Gigaton
by Pearl Jam

Jun20. I put this on the shelf for a while, after being a little disappointed on first listens. It did not sound like an album to wait 7 years for. I remember the first half rocked and then all the slow songs at the end was a strange mix. I was not impressed with the pop song, 'Dance of the Clairvoyants' either. I don't see doing what everyone else is doing as being different.
Anyway, like many later Pearl Jam albums, this probably requires repeated listens. So, how does it sound now? I really like the opener, 'Whoever Said?'. I was going to comment that it could be shorter, but it kept my interest throughout with some good change ups in the second half. 'Superblood Wolfmoon' rollicks along and is a decent rocker. Surprised 'Quick Escape' was a single; average song. 'Alright' has nice slow verses, though I can't help think that the keys are annoying during these slower moments and in the end the song does not really go anywhere.
I loved the start of 'Seven O'Clock' and then…
'Never Destination' was my favourite on first plays and still is. Nice to brighten the middle of the album with a rock song. This sounds so much better than anything around it; why did they not include more of these? And finally, some McReady brilliance. He is mostly wasted on this album.
'Take the Long Way' is a good album rock song but nothing to write home about. I love the guitars for the slow 'Buckle Up'. So soothing. This would make a good companion piece to their 'Last Kiss' cover; in content and style. The acoustic driven 'Comes Then Goes' is a very good slow song, there's nothing wrong with 'Retrograde' and I love the organs in 'River Cross', another good slow song. On their own, each of these songs would be an okay change of pace, but finishing with 4 slow, often meandering tracks makes it a dragged out affair to get to the end of the album. Not a bad album, but very few highlights either, making this the lowest ranked Pearl Jam album for me. A generous 2.5/5.

From thirstyDog 09/18/2020 03:52 | #258361

It starts out great, but then it starts to sound like pearl jam.

For a band that has reached the highest of highs and occasionally retraced their steps, Gigaton is a refreshing change of pace. Previous releases of Pearl Jam have yielded quality songs at the cost of sounding their age and ‘wise’. However, on Gigaton they sound angrier and younger than they have since the 90s came to an end. It’s not a perfect album, but for long time fans it should spark belief in their future endeavours.
Four stars ****

Not bad, but not spectacular either. An enjoyable album.

From llibnanoon 05/18/2020 14:15 | #251668 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

A respectable return to their 90's sound.