Pearl Jam released their 10th studio effort on the 15th of October and after spinning it a number of times - i’m ready to quickly weigh in with my first impressions.

All in all… Lightning Bolt is an enjoyable listen but it feels like a step back from Backspacer. There are a number of tracks that I think will really transcend well to a live setting - but the recording itself is to manicured for my liking.

The band reportedly took a few years and 2 sessions to work on this record… yet we have another studio effort where it doesn’t capture the sound/energy/space of what PJ sounds live.

One of the bright spots on the new record is Jeff’s work on bass. There are a number of songs where you can really tell that he was in the studio - getting into his fucking grove.

One strange observation… the song - My Fathers Son - sounds dangerously similar (in signature) to a Soundgarden song called - Dusty.

Anyhoo - if you’re a PJ fan - you’ve purchased the album. I’m a little surprised by how hard they’re pressing on the web with the new record. I’m also not quite sure why they took the Vector Art Direction either… but I can’t really think of a Pearl Jam album sleeve that I really love.