Lightning Bolt reviews

[Olikatie]

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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.

[Olikatie]

http://www.theskyiscrape.com/2013/09/re ... begin.html

[thefrenchconnection]

And now to the Brendan O'Brien Q&A and the press promo video that they
showed us before listening to the album.

The video was around 10 minutes long & featured parts of the songs Sirens,
Mind Your Manners, Lightning Bolt & Getaway.
Getaway was an early mix and sounded really different then what we heard on
the record later, Brendan apologized for ruining the song in that first
video.
You could see snippets of the MYM music video, interviews with the whole
band, and Ed alone in his car & in the studio archive or something like
that.
Ed talked mostly, but the projector was really dark and the sound quality
not that good so that we couldn't understand anything.
Mike talked about Sirens being the song he's most proud of, Ed talked about
waves (no surprise, haha) & that songwriting is like a wave, once you are
on there you can swim.
Ed also said that he is always relieved after a new album is finished and
that he likes to see what's next.
He also talked about the inspiration to the lyrics or album in general,
that it's about what's going on on the planet. (But, isn't it always? )
You can also see Ed rocking out in his car to the new record, haha.

So, now to the Q&A.

Brendan talked about how he and the band first got together. They toured
europe at that time (1992) and asked Brendan to fly over for their gig in
Nuremberg (Rock im Park) &
he really came all the way to europe for them.
Then he was asked about Of The Earth and I probably understood the first
part wrong because I think he said it was recorded for the last record, but
then someone asked again and B said it was never recorded because it just
didn't fit, but he liked the song live. I thought that was weird.
We then asked what he knew about the new leaks Cold Confession & let it
ride, but he said he never heard of them. I don't trust him on that one

Then the topic changed to Sleeping By Myself. B said something about it
being PJ written, which I didn't understand, maybe he meant that Ed
initially thought this would be a PJ song but later put it on his solo
record. Brendan loooved the song and wanted it on a PJ record badly so he
convinced the band to do a band version of it.

He then talks about the recording process, that in the past he was the one
with little kids who had to leave recording sessions to be with his family
and now the opposite is the case with them all having families. They don't
always record in Atlanta anymore, try to be more near Seattle. They
produced the songs in LA & mixed them in Seattle this time. B didn't seem
to like it that much, he said something about all (the band) being more
concentrated if they are somewhere farer away without much distraction.
They bring there own recordings or song drafts to the studio and then they
work on them/select them together. Ed wants to please everyone and tries to
sing on all the music they bring in, he also finishes the songs. He said
that to the band it's clear, that they wouldn't do a great album without
Ed. That sounded a bit strange to me
B can't remember them ever writing songs together. He said it's always that
someone brings something in and then they go over it later, but not really
like for example a Stone&Mike song or something like that. They are more on
their own while songwriting.

Pendulum was recorded for Backspacer but later didn't fit.
They also got a couple songs leftover from the LB session.

B has nothing to do with a Lost Dogs II kind of album, he is there for
focusing on the future and the new stuff.

Infallible is a Jeff song, Sirens is from Mike & Let The Records Play is a
Stone song. B said that he thinks there's no Matt song on LB.

He also told us (because of the years between the albums) that Ed has to be
ready. Like, they all wait for Ed to give his ok, because he is the main
force for writing. Otherwise the recording process is more democratic than
in other bands.
& B told he always takes his time for PJ records, especially because they
record so little, so it's only around 40 studio days in 3 years.

We then asked if he enjoyed his Birthday Wishes we all sent him from
Belfast in 2010 and he said he liked it very much & that his daughters
organized it and he was really surprised. They played it in the evening at
his house on a big screen

B was asked about the Mirrorball tour and said that he had a blast doing
that and that Neil made a great choice, asking PJ to play with him. He also
said that he wouldn't really want to tour again because he is more a studio
kind of guy and not made for touring
He then was asked about Wrigley and just told that Ed was really grumpy
because of the delay.

& he told that there will be a new Gaslight Anthem album in January, don't
know if that's stuff everybody already knows, but maybe it's good news for
some of you.

END OF THE Q&A

The fans had enough time to ask questions, even several, I think ONLY fans
asked questions, no one from the press did.

[Monkey Wrench]

C'est quand même toujours compliqué de se faire une idée en lisant ces reviews faites par des personnes certes pleines de bonne volonté, mais dont on ne connait pas les goûts de base, ni si elles "sentent" la musique de la même manière que chacun d'entre nous.

Fredbab, ça m'aurait bien aidé si tu avais été à Berlin hier par exemple parce que je me retrouve quasi toujours dans tes remarques/avis musicaux !!!

[Yeni]

Benz, that was your vinyl? Haha...we saw that and wanted to steal it, but then it was gone suddenly!

I couldn't agree more with Martin, that's definitely how I felt too. Well, except that I thought from the start that I might like this album better than Backspacer

Sirens & Getaway are very catchy. At least those are the 2 songs that are stuck in my head today. It's funny, yesterday I couldn't remember the melodies anymore but this morning they were back in my head. Chris could play a few chords of sirens on guitar, he might make a little video clip today

And it is really sooo hard, because now that I know the songs I want to listen to them even more, but it's only 38 days if I counted correctly.

The London soundcheck is Infallible, we recognized it straight away today, there is a special melody at the end of the verses or something like that that Chris wrote down & the rhythm is really quite unique to the other songs on the record.

Pendulum might also be one of my favorites, as is Sirens. I want to hear those damn songs again!!! Hopefully they'll leak soon
I wrote that Bleeding Muddy Water by Lanegan reminded me of the song Yellow Moon, I can't describe why, it's moody too. I just had this Lanegan song stuck in my head the whole time while Yellow Moon played, I guess that there might be a similar melody.

Oh boy, bring on october!!

[Yeni]

AMSTERDAM

[dvi2702]

SiriusXM Offers Fans a Town Hall Q&A with Pearl Jam:http://www.theskyiscrape.com/2013/09/siriusxm-offers-fans-town-hall-q-with.html

[Yeni]

[Yeni]

[Yeni]

Ok,,, my thoughts on Lightning Bolt.

It's a good album. But I also find it very hard to judge fully based off one listen.
I'm very much a lyrics person. I need to sit and listen to it few times with headphones on and no distractions.
I need to hear the music AND the lyrics. I want to take it all in, and grasp what they are actually singing about.
It was a busy place! Not to crowded, but enough press people there, I guess it was just an everyday thing for them.
A lot more talking going on than I wanted. (from Press People)
Made it noisy and hard to fully hear some parts of it.

I was not able to take notes. I was seriously let in at the very last minute. I wasn't on the list and didn't win the contest to be there. But it was The Ramones Museum,,, And I Believe in Miracles.
A Miracle Happened, and I got in!

So off Memory ( and from reading Franzi and Chris's reviews, which jogged my memory on some songs)
I was able to remember and write out some of my own thoughts.

Getaway... First song it seemed catchy. I remember it had a good beat and I enjoyed it. An upbeat faster tempo.
Not nearly as fast MYM, but it was good.

Mind Your Manners... We all know it. No explanation needed.

My Father's Son... I remember thinking this song was very different. Different how? Honestly,, I don't know how to describe it. I just remember it was very different.

Sirens... I loved this one! It's long and a slow song. I remember the lyrics "Hear the Sirens.. Hear the Sirens" I also remember a nice guitar solo. I see this a classic PJ ballad that fans are going to like.

Lightning Bolt... Again we have all heard this

Infallible... Honestly I can't remember a lot of this one. I think I remember liking this... But Honestly, I can't really give you any good thoughts or description on this one.

Pendulum.... I remember really liking this song also. Kind of a dark slow song.
Found it interesting that Brendan O'Brien said it was suppose to be on Backspacer but it was cut.

Swallowed Whole... Don't remember a lot of this one either. But after the show and discussing it with Franzi and Chris, Chris pointed out "Swallowed Whole" was a lyric in the Song, Unthought Known.
"Swallowed Whole in Negatives" I found this very interesting and something I hadn't really thought about.
Really want to listen close on this one again. See if I find any similarities to Unthought known. Or if it's pure coincidence.

Let The Records Play... Fun Catchy Rock Song. I think I will like it more as I listen to it. For some reason in my head I was thinking it would be something along the lines of Spin the Black Circle. But it definitely was not.
All in all I do remember enjoying the song.

Sleeping By Myself... Disappointed. I really do like the song. Great lyrics and Great song. But I wanted them to change it up. Make it a super rock song, something totally different than the Uke Version. It seemed Very Folk like.
And you do notice just a small bit of the Uke at the end of the song. Maybe I'll like it more after listening to it a bit.
But it seemed out of place on the album.
Brendan O'Brien said HE was the one who pushed to have this song on the album. HE wanted it on.

Yellow Moon... It was a slower song. Don't remember a lot of details on it though.

Future Days... Again we have all heard it by now.

All in all, I enjoyed the album. A lot more slower songs than I expected. I thought there would be a lot more Real Faster Rock type songs after hearing Mind Your Manners. (MYM is certainly the fastest song on the album)
But I did enjoy it.
I can't wait to listen to it all again, and REALLY process all the songs and lyrics on a more personal level.

Just remember, everyone is different!
You may think the total opposite of me when you hear it for yourself!
Keep an open mind and listen for yourself!
Then Decide.

It was awesome to be able to be a part of this. And nice to get some insight directly from Brendan O'Brien himself.

I felt very fortunate to be included. Especially when I wasn't even on the list to actually go. The German fans welcomed me with open arms. I spoke no German at all, but everyone was incredibly kind to me! All curious why/how I came from NYC when I wasn't even sure I could get in.
'You have to much money to spend, so you come to see if you can get in and listen?"
We all had a good laugh over that, after I explained myself.

I met some really great people! And am certain I'll be in touch with them all again soon! Several of them I will get to see again next month for the fall tour!

Bring On Oct 15th... I need to hear it all again!

[Yeni]

Exclusive listening session, September 4th 2013, Melkweg, Amsterdam.

The listening session took place in a small cinema room with a large
screen and about 60 seats, with us taking the first row. This turned
out to be a good place to listen to the album because everybody kept
quiet when the album was played, like you would also do in a real
cinema. It started off with a 10 min video promo in which we were
shown bits and pieces of the songs and interviews with the band which
were done by 4 different persons, mainly Judd Apatow, Carrie
Brownstein, Mark Richards and Steve Gleason. These were just really
short cuts and I bet we will get to see the complete interviews later
on, perhaps as a part of the digital package.
Steve Gleason started with saying it's been 5 years since the last
record, what the fuck? Which made the band just sit there and laugh.
The record was described as a stormy dark imagery and Ed said that you
just needed to pay attention to the planet to find something to get
angry about pretty quick. Carrie asked about hearing loss because of
the loud songs in the past and Mike said he suffered from tinnitus
right at that very moment. He is really proud about Sirens and it was
said that Ed stayed up the night before in Los Angeles, writing the
lyrics, and hearing the sirens at night and writing about that.
Jeff said he was writing more the last 4 or 5 years. Ed compared the
record to a flophouse and that he was always glad to finish an album
so he could kick out the current tenants, meaning the songs, and he
hoped the new ones would behave better. The promo ended with Ed and
Danny Clinch sitting in a car getting ready to listen to the new album
and when it started, the volume was too loud and they couldn't turn it
down, which made Ed turn it up even more instead, to the point of
distortion.

Then it was time to listen to the album itself.

Getaway (+/- 3:00)
I brought a stopwatch to time the songs, but I was too excited so I
forgot to time Getaway but it's about 3 minutes long. The song itself
sounds hip and fresh and could easily been written by one of the
current rock bands. The song started with the lyric "Everyone's a
critic", which I guess will prove itself once the record is out.
Other lyrics included '"Find a lighthouse in dark stormy weather",
"it's ok,....make your getaway". The song had a start/stop feel to it
and ended with a guitar shredding outro.

Mind Your Manners (2:40)
The sound on this was much clearer than Getaway to me, but all the
songs were in a compressed format anyway so it was hard to tell
exactly what caused the difference.

My Father's Son (3:02)
This song begins with some spoken wordish lyrics a la 'Bushleaguer'
about insemination and getting a release. This song had a pleasant
rhythm (my notes read tadadadum), and halfway it descends it something
a bit slower and with more bass. The way the lyrics were sung here
reminded me of 'Johnny Guitar'.

Sirens (5:37)
It starts off with the line "Hear the Sirens" x 3 and something about
a circus profound. I liked the start of the song but later on it
becomes a bit more like a power ballad, but the "Hear the Sirens" line
might save it. Need to hear it more to make a better judgement. It
ends with a guitar solo that reminded me of something you would hear
on a Guns N' Roses song.

Lightning Bolt (4:35)
This song features a piano and a guitar fade out. It felt to me like
this song will work better live than on the album somehow.

Infallible (5:15)
This is the song that was played during the soundcheck in London,
Ontario this year, only it has a different intro than the way it
started live. Lyrics featured lines such as "Keep on locking your
doors", "Won't get you this time", "Ships coming in and sinking",
"Thinking we're infallible, we're tempting faith instead". It features
a guitar solo and ends with a fade out.

Pendulum (3:36)
This one starts with some drums and lyrics "We are here and then we're
gone", "My shadow left me long ago", "Understand what we don't know".
Later in this song the guitar sounds a bit like a slide guitar. It's
definitely a darker song, also because of the lyrics which further
include "Into the fire but still I'm cold", "Nothing works for me
anymore". Ed later on starts singing "ah-ah-ah-ah-ah" and singing over
this as well. I liked the different layers of this song. Could become
one of my favourites on this album.

Swallowed Whole (3:49)
I pictured this song to be more somber but it actually is quite a lot
more happy sounding. It begins with some nice strumming guitar sound
and the lyrics seemed to be more darker than the song itself. It
features some rhyme repeating words like drown, drown, drown and loud,
loud, loud, the currents pull me down, the songs are like wind,
breathing forgiveness. Thinking back on it, it could have the same
meaning as 'In Hiding' and it definitely features typically Ed ocean
imagery. Enjoyed this song as well, also because of the way it was
sung. Ends with a guitar solo.

Let The Records Play (3:42)
The most blues rock song on the album but with a fun feel to it and
therefore it stands out from the others, like someone in a party mood
suddenly enters a room where others are having a serious discussion.
Typically a goofy Stone song. Lines include "When the kingdom comes,
he puts the records on", "Shaking but waking, wisdom in his bones".
Features a Stone solo and handclaps (according to my fellow companions
but I did not notice them myself) and ends with a fade out. This song
could go any which way after a few listens. Difficult to say if it
stays with you or not.

Sleeping By Myself (2:59)
Considering the reactions this song got from the rest of the company I
was in, most people are going to shit all over this song. Brendan
O'Brien even said they had a hard time making this song sound less
commercial, which makes you wonder you even more about what the other
versions of this song sounded like.
This is definitely the Speed of Sound of this album. I actually still
kind of liked it. It's as if they made a happier sounding version of
this song, like it is actually quite swell to be sleeping by oneself.
I wrote down that this version reminded me of 'Soon Forget'. It still
features a uke as well. Looking forward to people's reaction to this
once the album is officially out.

Yellow Moon (3:47)
Here we arrive at my personal favourite song on the album. I was even
singing along halfway into the song, which prompted Mirella to shush
me. Not really sure what made me like the song so much but it was just
like seeing a great jacket in a shop and when you try it on it fits
like a glove. It could have been the words as well, which went
something like "Here far away, feel the earth vibrate, the moon
chasing shape", "Round we go, where we stop no one knows", "As the sky
grows dark, we're falling stars". The chorus goes "Yellow moon on the
rise" with the rise part being sung as riiiiiiiise. Looking forward to
hearing this song again soon.

Future Days (4:20)
The album version opens with a piano, at least to me it sounded like a
real piano and not a keyboard. A lot of different instruments can be
heard on this song. A mandolin, a violin. I asked Brendan about it and
he said that only the violin was played by someone outside the band
and the rest was all played by the band itself and Brendan. The
beginning is just a single guitar with Ed singing. The song itself has
a Springsteen feel to it. It ends with the piano as well and
eventually fades out. Lots of fades on this record. There were two
songs which sort of seemed to blend into each other but I cannot
remember which ones these were.

So that is my take on these songs. It seems I enjoyed the second hakf
of the album more, and it looks like I will be in the minority on this
one, judging from other people reviews so far. Let me just say that I
found it very difficult to describe what I was hearing. The album is
not easily digestible in one go, which usually is a good sign. Time
will tell how all these tracks will hold up and how they will stand
when played live. I think we are in for an interesting ride to say the
least.

[Yeni]

AlternativeNation.net representative Joost Konersmann attended the listening party in Amsterdam for Pearl Jam’s new album Lightning Bolt and has shared the following track by track first impression review of the album:
Getaway:
Ed sings about ‘Dark stormy weather’ over an pounding bass driven riff. It sounded ‘contemporary’, heavy and light at the same time. Dark lyrics but incredibly catchy melodies. Two blistering Mike solo and really strong vocals by Ed. A rocking pop tune like: The Fixer or Breakerfall (not that they have much in common) but less classic rock. More contemporary (like the Arctic Monkeys and The Killers had a lovechild..).
Mind Your Manners:
A good hard punch after a “Getaway”. Good combo to start this record.
My Father’s Son:
When they tried ‘new wave’ type songs on Backspacer they only succeeded on “Got Some”. They also succeed here. Tight playing, bass heavy and a weird bridge (a ‘typical’ Matt bridge). There’s a lot going on in this bridge. It was not an experimental song but I already want to hear this song again. Another dark heavy pop tune.
Sirens:
The song that some already say is the best the band has ever written. Well…it could very well be a grower and the one I will like the most in about a year or so. But on first listen it didn’t do much to me. Pearl Jam never came this close to an ‘eighties’ power ballad. Mike has written this song and is very proud of it he said on the EPK (which featured interviews done by: Judd Apatow, Carrie Brownstein and more….). Not impressed with this one on first listen.
Lightning Bolt:
After being slightly disappointed by “Sirens” this felt as a celebration. We all have heard the live version, I wasn’t too keen on it. But it does sound much better on album. Reached higher than “Unthought Known”. Still a song that Eddie could write in his sleep but it’s not a nightmare.
Infallible:
My first notes say: YES, YES, YES!!! This is exactly what I wanted from a new Pearl Jam record. They cover new ground here. Another bass heavy track (probably written by Jeff who owns this record). Excellent use of keyboards and weird effects. Lots of harmonies in vocals and instruments. Did I hear a cowbell (not sure on that…)?? It was the song I liked the most and their most experimental one in a decade. Hard to describe. But if you have heard Jeff’s latest solo record While My Heart Beats you can kind of get a feeling of what to expect here. Incubus goes Achtung Baby, for the lack of a better description…sorry
Pendulum:
Remember that tour announcement video Pearl Jam posted some time ago with a mystery new song clip? If you liked the weird sounds you were hearing, than you will love this song! because it’s “Pendulum”. Some nice piano played for the intro. Another atmospheric and experimental track (it was at this point where I started to believe that Pearl Jam really made that record I ‘wanted’ from them). What’s that high sound? High Pitch vocals? Wow! It’s Ed! He has never sounded like this before. The harmonies again sound great. Lots and lots of dubbed vocals. Tight compressed drums. Another excellent track!
Swallowed Whole:
Another Ed track, nice counterpart to ‘Lightning Bolt’. This is actually a great pop song, some jangle jingle REM like guitars with some Who-like chords under it. Another song that Ed could write in his sleep but on first listen I liked this one more that LB.
Let The Records Play:
Ladies and Gentlemen…it’s time to kick out the jams and twist and shout. Roll over Beethoven, Jack White and Dan Auerbach…This is Pearl Jam’s take on a blues rock featuring hand claps and tube-screaming solos. A light and fun song, much better than “Supersonic”. Not the best track on the record but I had a huge smile on my face. Nothing original but new for Pearl Jam. Will be fun live.
Sleeping By Myself:
Why? Why Ed? Why Brendan? Why is this on the record….it doesn’t belong here. Basically it’s the same as the ukelele song only with some arrangements. The arrangements are nice but they don’t add much. I liked the ukelele version much much better, that was its home. Feels out of place here. Uninspiring moment for the band. But who knows, it could very well be the next single and become a hit. But “Of The Earth” or “Cold Confession” would be fit here much better, fuck even “Olé” would have been better.
Yellow Moon:
Another dark and atmospheric song. This will definitely be a grower, it has weird time signatures. Some great vocals and a really nice solo by Mike. Another song that I already want to hear again.
Future Days:
Much better than the live version. It still has that Springsteen sound. Nice touches with the violin and no drums. The cheesy piano outro actually works here..it fades out. Not the best track on the record but a good way to end this record.

So, it’s impossible for me to go beyond my first impressions. But I think it will be better than Backspacer. It’s a darker and more atmospheric record with some great gems. It’s half of the record I really wanted from them (Getaway, My Father’s Son, Infallible, Pendulum, Let The Records Play, Yellow Moon) and half of what you have heard from this band before (Mind Your Manners, Sirens, Lightning Bolt, Sleeping By Myself, Swallowed Whole, Future Days). That latter half would be the logical extension from Backspacer. But that first half is 50% of an incredible record, the record they didn’t make. They could have gone Achtung Baby or Yankee Foxtrot Hotel on us but didn’t. This will be a great record but I already have mixed feelings over what could have been.

[Yeni]

Double post sorry

[dranx]

Pendulum c est donc la musique experimentale qu il y a dans la video pour l annonce de la tournee americaine.. cool !! hate de voir ce que cela va donner. Fais chier pour Sleeping by myself mais pour les autres, les avis me donnent vraiment envie d ecouter tout ca !!

[BEN.HYPE]

Ouai ça a l'air bon tout ça...

Je râle même plus pour sleeping by myself maintenant...

[Yeni]

les avis sont très biens je trouve : on aura de la nouveauté avec des trucs différents (enfin) du PJ classique "deja_vu" pas mal + des trucs pas terribles comme future days et sleeping by myself......et encore c'est pas catastrophique ,même si tout le monde chie sur SBMS (fallait si attendre) c'est surtout parce que l'on connait le morceau et qu'il change pas beaucoup ....c'est plus ça qui énerve parce que le morceau en lui même est bien (sûr qu'on le kifferait autrement ) ....bref INUTILE et un Gâchi
Et future Days ça va je trouve ,on a connu pire.....en plus c'est à la fin


......et apparement Jeff a retrouver sa basse


J'ai jamais été aussi été impatient d'écouter un morceau de PJ comme Pendulum ,il suffit d'un super morceau inspiré pour me redonner la foi au groupe

[XWayne]

Les commentaires pour Sleeping by Myself sont toujours assassins! J'aime beaucoup ce morceau sur l'album au uke, mais franchement, Brendan O'Brien est un producteur en mousse sur ce coup. Et les autres qui le suivent...

Le pire dans cette histoire, ce seront les rappels Just Breathe > Sleeping by Myself.

[dranx]

suis d'accord, mais les autres reviews donnent vraiment envie, ça à l'air bien varié, bien dark aussi.. J'aimerai vraiment découvrir l'album d'un coup, pas avec de petits extraits qui pourrissent la fraicheur de l'écoute, les impressions, le feeling... Infaillible et Pendulum, miam miam !!!

[BEN.HYPE]

En tout cas ça a pas l'air d'être un backspacer 2, déjà le peu qu'on connait de Pendulum dans la vidéo qui présentait la tournée ça me plait a donf, allez un petit truc maintenant a se mettre sous la dent parce que là ça devient long...

[Yeni]

;

En tout cas ça a pas l'air d'être un backspacer 2, déjà le peu qu'on connait de Pendulum dans la vidéo qui présentait la tournée ça me plait a donf, allez un petit truc maintenant a se mettre sous la dent parce que là ça devient long...

ou en tout cas ça à l'air d'être un Backspacer réussi .....sûr que c'est le Bob qu'à refusé de mettre Pendulum sur BS "pas assez commercial" comme son......

P'tain ce mec il a peut être produit des trucs sympas il ya 20 ans mais mtn faut bien admettre qu'il est naze et Has Been ,il plombe artistiquement PJ

Quand je lis que Sirens est l'un des meilleurs morceaux produits par le groupe j'ai peur que ce soit une balade bien cheesy et radio-friendly