Reviews in Real-Time: Lightning Bolt by Pearl Jam

Introducing a new feature to the Airspeaker website… music reviews. Well technically, we will review more than just music but this is where we are starting. We here (the Airspeaker staff) are combining forces to write reviews to albums we feel you should take a listen to, if not for the first maybe to rediscover one you may have missed the first time. Why “in Real-Time”? Not everyone has a full day to listen to new music and frankly neither do we. Each Tuesday there are tons of new music being released out into the world. We may choose to buy an album but it may takes us days if not weeks to get through it all to make a valid opinion on whether or not we liked it or not. At times, there just may be more music that there is time to listen to. So we go back and listen to music that in some cases may have been released years ago that may have slipped by us and we may not be aware of it. That’s where we come in. Not only do we review some of the latest music being released, but we go back and review some albums you may have missed. We will use a rating system of “Speakers” from 5 to 1, 5 being the best rating. Even with our “speaker icons” not ready for this review, lets get started with our first album review.

Artist: Pearl Jam
Album: Lightning Bolt
Year: 2013
http://www.pearljam.com

Written by Will Rendon – @willrendon77
Airspeaker Album Rating: 3/5 speakers

Before I review Pearl Jam’s 10th studio album Lighting Bolt I must come clean.

I have been a devoted Pearl Jam fan since the release of their now classic debut album Ten in 1991. In the intervening 20+ years, Pearl Jam have continued to create solid rock music that may not be garnering lead singer Eddie Vedder the cover of Time Magazine anymore but they’re still here, still creating, still playing to sold out venues across the globe. My process for listening to a new Pearl Jam changed after 1998 when I saw them perform live for the first time. Now, when I listen to a new Pearl Jam I’m constantly asking myself.. “How is this song going to sound live?”. It’s usually the songs I feel will provide the better live experience that I like the most.

First and foremost the band sound great. The recording is dynamic and sounds like five guys in a room playing their hearts out. Pearl Jam can be accused of many things, but one thing they have not done is release an album that sounds like a band “going through the motions.” Lighting Bolt may not be the greatest album in PJ’s catalog but it’s not a phoned in mess a là The Rolling Stones Steel Wheels or Stone Temple Pilots No. 4.

These are the songs I am most excited to hear in the live setting:

Mind Your Manners – An infectious blast of surf/punk rock that has Vedder decrying the simplicity of unnamed conservative/religious groups in the face of today’s increasingly complex problems.

Lightning Bolt – The title track speaks of that woman that must be held on to no matter what the consequences are. Currently, this is my favorite song of the entire record.

Infallible – Sirens, was the second single released for this record but I think Infallible is the better version of this type of ballad that Pearl Jam does so well. Sirens is not a bad song, but I feel PJ have done this type of song before (I’m looking at you Light Years, Wash, Release, Better Man).

Sirens – What?!?! Didn’t he just diss this song? Well, kinda, but getting to hear Mike McCready play a 12 string acoustic guitar and do that beautiful solo is sure to make me love this song no matter how much I protest.

Swallowed Whole – This song sounds the most “Pearl Jam” to me of any on the record. A great up tempo rocker that is sure to sound great while the five boys thrash on their instruments.

Let The Records Play – I imagine the lights going dark and then out of Stone Gossard’s signature Les Paul this songs crunchy blues riff blasts through the arena. PJ have been champions of the vinyl platform way before it came into fashion again and have written songs about it before, most notably Spin the Black Circle. I would love to hear these two songs played back to back.

Overall,

I’m happy that I have new Pearl Jam music to blast through speakers but I do not believe this album will expand their fan base much. For those fans who haven’t heard anything past Vitology I urge you to try some of Pearl Jam’s later catalog. Their self-titled album from 2006 has been the best expression thus far, of how Pearl Jam continues to evolve and why they are still thriving so many years after many of their counterparts are now only parts of history. Pearl Jam continues to be a great band that puts out good records, but even more important to me they are a band that continue to put on explosive live performance. I’ll take an amazing concert over a great record any day.