After their 9th Studio Album- Backspacer- being acclaimed by many as their best work yet Pearl Jam after almost a 4 year long break have given us a sneak peek into their upcoming album Lightning Bolt. This preview comes in the form of the song Mind Your Manners, released over the internet 2 days back. Let us dig right into the striking features of this Lightning Bolt then:
The song starts off with a guitar progression that is quite punchy, yet the tone is rounded off well, making it a rather easy way in. And then the vocals hit you, if you are not a regular to PJ’s music (like me) then it’ll take you a moment to realize that it still is Eddie Vedder. He doesn’t look or sound like the guy in Alive or Jeremy, but is amazing nevertheless. The style of vocals complements the lyrics and in turn the title of the track. The lyrics are cloaked in religious references and so is the cover art for this track- we saw some resemblance to the cover art of Warren Zevon’s Excitable Boy here.
About halfway through the song the masterstroke comes in, the guitar solo. Sadly this is short lived, however, by now one can realize that not only is the final sound impeccable, but PJ has played around with the soundscape a bit more. It is safe to assume that the band must’ve had a lot of fun during the production.
In so many ways the song is similar to the PJ sound (case in point- Spin the Black Circle) but in many ways different and a leap forward. If this song is the centrepiece of the album, Lightning Bolt will be one album to look out for.
So Sailors, Mind your Manners!