Chad Numbers
For my first album review I will be reviewing Pearl Jam’s newest release, Lightning Bolt. I must say that I am a huge fan of Pearl Jam and Eddie Vedder. With four years elapsing since Backspacer was released, it had quite the anticipation along with its release.
Join me as I break down the album.
1. Getaway (3:26) – The album starts off solid with Getaway. It has a bounce around feel to it that just makes you happy. It alternates between bouncing around and just becomes a song that has a driving force to it. Track Rating: 4/5
2. Mind Your Manners (2:38) – Mind Your Manners starts off with sort of a stutter beat and advances into what sort of feels like a thrash song. I will preface that with a slow thrash song that has a dance around feel, but a thrash song none the less. It has a nice little guitar solo about halfway the song. I especially enjoy the way they end the song. Good stuff. Track Rating: 4/5
3. My Father’s Son (3:07) – This song is a bit slower than the last but not too slow. About halfway through Eddie comes with the emotion in the singing and it gets much better. Track Rating: 3/5
4. Sirens (5:41) – We have officially slowed down into ballad territory but not in a bad way. We get Eddie singing over a cool laid back groove type feel. We get another really cool sounding slow solo toward the end of the song that pulls everything together. This song has gotten much better after multiple listens. Really good stuff. Track Rating: 5/5
5. Lightning Bolt (4:13) – This song starts off a bit slow but picks up the pace fairly quickly. Not sure what else to say about it other than it shares its title with the album. Not terrible but a bit repetitive. Track Rating: 2/5
6. Infallible (5:22) – This track definitely has a different feeling than what I’ve come to expect from Pearl Jam. It almost has a feeling of stomping along in the beginning. It smooths out a bit during the chorus with Eddie crooning over a groovy beat. Eddie really lets his voice soar on this one and it is absolutely fantastic. Track Rating: 5/5
7. Pendulum (3:44) – Pendulum starts off with a very heavy sounding piano intro with drums eventually joining Eddie. This is a very heavy and emotional sounding song that does it very well. Track Rating: 4/5
8. Swallowed Whole (3:51) – I’m not exactly sure what to say about this one. It is sort of middle of the road with a pretty cool guitar solo toward the end. I guess I can tell you it sounds like a happy song I suppose. Track Rating: 3/5
9. Let The Records Play (3:47) – Let the Records Play almost sounds like an old country western bar song but it turns into a slick almost pop like song at some points. It does have an extended solo toward the middle that is a bit interesting. It’s another song that makes you sort of bounce around in your seat. Track Rating: 3/5
10. Sleeping By Myself (3:04) – This one has a bit of a stripped down feeling that has a nice sound to it. The song eventually builds upon itself with many layers that blend nicely. Track Rating: 4/5
11. Yellow Moon (3:52) – We have ourselves another slow song. Not much else to say about it. Track Rating: 2/5
12. Future Days (4:22) – We end the album with another stripped down slow song. Bit of a country feel from what sounds like a steel guitar. Track Rating: 3/5
Pearl Jam delivers with this release. Overall it is a pretty solid album. It has some moments that feel a bit like filler but they aren’t too bad. I would probably give this a 7/10 but it’s PEARL JAM so it is an 8/10.
