it now, also like the guitar at the end. I do like the ending minute in general I guess.

It is unique so I'll give them that I just don't find it very interesting to listen to. Listening to it now I liked it but I wouldn't seek it out

So far I'm being more positive than I thought I was going to be to be quite honest.

8. Swallowed Whole: This one really grew on me. I like the beginning, and then Eddie comes in and its like...this is okay. But when the song moves forward and Eddie goes up the octave and the song starts driving forward, I really do start to like it. I don't like the more rambling middle sections that ends in 'gets swallowed whole' or 'until that daaaay'. Reminds me of songs I don't like much like cropduster.

But when that guitar kicks in and Eddie sings high Im like 'YEAH!'. I like the slide when he sings things like "LOUUUUUD loud loud". And the melodic and rhythmic punch he gives the lines like the "I could feeeel the pouuuund" one.

The one thing I like about the mid sections is I don't like them, so when the guitar solo or the chorus (or is the middle section actually the chorus? idk...) rises out of them I get really into it.

So basically this is a song where the big moments get me and the smaller moments let me anticipate the big moments I actually like, so overall I enjoy it.

Don't like the ending line.

9. Let The Records Play: I don't think I'm alone in finding this song to be the worst on the album maybe, or up there. Its just so...cheesy and its not even interesting.

Also I NEVER remember this song exists. Whenever I hear the opening guitar...whatever the heck that random series of notes is...I'm like..."Oh...this song ..." and once again I remember this album has one more song than I thought it did.

I don't have much to say about it. Its not aggressively bad, its just cheesy and there's nothing really to say about it. Maybe that the part immediately after "Let the Records Play" sounds pretty cool?

10. Sleeping By Myself: I might be alone in this. I LOVE this song! I forgot this song was on here, but this one is one of my favorites on it by far. It seems like a filler, and yet it just sounds great, and Eddie isn't pushing himself to do more than he's capable.

I thought Ukulele songs was pretty boring with just Eddie and a ukulele, but I would love an album of just THIS. Just Eddie and full-band arrangements of those types of songs. I just think the song is a joy to listen to. Love the harmonies, love the guitar (both the rhythm and lead lines), and even love the drums. I think everything is great about this song. Its like that ukulele vibe but with more going on. The harmonies add so much!

The little instrumental section with those drum fills, and "ahhhhhhhhh's" and those sliding guitar lines. And then that part where everything falls out and its just Eddie and the ukulele for just a few seconds...so good.

Such an unexpected surprise, and I am really happy it made this album. It's one of the tracks I'd repeat, it may be the biggest success of the entire album. I honestly do think if they made an album like this it'd be better than their other late-period albums. If this is Eddie now he should embrace it.

11. Yellow Moon: Another strong track at the end here. Seems to fit nicely with Sleeping By Myself. Nice atmosphere and vibe and Eddie's delicate vocals, especially on the verses are nice. Another song ruined by this site because of people saying "moooon changing shape and shit" which is such a wonderful misheard lyric, that I wish it was real and the whole song was written from a similar viewpoint of like a guy really high and staring up at the moon.

I honestly don't really like this song as much when it starts building in the middle section, because I don't find it necessary. I'd rather hear a delicate solo. The solo that is here isn't great. The first half of this song is much better than the second. The longer it goes the less I like it. Oh well. That brings it down a bit. It also grows old by the end.

Man but it's worth it for the first half I guess.

12. Future Days: We were doing so good but then we get to this one. This is what I DON'T want from them, even though it also is a soft feel like the last two. But this one is just a boring ballad, while the others had instrumentation that moved them forward. Is it bad? No, but its nothing special. We already have the much better Sirens on this album. Perhaps their worst album closer?

I actually think it is. (assuming we are counting Immortality and not stupidmop). Its this one or Parting Ways.

I dunno, this song just does absolutely nothing for me at all. Like zero. This song played on the finale (or one of the last episodes at least, I can't remember) of How I Met Your Mother, and I'm sad this song of all songs is the song on this album to be immortalized. I'm not even opposed to Eddie singing this kind of song, I just don't find this to be a particularly good one.

So we limp over the finish.

Honestly there are two minutes left in this song but I just want to wrap it up because I know there's nothing happening in those two minutes. Actually...there was a decent little bridge but that's it. This song feels so long. Maybe it would be better if they pulled a The End, and made it very short.

Overall: So honestly I liked the album more than I thought, because there are some good songs on it. But I just never feel like listening to it/them, and I don't feel like the album makes a very cohesive album. It just seems like a list of decent songs.

Eddie's vocals don't sound good on the album on most songs, he strains on a lot of songs, and his bizarre vocal delivery and pronunciation of simple words continues throughout. It features an opening and closing track that both must be the worst or second to worst in the catalog, and it didn't produce many good live songs, because for the most part, the songs that are strengths on the album (MFS, Sirens, Infallible) he can't sing live anyways.

Probably the best addition to the live shows was Lightning Bolt itself, which feels like a song they'd been searching for for a very long time, and probably every time Eddie plays RITFW or Baba O Riley he wishes he had an anthem rock song that wasn't a cover. They have improved it a lot from the album version and its the one song I would be excited to hear and disappointed if I didn't. The album version needed to change the mixing on the end, and let McCready solo.

I also enjoy Yellow Moon and Pendulum live. MYM is always played which disappoints me, as its not as good as the band apparently thinks it is, and the addition of Future Days as a possible Encore 1 song is sad.

Sleeping By Myself is something PJ should explore more of, it was a highlight.

(tiers in no order besides album order)
Best songs:My Father's Son, Sirens, Lightning Bolt (especially live), Sleeping By Myself
Great Songs: Infallible
Good Songs: Swallowed Whole, Yellow Moon
OK songs: Getaway, Pendulum
OK songs, but I don't like it because they won't stop playing it: Mind Your Manners
Bad songs: Let the Records Play, Future Days

good read

Parting Ways > Future Days

yeah, solid posting there mikejones. good points all around. you had me until you said Parting Ways was one of their worst closers

tragabigzanda wrote:

bodysnatcher wrote:yeah, solid posting there mikejones. good points all around. you had me until you said Parting Ways was one of their worst closers

Team MJD. Parting Ways is a snoozer.

You guys are nuts.

tragabigzanda wrote:

bodysnatcher wrote:yeah, solid posting there mikejones. good points all around. you had me until you said Parting Ways was one of their worst closers

Team MJD. Parting Ways is a snoozer.

Man, you are terrible.

Im ok with Parting Ways > Future Days, its just the two closers I don't really like. I love Release, All Or None, Immortality, and Indifference, and think most of the other ones are good. Parting Ways is kind of boring to me, and Future Days is REALLY boring to me

So... Is it time to re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-rank the album closers?

I'm fairly certain that PJ has 2 different songs called Future Days that weren't given proper titles yet, and when Ed told BoB to add Future Days to the tracklist, he grabbed the wrong tape

E.H. Ruddock wrote:

tragabigzanda wrote:

bodysnatcher wrote:yeah, solid posting there mikejones. good points all around. you had me until you said Parting Ways was one of their worst closers

Team MJD. Parting Ways is a snoozer.

Man, you are terrible.

I'm with trag and MJD here.

Birds in Hell wrote:

E.H. Ruddock wrote:

tragabigzanda wrote:

bodysnatcher wrote:yeah, solid posting there mikejones. good points all around. you had me until you said Parting Ways was one of their worst closers

Team MJD. Parting Ways is a snoozer.

Man, you are terrible.

I'm with trag and MJD here.

Man, you are terrible.

darth_vedder wrote:

Birds in Hell wrote:

E.H. Ruddock wrote:

tragabigzanda wrote:

bodysnatcher wrote:yeah, solid posting there mikejones. good points all around. you had me until you said Parting Ways was one of their worst closers

Team MJD. Parting Ways is a snoozer.

Man, you are terrible.

I'm with trag and MJD here.

Man, you are terrible.

My whole world is being turned upside down

Parting Ways is probably top 5 Pearl jam, my favorite song from the 2000s by this band.

Birds in Hell wrote:

E.H. Ruddock wrote:

tragabigzanda wrote:

bodysnatcher wrote:yeah, solid posting there mikejones. good points all around. you had me until you said Parting Ways was one of their worst closers

Team MJD. Parting Ways is a snoozer.

Man, you are terrible.

I'm with trag and MJD here.

Team TragMJD in Hell

actually it's pretty good. I just think it's overrated.


Nice read MJD. Except MYM is excellent. best song on the album. Best song on the last two albums.

Parting Ways is a fuckin masterpiece.

stip wrote:

Birds in Hell wrote:

E.H. Ruddock wrote:

tragabigzanda wrote:

bodysnatcher wrote:yeah, solid posting there mikejones. good points all around. you had me until you said Parting Ways was one of their worst closers

Team MJD. Parting Ways is a snoozer.

Man, you are terrible.

I'm with trag and MJD here.

Team TragMJD in Hell

Parting Ways is a decent song, but I also think it can be kind of a bore. Definitely not one of PJ's best.

PHATJ wrote:

stip wrote:

Birds in Hell wrote:

E.H. Ruddock wrote:

tragabigzanda wrote:

bodysnatcher wrote:yeah, solid posting there mikejones. good points all around. you had me until you said Parting Ways was one of their worst closers

Team MJD. Parting Ways is a snoozer.

Man, you are terrible.

I'm with trag and MJD here.

Team TragMJD in Hell

Parting Ways is a decent song, but I also think it can be kind of a bore. Definitely not one of PJ's best.

Mid tier. Never sort it out tbh.