Pearl Jam Producer Brendan O'Brien Says to Expect Longer Songs on 'Lightning Bolt'

Pearl Jam Producer Brendan O’Brien Says to Expect Longer Songs on ‘Lightning Bolt’

2013-08-07

Story by Anne Erickson

Longtime Pearl Jam producer Brendan O’Brien says band’s new album features lengthier tunes than previous releases

What should Pearl Jam fans expect from the band’s upcoming studio album? According to longstanding Pearl Jam producer Brendan O’Brien, the band got pretty jam-y on the new release, “Lightning Bolt,” and recorded some super-long tracks.

O’Brien went on to explain that while Pearl Jam’s last album, “Backspacer,” consisted mainly of songs that clocked in around three minutes, the upcoming release features a few tracks that go well beyond that.

“This record has a few songs that…kind of take you down a road for a while,” he said in a recent interview with Rolling Stone. “There’s a song called ‘Siren’ that I think is one of the best songs on the record [which] clocks in around five minutes. A song called ‘Infallible’ — at least that’s what I believe it’s called — is also a little more developed that way.”

O’Brien has been with Pearl Jam since 1993, and he says that when it comes to the band’s recording process, things haven’t changed much in the past 20 years. “When it comes to writing songs and his intensity towards his work… [Vedder] stills pulls out the same typewriter from the same little brown suitcase he’s been using for 20 years,” he stated. “It’s remarkable how much he approaches it the same.”

Pearl Jam’s new album, “Lightning Bolt” will arrive on Oct. 15.

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Anne Erickson

Meet the expert - Author, writer and editor Anne Erickson is a Detroit-based music reporter and radio host. She has written for the USA Today Network, Consequence.net, Blabbermouth.net, Loudwire.com and many more. Anne holds a master's degree from Michigan State University. Contact Anne at anne@audioinkradio.com.