Lightning Bolt: the official album thread

[Dr. Van Nostrand]

Franzi Schwade
LIGHTNING BOLT -- PRE-LISTENING
Our Opinions on the songs

So guys, I (Franzi) can't really describe music but I tell you the overall feel of the songs & I tried to get an idea of the lyrics, if I could understand Ed
Chris knows more about music, he added his comments after mine Enjoy!

F = Franzi says
C = Chris says

1. Getaway
F: We got this song twice because of a cd-error the first time. I liked it more after the second listen.
It's a faster mid-tempo song I would say. Not nearly as fast as MYM, but still one of the Top3 fast songs on the album.
Ed is slightly screaming the whole time. I guess the lyrics are about faith. Didn't understand much, but it's
more of an optimistic song.
lyrics snippets "hey heyy...it's ok" ... "it's alright"... (often)
"It's alright, I got my own way to believe" is a line that appeared more than once.
"sometimes you find yourself"...
Sounds strange, but it felt kind of right to the melodies.
C: Bass doubles the vocals in the verse - if I had a guitar while listening, I would have figured it out, but now I forgot about it

2. MYM
F: you know that one
C: Yeah.

3. My Father's Son
F: It's a strange one, couldn't describe it. Ed's voice sounds unfamiliar at the beginning, I thought that Stone sang first, too.
Mid-tempo. Really something new.
C: Could catch one line which was something like "My mother...she's a work of art". The verse is almost only vocals, drums and very much bass...
very bassy...dark atmosphere IMO. I like that song as I generally like challenging song structures I thought the bridge is very funny - like a poppy tune making fun of something.

4. Sirens
F: It's a beautiful one, Chris and I thought from the beginning that it sounded a bit like Pink Floyd, kind of like Mother.
At the start he sings several times:
"Hear the sirens..."
It's more of a slow song, but has a nice mood to it, feels lonely, like being alone somewhere at night, just my opinion.
I guess it's a heartbreak song, although I didn't understand most of the lyrics.
There is a guitar solo in it with notes that reminded me of binaural-area solos of mike, but I'm really no guitar expert
It has a catchy melody between the chorus, don't know if that's the bridge or the verses, but I think it will grow on you the more you listen to it.
Overall I think it's a classic PJ song (without being cheesy) that many people will love.
C: It's a long song. In the end, this line gets repeated over and over: "The fear goes away...". The song has a short and rather calm Mike solo.

5. Lightning Bolt
F: To me it really sounds similar to the live version, no big surprise here. Not my favorite song, but the production sounds nice.
It's got an awful fade out at the end & a guitar solo in between. But you know the rest
C:Sometimes I find fade-outs suitable, sometimes I don't. For this one it's ok for me. But I always wonder with what kind of song end they would come up if they play it live...and sometimes they would become very creative about that and I'd love to hear that on an album as well.

6. Infallible
F: It's an unusual PJ song, It has strong drum (and bass) lines and not so much guitar. The music sounds a bit aggressive & has a
more contemporary feel to it than the usual stuff. Eds voice is still in the normal range as a contrast to the more loud music
Lyric snippet if I heard it right
"put your faith in good hands,
pay no more than a glance"
"you think you've been here before"
(oh god, how embarrassing if these lyrics would be totally wrong, but I had to write fast )
It gets screamier at the end & to me it feels a bit like alternative rock in the direction of the newer Foo Fighters songs.
It has a few voice overlays at the end.
& a fade-out again.
C: I found it to be rather long as well. Multiple guitars, backwards played open the song. The rhythm then is very "stompy" IMO. I wrote up some rhythmic notations amd guesses a few harmonies (for some of the other songs too) but find it now hard to remember or express.

7. Pendulum
F: I loved Pendulum. I picture Ed in a dark and moody room, like in a club, but the feeling is very lonely.
Eds voice is very soft and extremely in front of the music (you actually can understand the lyrics very well). The lyrics are very dark.
"my shadow left me long ago"
"understand where we d(w)on't go
this may pass
this may last"
It's really dark and kind of trippy.
It has a strang "a-ah-ah-a-..." part at the end. not his typically "hiiihiii"
There is also a Tambourine which makes the song sound even weirder and it ends with a few fast drum beats, very unique.
C: Echo-y Piano Intro, like in a big hall. Dark mood overall.

8. Swallowed Whole
F: It's the song that reminded me of Backspacer the most.
The lyrics are very environmental.
"I can feel the dawn,
I can feel the earth,
I can feel the living"
"Where's the song inside the wind?" (several times)
mid-tempo
C: Has a rather fast riff, mainly played by an acoustic guitar. Eigth notes, and, if you know what I mean, to count: 1,2,3,1,2,3,1,2 (emphasizing the "1" - a classic alternative rock rhythm). I find the chorus rather "poppy". I noted an "OK" judging the song while listening. But, who know, if it evolves in my ears

9. Let The Records Play
F: It's a fun and ironic rock'n'roll song. It's really catchy and easy to listen to but I think it will get boring after time, at least for me.
It has a break shortly before the end & then more solo guitar and instrumental music for about 20 seconds til the end.
C: I'm with Franzi - Rock'N'Roll riffs (the verse and fragments here and there), sounds rather ironic (without recognizing the lyrics). If I am right, Mike plays slide guitar licks and a slide guitar solo with wah-wah effect. I also noted: "Bridge!" I guess I liked it

10. Sleeping By Myself
F: It's similar to the Uke version, it's more folky, in the direction of Mumford&Sons. With vocal harmonies from the band.
There are louder instrumental parts between the choruses, then the music gets in the background, Eds voice to front & back again.
I wrote "feels displaced". It's just a strange place on the album & Brendan told later that he was the one who wanted this song on the album so bad,
soooo. It's his fault. Would be more fitting as a b-side.
C: There is a "solo" (related to the vocal melody) as an instrumental bridge before the last chorus, I guess. I made a footnote: "Almost trivial." I recognized an Ukulele at the end of the song.

11. Yellow Moon
F: It's a slower song, reminded me of Mark Lanegans Bleeding Muddy Water.
It had a few lyrics with metaphers of the sky & falling stars and stuff.
Otherwise, for the first listen there's not so much I could write about it.
C: In the verse it has a odd time signature: 6/8 - 5/8 ... I noted "echo-y vocals" and something like a dark "fairy tale".

12. Future Days
F: You all heard it. It's really cheesy It has a light echo effect on Eds voice and vocal harmonies. Also it's more like an Ed song, only little soft background music.
The end has the cheesy keyboard. But I guess all the non-PJ-fans will love it, haha.
C: I never found that song too cheesy but considered it to be a challenge to accept it in the catalogue, haha. I like the production...I understand why the piano fits into it...but I could live without a piano here

All in all, I think those are great songs, so, even if I might don't like one or the other, maybe you'll love them.

[Dr. Van Nostrand]

Ok i`ll try to write some thoughts. It`s really impossible to give a real review case after one listen i can never judge a Pearl Jam album. So it might be that after 5 listens i would write the complete opposite. I even might mix up some songs cause like 10 minutes after i heard it i forgot most of it

Getaway:
- pretty catchy uptempo song. It`s nothing crazy innovative but a great opener for the album i would say. I think the second verse was only voice and drums which was pretty cool. The melody is really catchy and you can sing along after first verse. But yeah it`s a bit - don`t know how to say it but it`s like a mixture of some PJ songs i heard before. So when i heard this i was a bit afraid that they really don`t have anything new to say...

- MYM:
You know that already. Only think i would say that it`s the fasted song on the record.

- My Fathers Son:
When it started i remember me saying what is that? That`s not Eddie singing! But it was Eddie First i really thought it`s Stone singing. Might just be because the room was pretty noisy. Other than that i think it was decent but a bit too long. Got a bit bored towards the end.

- Sirens:
I have to say i did not liked this song very much. I was really disappointed with this one because of all the hype. It`s a pretty (too) radio friendly ballad. Comparing it with Black is a joke too me. It was still interesting the guitars sounded a bit like 80 rock too me. But yeah I think i liked this song the least of all.

- Lighning Bolt:
I liked it much more than the live version we`ve all heard. I think it might be in my top 4 of this album.

- Infallible:
Liked this one a lot too! It has a nice Groove. Reminded me a bit of No Way. It`s not like No Way but the way a simple powerfull groove dominates this song just reminded me of it. Don`t remember much more only that i really liked it.

- Pendulum:
Really nice slow song with a psychedelic touch. Brandon said they recorded this one already for Backspacer but it didn`t made it...

- Swallowed Whole:
Didn`t really got into this one. It reminded me of something from Into The Wild but one of the more upbeat songs like Setting Forth..

- Let The Records Play:
Easily one of my favs. Good old school blues rock. Sounded like Black Rebel Motorcycle Club meets Black Keys!
Really nice can`t wait to hear it again.

- Sleeping By Myself:
I don`t know... It`s a bit like a joke. It`s not that much different than the Uke version but with a funny groove. Don`t know how to say it but it`s difficult to find a reason why this one should be on the album. It really feels like a joke. Not in a bad way but just like they make fun of themselves or something.

- Yellow Moon
Don`t know felt it was a bit boring.

- Future Days
Eddies voice is great but still it`s a bit boring to me.

So all in all i think it`s pretty great but the ending (last 3 songs) for me felt a bit like filler material. Like they had not enough and just put some Eddie solo material at the end. The album is heavy on production. Even more than Backspacer i would say. I have to say i liked it cause that`s what they should do in the studio but i`m sure there will be some people complaining about. So for me it a bit like Backspacer but with more depth and a bit more experimentation.
Ok that`s it for know. I realize this might not really help people to get an idea of the album. In the end it`s really impossible to say anything after one listen And again often the songs i don`t like first become my favorites later and the other way around so don`t take this too serious...

[Dr. Van Nostrand]

Legitimate beefs with BoB's input here (from the sounds of things). Talk of early fade-outs (again), the fucking inclusion of Sleeping By Myself which from what I'm hearing sounds pointless when OTE is still MIA, the fact that it sounds like the studio version of Future Days sucks too, etc. I used to look forward to him being their producer but I have to say I'm really hoping the go separate ways for the 11th album. And yeah I realize I haven't heard the album yet...

I was about to say that Of The Earth may not fit the album. But it sounds like SBM doesn't fit either. I'm hoping OTE is a secret track or a bside, maybe to Lightning Bolt single.

They know we want it because it was mentioned in an article that it wouldn't be on the album, so if they do release a 2nd single, they really should release ote as a b side if it is recorded

I would definitely not put any hope into this happening.

I won't

[Iowaska_Experience]

Watch out Doc. Iowaska_Experience has a DvN mask and has been PM'ing Chloe.

Does anyone have a new avatar I can use?

[Dr. Van Nostrand]

Watch out Doc. Iowaska_Experience has a DvN mask and has been PM'ing Chloe.

Does anyone have a new avatar I can use?

You are good
Im gonna be switching up tomorrow or Thursday

[gems and rhinestones]

Watch out Doc. Iowaska_Experience has a DvN mask and has been PM'ing Chloe.

Does anyone have a new avatar I can use?

You are good
Im gonna be switching up tomorrow or Thursday

I would wait til Friday.

[WtOB?]

thanks doc.

looks like sirens might be the 2nd single then.

[NothingBetterMan]

It's too bad Anonymous doesn't want to take on leaking this album as their next cause. Seems fuckin' noble to me.

[McParadigm]

It's too bad Anonymous doesn't want to take leaking on this album as their next cause. Seems fuckin' noble to me.

[harmless]

Reading that long review again, everything seemed positive except for FD.

[Sgt. Crackpot]

Watch out Doc. Iowaska_Experience has a DvN mask and has been PM'ing Chloe.

Does anyone have a new avatar I can use?

[WtOB?]

Reading that long review again, everything seemed positive except for FD.

sleeping by myself sounds redundant too.

[harmless]

Reading that long review again, everything seemed positive except for FD.

sleeping by myself sounds redundant too.

Depends how much you like the sound of it, I guess. If a Mumford & Sons treatment gets mentioned, I'm in. It sounds like they may have done what I wanted them to. If it's the odd one out stylistically I don't really care as long as I like it. I think that's a relatively small complaint, given recent times. 'Halfway There' apparently didn't fit Soundgarden's album; I was OK with it. 'Everything' didn't fit NIN's album; I was OK with it. So we'll see.

[harmless]

I guess, at the end of the day, every PJ album includes a song someone thinks is 'redundant'.

[McParadigm]

Watch out Doc. Iowaska_Experience has a DvN mask and has been PM'ing Chloe.

Does anyone have a new avatar I can use?

[Revelator]

Legitimate beefs with BoB's input here (from the sounds of things). Talk of early fade-outs (again), the fucking inclusion of Sleeping By Myself which from what I'm hearing sounds pointless when OTE is still MIA, the fact that it sounds like the studio version of Future Days sucks too, etc. I used to look forward to him being their producer but I have to say I'm really hoping the go separate ways for the 11th album. And yeah I realize I haven't heard the album yet...

I was about to say that Of The Earth may not fit the album. But it sounds like SBM doesn't fit either. I'm hoping OTE is a secret track or a bside, maybe to Lightning Bolt single.

They know we want it because it was mentioned in an article that it wouldn't be on the album, so if they do release a 2nd single, they really should release ote as a b side if it is recorded

I would definitely not put any hope into this happening.

I won't

I'm not either, but it's a pretty damn good idea...to actually provide b-sides with your singles again. That's probably why it won't happen. The SBM thing pisses me off more and more every time I think of it. Must be time for a beer. All in all though the more descriptive review did keep my hopes positive for this album, despite my aforementioned issues with BoB's contributions

[harmless]

SBM is really not a worry for me at all. All in all, I'm only worried for a couple of cheesy choruses and FD. So I'd say my hopes are middling still.

[WtOB?]

eddie doesn't want to whore out b-sides. we'll have to wait till kurtleon gets it to us.

[Walker Bait]

Yellow Moon will be wonderful by the way. I can feel that in my tummy.

You're right...I can feel it in my balls.

[harmless]

Low Light II please. K thnx.