Lightning Bolt is the tenth studio album by Pearl Jam. The album was released in the US on October 15, 2013, through the band’s own Monkeywrench Records, with Republic Records handling the international release one day earlier. It was produced by Brendan O’Brien.
The band began composing new songs in 2011, the album’s first recording sessions took place in early 2012 before the musicians decided to take a break. As all band members got into side projects afterwards, work on Lightning Bolt only resumed in March 2013. The music for Lightning Bolt has a harder rock sound with longer songs in contrast to predecessor Backspacer (2009), and the lyrics convey singer Eddie Vedder‘s feelings on aging and mortality.
Preceded by a promotional campaign focusing on Pearl Jam‘s website and social network profiles and two moderately successful singles, Mind Your Manners and Sirens, Lightning Bolt was well received by critics, who considered the album an effective return to the band’s old sound, and topped the charts in the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Tracklist:
- Getaway
- Mind Your Manners
- My Father’s Son
- Sirens
- Lightning Bolt
- Infallible
- Pendulum
- Swallowed Whole
- Let the Records Play
- Sleeping by Myself
- Yellow Moon
- Future Days
Pearl Jam
Jeff Ament: bass; keyboard on “Pendulum”
Matt Cameron: drums; background vocals on “Sirens”
Stone Gossard: guitar; bongo drums on “Pendulum”
Mike McCready: guitar; bowed guitar on “Pendulum”, six string bass on “My Father’s Son”
Eddie Vedder: lead vocals, guitar; ukulele on “Sleeping by Myself”
Additional personnel
Ann Marie Calhoun: strings
Boom Gaspar: piano, keyboards
Brendan O’Brien: piano on “Future Days”, mixing, production
