Kristian Alfonso!! Hubba Hubba

Some thoughts:

- Scared of Fear works really well as an album opener, in part because it shares to my ears DNA with Gigaton, and works as a nice transition out of that record and into this one. It is reminiscent of Who Ever Said but certainly has its own identity.

- React Respond is quite hard hitting. The bass line is very chili peppers but what is happening around it is quite heavy. Kudos to Ed for being able to keep up with this monster of a band track.

- Wreckage is wonderful in a way that is nothing like the songs before it, not just because it’s slower, but because even on the first listen, it feels lived in, almost like I’ve always known this song. Rarely do we get that kind of feel immediately, and this has a good comfort feeling and also feels like the moment where this album really digs its claws into you.

- Dark Matter works great here and feels much more natural living in the album as a whole than it did as a single. It stands with its colleagues so much better than it sits alone.

- Won’t Tell comes alive in the full version via-a-vis the rough telephone recording. I am nearly distracted by the Edge-inspired riffing in the second half of the song, but it fits what they were going for here, which is all that really matters.

- Upper Hand is righting the wrong of Sirens. The intro is amazing, the smoke filled room haze feel of the track is complimented by Ed’s less than full throated delivery, which then makes a bigger impact when his vocals do soar in the second half of the song. That transition from smoky blues into an epic finish is chef’s kiss great.

- Waiting For Stevie is an obvious absolute highlight. It’s not even it being the old school vibes people undoubtedly have been talking about, but that the song matches and even ticks up the emotion and big giganticness of the two songs that precede it. I am exhausted by the time the interlude kicks in.

- And we come out of the lulling interlude with the bastard son of Spin the Black Circle and Lukin misbehaving. The sheer enjoyment of this song here, and the way the song goes right to the edge of coming off the rails, is a welcome respite from the trio of anthems.

- Something Special then becomes an antidote to Running in a very human way. The song certainly leans into some cheese, but unlike say Future Days, it doesn’t wallow - it kind of guides nicely, and it’s in its humanity and vulnerability (particularly it being this band putting this here, who once lived in holding what made their albums so controlled and self-conscious) that makes it more charming than cloying. It very easily could have been the opposite but they got it right.

- Got to Give builds so wonderfully over its time. Never feels rushed nor unfocused, it builds into Pearl Jam does the Who territory and provides the right pace to being the wind down.

- Setting Sun is masterful. Such an emotional roller coaster to end the album and a song I felt deeply. The build and the closing just killed me inside. Emotionally spent when the final notes hit feeling like I just experienced something profound as the song ends up speaking for the whole album in the end. Magnificent.

Bo & Hope 4eva

what a gift of an album we have here folks

you ain'tn't kiddin' lady

I keep hitting reply to this thread, staring at the empty space for a while, and then leaving without typing a thing.

Truly at a loss for words.

For what it's worth my best listening experience so far has been Apple Music Dolby Atmos with AirPods Pro with the spatial audio turned on. I don't have a true Dolby Atmos setup but I did notice a lot of details in this and even felt the solo moving side to side and around the back in a couple songs and a very good balance on Ed's placement..

The Super Duper Deluxe Red Ten Club vinyl won't reach me until Tuesday apparently so that sucks. The ALAC files they've provided me with sound excellent however.

Someone on here said it earlier but I feel like my favorite sports team just won the championship

This was my favorite ranking from last night...I need an update! If Upper Hand and Won't Tell are the two worst songs on this album the boys may well indeed be onto something

I have 3rd Gen AirPods that support Spatial Audio/Atmos. They sound cool but that spacey swirly thing they do is equal parts cool and kind of annoying at times. Great for movies. I prefer the basic stereo sound field for music.

I dont even have a delivery date yet and i pre ordered this thing on the first day. I'll be lucky to see it in April.

Even if there's plenty of overindulgence with all the soaring outros, and the mastering being loud, we have a winner.

pearl jam was like the sun hiding beyond the rain.

they have arrived, again, again.

some of you might laugh at me, but it really did sound fantastic listening on DTS setting on my Samsung soundbar. I know it's not perfectly ideal but it's the next best thing for me without listening through headphones

The only time it really bothered me was Dark matter where there is some aggressive echo on Eddie.