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Lightning Bolt!!

freshymadfreshymad Posts: 54
All of the songs on the new album are SO above powerful. It feels like a greatest hits album, only I missed all the quirky songs on the original album that give clues to the context.

For me, since I was young I have had the ritual of sitting with a new record, looking at the booklet or sleeve and listening to the music with headphones. The digital age has taken that away; I download from iTunes; I don't even have a CD drive in my new computer so to be portable it's necessary to download and listen to the crap sounding MP3 files. To listen with good headphones would lead to further frustration with the quality.

I looked forward to Lightning Bolt as one of the few new releases I would ritualize. I thought I may have tarnished that experience; I downloaded MP3s of Mind Your Manners and Sirens; I watched the videos. I fell in love with both songs and repeated with no restraint.

Now I hold the new CD and look at the booklet. The graphics are bold. Every lyric is there. I realize one of my favorite lines I got wrong. Never mind it. I read other lyrics that I heard wrong that are much better now, especially going from "money is mine" to "mine is mine." The intimacy I crave came with Sirens before the album release and I was worried the intimacy with the new album would be lost, but not a chance. I listen and the ritual is still fully functional! Next time though, I think I won't partake in the pre-releases so I don't lose the purity of experiencing the album for the first time.

Getaway: "Find a lighthouse in the dark stormy weather." The word lighthouse is so oddly expressive. "Now make your getaway, oah!" That line cracks me up the way the exit is not a deliverance but a running from, disguised as a fun trip. "Get yours off of my plate." The way the words are sung makes them sound sticky and clingy!

My Father's Son to Sirens: The transition from a deeply angry, tormented and sad song, to the quiet of Sirens is so emotional like after a storm blows through and the sun comes out, and life continues on. I love the hollow guitar in the background dipping from high to low like a bomb dropping or a car rushing by. I missed hearing that in the MP3 of Sirens.

Lightning Bolt: An ode to the creation and life of an immortal song?

Infallible: "Time we best begin, here at the ending." It reminds me of Kant's Categorical Imperative. I love the change in the melody as that line lifts the second time leading into the beautiful guitar solo. The triple beeping guitar notes throughout make me smile because they mock some kind of small, mechanical activity. The opening sounds like U2. Also, I hear Jack White, whose music I adore for it's in-your-face creative simplicity.

Pendulum: The triple notes are continuing in this song, but now they echo. Floors me when Ed sings, "easy left me a long time agoooo." What IS that sound his voice is making? I have never heard anything like it! On first listen, I don't give a shit what this song means because I can't get past the visceral sound. PLEASE play this live in Charlotte. "Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah," Jack White appears again.

I have to stop writing here. I'm thinking too much and I don't want ruin this ride. That last song got me high!
Post edited by Unknown User on

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    Keep Listening. The ride only gets better.

    For me, specifically, "Swallowed Whole" and "Yellow Moon" are the two songs that will be the cause of any sleep deprivation I experience over the next few days.

    Can you imagine these songs live? Especially if they decide to send Mike long on "Swallowed Whole" and let him go for, instead of 32 measures on the solo, say, maybe 64...128...256...?

    And "Yellow Moon?" Jeez, that 3/4, 3/4, 3/4, 3/2 time signature is killer for me. Mike can go long on that second solo, as far as I'm concerned. Great to hear Boom so audible in that song.

    Going to a Pearl Jam concert is great, but it brings its disappointments. Yeah, I want to hear "Crown of Thorns," "Get Right," "Glorified G," "Animal ," "Supersonic," " I Got Id," "Arms Aloft" "State of Love and Trust," "Life Wasted" and so many other classics...but, man, if I don't hear "Swallowed Whole" and "Yellow Moon" on this next tour, I will truly be bummed.

    What a great album! Keep building those sandcastles with your friends, PJ! My daughter and I can't wait to see you in Brooklyn on 10/19 and Philly on 10/22.
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    slightofjeffslightofjeff Posts: 7,749
    Tremendous couple of posts.
    everybody wants the most they can possibly get
    for the least they could possibly do
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    prodacakeprodacake Posts: 319
    I'm totally hooked what an album, the only song that I don't really like is my fathers son. Really really hoping for a European tour next year. Yellow moon has hit me over the past few listens. Great effort by the guys, they really are the best
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    vickisomoyavickisomoya Seattle, WA Posts: 184
    Im so happy to read these posts! Was just at Brooklyn 1 in a sec where literally no one knew the new material. They were looking down and texting or went to get beer....
    I was singing every word with Eddie, because they are just HIS BEST WORDS - ever. Best thing ever....

    And the music makes them absolute visceral poetry. Pendulum hits me sp hard. Infallabile makes me feel and hate the state of the world. Lightning Bolt and Swallowed Whole save me. Yellow Moon puts me to bed in my mother's arms :))))))

    Unbelievable how spot-on each song paints a picture of our world today.

    There isn't much room today for this quality of art to touch so many people.

    It's very special. Listen.
    take the reigns and
    steer us towards the clear here
    I know it's already been sung
    but it can't be said enough
    ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE

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    sesamesesame Posts: 22
    I agree with a lot of the above. My favourite songs atm are infallible and yellow sun - many truly awesome songs though. I don't know how they managed to improve on backspacer, I didn't think it would be possible, and while they are two totally different albums with a five year gap, I think the themes behind this one are just incredible. The pace, tone, layering of sounds, Eddie's characters and poetry, experimenting with effects -all just incredible. I love how Eddie tries to keep building in a lot of songs, and just hits the ceiling - can just imagine him in concert going off at a lot of these songs. I also love the rhythm. Just astounding!

    Cheers,
    Dean.
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    actonplpactonplp Maine Posts: 173
    I really like the song Lightning Bolt, much like Force of Nature, they both have the sound of some really good, old fashioned rock & roll songs.

    Oct. 15, 2013 Worcester, MA
    Aug. 05, 2016 - Fenway Park, Boston
    Oct. 15, 2013 - Worcester, Massachusetts
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    I really love this new album! Just got it from 10C yesterday

    Here's my opinion on Lightning Bolt (in Indonesian): http://wustuk.com/?p=1974 (We got Google Translate for this, right? :D )
    Dear Pearl Jam, please come & play Jakarta, Indonesia
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    eastside1010@hotmail.comeastside1010@hotmail.com Lake Stevens, WA Posts: 2
    I find that with Ed, the lyrics portray him more and more of a caring and loving husband and father. Being 40 years old myself, married, with 2 boys, age 8 and 4, I am brought to tears every time I listen to Sirens. I can't think of a song that makes me feel more happiness and sadness at the same time. Happiness for sharing what time on this earth I can with my family, and knowing they are safe. Sadness because I work away from home in Alaska 6 months out of the year and I constantly fret about their safety, if they're safe, where they are, and feeling helpless that I wont be there to help them if they need it. In short, it hits home. And the rest of the album does as well. Cannot wait to see them in Phoenix and seattle.
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    TJ25487TJ25487 Posts: 1,455
    Its about time this post got made. i'm sick of all the bullshit posts when we have a new PJ classic on our hands and it should be the focus. Great job OP
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    AnnafalkAnnafalk Sweden Posts: 4,004
    I am so happy about this album, so great to have some new songs to fall in love with..
    :D
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    TJ25487TJ25487 Posts: 1,455
    freshymad wrote:
    All of the songs on the new album are SO above powerful. It feels like a greatest hits album, only I missed all the quirky songs on the original album that give clues to the context.

    For me, since I was young I have had the ritual of sitting with a new record, looking at the booklet or sleeve and listening to the music with headphones. The digital age has taken that away; I download from iTunes; I don't even have a CD drive in my new computer so to be portable it's necessary to download and listen to the crap sounding MP3 files. To listen with good headphones would lead to further frustration with the quality.

    I looked forward to Lightning Bolt as one of the few new releases I would ritualize. I thought I may have tarnished that experience; I downloaded MP3s of Mind Your Manners and Sirens; I watched the videos. I fell in love with both songs and repeated with no restraint.

    Now I hold the new CD and look at the booklet. The graphics are bold. Every lyric is there. I realize one of my favorite lines I got wrong. Never mind it. I read other lyrics that I heard wrong that are much better now, especially going from "money is mine" to "mine is mine." The intimacy I crave came with Sirens before the album release and I was worried the intimacy with the new album would be lost, but not a chance. I listen and the ritual is still fully functional! Next time though, I think I won't partake in the pre-releases so I don't lose the purity of experiencing the album for the first time.

    Getaway: "Find a lighthouse in the dark stormy weather." The word lighthouse is so oddly expressive. "Now make your getaway, oah!" That line cracks me up the way the exit is not a deliverance but a running from, disguised as a fun trip. "Get yours off of my plate." The way the words are sung makes them sound sticky and clingy!

    My Father's Son to Sirens: The transition from a deeply angry, tormented and sad song, to the quiet of Sirens is so emotional like after a storm blows through and the sun comes out, and life continues on. I love the hollow guitar in the background dipping from high to low like a bomb dropping or a car rushing by. I missed hearing that in the MP3 of Sirens.

    Lightning Bolt: An ode to the creation and life of an immortal song?

    Infallible: "Time we best begin, here at the ending." It reminds me of Kant's Categorical Imperative. I love the change in the melody as that line lifts the second time leading into the beautiful guitar solo. The triple beeping guitar notes throughout make me smile because they mock some kind of small, mechanical activity. The opening sounds like U2. Also, I hear Jack White, whose music I adore for it's in-your-face creative simplicity.

    Pendulum: The triple notes are continuing in this song, but now they echo. Floors me when Ed sings, "easy left me a long time agoooo." What IS that sound his voice is making? I have never heard anything like it! On first listen, I don't give a shit what this song means because I can't get past the visceral sound. PLEASE play this live in Charlotte. "Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah," Jack White appears again.

    I have to stop writing here. I'm thinking too much and I don't want ruin this ride. That last song got me high!

    After having time to digest this CD I find your assessment very accurate and impressive for having it for such a short time before posting this? Bravo!
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    I'll be honest - I'd been having a little trouble getting into this album at first. There was some like, some not-so-like and some 'what?' about it. It was a bit disappointing. However, I took a break from trying to force myself into it and let it go for a week or so. Came back to it today, and finally it gave me the goosebumps that all Pearl Jam albums do at one point or another. And it was "Lightning Bolt" that did it. That song is like "Force of Nature" and "Love Boat Captain" had a baby that outrocks the both of them. It just SOARS. I'm in love with the first-ever PJ title track.

    I really dig the first three songs and LB, but I'm still having a hard time with a good chunk of the album - none of the ballads are really resonating with me, which is crazy, because I usually live for those things. I'm hoping when I see them next week in LA, they'll open up for me at bit more.
    Toledo 96, Santa Cruz 97, Oakland 97, Phoenix 98, Mountain View 2000, Bridge School 2001, Irvine 2003, San Francisco 2006, Solo Vedder Vancouver 2008, Universal City 2009, LA 2013!
    How I choose to feel is how I am.
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    Last-12-ExitLast-12-Exit Charleston, SC Posts: 8,661
    Im so happy to read these posts! Was just at Brooklyn 1 in a sec where literally no one knew the new material. They were looking down and texting or went to get beer....
    I was singing every word with Eddie, because they are just HIS BEST WORDS - ever. Best thing ever....

    And the music makes them absolute visceral poetry. Pendulum hits me sp hard. Infallabile makes me feel and hate the state of the world. Lightning Bolt and Swallowed Whole save me. Yellow Moon puts me to bed in my mother's arms :))))))

    Unbelievable how spot-on each song paints a picture of our world today.

    There isn't much room today for this quality of art to touch so many people.

    It's very special. Listen.
    The guy next to me in the GA at Charlotte asked me how I learned all the lyrics to the new album so fast. To which I replied "how do you know them? the CD has been out for two weeks."
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    Versus13Versus13 Vancouver, BC Posts: 191
    Bought the album on October 15 and i love it! My favourite has got to be Sirens! Love the hard Mind Your Manners and emotional Future Days. I just got the vinyl version and can't wait to listen to it!
    Pittsburgh, PA 10/11/13
    Detroit, MI 10/16/14
    Tampa, FL 4/11/16
    Jacksonville, FL 4/13/16
    Toronto, ON 5/12/16
    Chicago, IL 8/22/16
    Chicago, IL 8/18/18
    Chicago, IL 8/20/18
    Boston, MA 9/4/18
    Ottawa, ON 9/3/22
    Hamilton, ON 9/6/22
    Toronto, ON 9/8/22
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    This album is incredibly powerful, perhaps one of their best yet. My vinyl arrived late, but it was worth every painful day's wait, and I have been obsessing over it every day since. Lyrically, it is so impressive. Ed's brilliant use and manipulation of language is exceptional. And that voice-- THAT VOICE. The music is so haunting and beautiful, a sophisticated experimentation with sound. Never has their message felt so urgent, the delivery is electric, so passionate. This record is exciting! The energy, the feeling, it is visceral. This is Pearl Jam. Thank you for yet another unparalleled musical experience.

    Just imagine then, what they could sound like in 10 years ... 20 years ...
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