My Thoughts On Pearl Jam and the new album “Gigaton”
Anyone that knows me, knows how much I love Pearl Jam. I just get it, like so many other Ten Club members out there. This band is special. Not just because they are popular. Somehow they connect with people like not no other band today, or that have come before. But there is more…
Live, I truly believe there is not another band out there that connects with their audience quite like Eddie Vedder, Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, Jeff Ament, and Matt Cameron. When these 5 guys come together on stage, they truly define the statement Greater than the sum of its parts
We have been graced by 11 albums before Gigaton. They are not all masterpieces. But I can truly say that at least one of them is, Ten. One thing is for sure about their back catalogue, there are absolute gems on each album that makes up my most played Spotify playlist: This Is Pearl Jam.
Studio Album No 12: Gigaton
Pearl Jam - Gigaton, Album Cover
After what felt like 70 years (It was actually 7 years since Lightning Bolt) Pearl Jam dropped Gigaton. Off the bat I gave it a listen through and immediately thought:
Oh, was that it? Where is the stadium moment?
But I knew that was not going to be my only listen. I was too much in my head and was way too excited to actually take anything in. A bit like my first Pearl Jam gig, it’s all just a bit of a blur as I was caught up in the moment.
One of my favourite live memories
So I gave it another listen, and this time I tried to imagine myself in the front of the floor standing area of any Pearl Jam gig and it started to all make sense.
Let’s all be honest for a minute, if you are a true fan and member of the Ten Club, then the only real way to feel these songs is in a live environment, right? Pearl Jam gigs are my therapeutic outlet. (We all have our own way to experience this)
So let’s jump forward in time to the Pearl Jam gig that we have booked for this year, that is probably not going to happen this year thanks to COVID-19. Now lets press play on track one again.
Who Ever Said - Actually this track opens up with quite a good tempo. It gets me moving in the crowd, building momentum throughout the song. I like it. It has an echo of 1998 era drumming. Maybe that is Matt channeling his inner Jack Irons. And you can’t have a Pearl Jam album without some sort of Punk feel to it. I like that side of Pearl Jam a lot!
Superblood Wolfmoon - This track certainly confused people when it released pre album. When I listened to it as a single, I liked it, but was not particularly blown away. Now listening to it as track 2 following Who Ever Said, I get it. The tempo raises and yet keeps you moving in this imaginary opening part of the gig. Still channeling Grunge and Punk, with Matt continuing his Jack Irons style drumming (Matts drumming on this track is 👌🏼). We also get out first taste of a Guitar Solo on the left side of the track, this means that Mike McShreddy is warming up too.
Two tracks in and I am already out of breath
Dance Of The Clairvoyants - OK, this is where I am confused. Is this meant to be a song by a bunch of guys that grew up listening to 1980s Synth Pop and are trying to turn it into 2020s Dad Rock? As a generic pop song, it is fine. As a standalone single, it is fine on the radio. But I can’t imagine there being much of a pop for this song in a live environment. I may pop off and get a beer/some merch while this one is on.
Quick Escape - OK now we are back on track… I have that beer in my hand now so don’t need to be jumping around too much for a few minutes. Along comes Quick Escape. This is a great rock song, but I find it to be a new sound for Pearl Jam. Either way, liking the song and easy to raise arms in the air as the chorus kicks in. The solo work is on point and has a classic Mike McCready sound to it. I am also liking the addition of the Bass parts in the second solo. Plus the flow of the versus is a nice addition to the repertoire.
Alright - So this is where I really start to enjoy this album. Pearl Jam has a few songs like this… Ones where the slow pace actually sounds amazing live. (Think Pendulum for example). As I mature as a human being, I feel like I am getting more and more into the mellow/mature side of Pearl Jam. Musically this is a great track. I can imagine those big drum bangs echoing beautifully in any arena around the world. Plus the subtle yet heavy guitar work really works well here.
Seven O’Clock - Is it just me, or does Pink Floyd really show up in this track as a heavy influence? This really has a modern David Gilmour vibe to it. And guess what, I am 💯 into it. (If I played this as an instrumental track, I bet 8/10 over 50s would say this is from the Division Bell cutting room floor). Love the level of input Boooooom has on the keys on this one. All in all it is a solid middle of the gig track.
Never Destination - Here we go, the tempo is back. Still reminiscing those punky days of Yield etc. The crowds are definitely bouncing again. This is one of those tracks where the European crowds love to start bouncing off each other. I am digging it. Then before we know it, another great sounding solo but this time on the right side of the track. Is this Stone flexing his solo muscles? I really do hope so! Solid track. Going in regular rotation.
Take The Long Way - Decent rounded track. Not quite traditional Pearl Jam. It feels like a hybrid of classic Pearl Jam riffs and a bizarre chorus of what should actually be a dance/pop song. In a live environment it will probably work, but I feel this one is more of an album filler at this stage. Not completely sold on it. The solo is the song’s saving grace and only wish it was attached to a bigger song.
Buckle Up - When Eddie starts singing on this one there is one thing that springs to mind immediately. Any Dream Will Do and for that reason alone, this track is not for me! No 9 on this album, will probably never make it to the live stage and therefore let’s move on!
Comes Then Goes - I was wondering when an acoustic guitar was going to make an appearance. I see Eddie standing there strumming this one out just like the opening of Better Man. To me this is actually a solid track that I would happily stand in the crowd and listen to . I do love a break in a gig for some acoustic Eddie! This one is going in my list for regular play.
Retrograde - Unfortunately this one just doesn’t connect with me. Either with headphones on or standing in an arena. Don’t get me wrong, it is a nice sounding track, but I need either: emotion, big guitar, or pure anthem from a Pearl Jam song, and I am not being fooled by Eddie’s amazing voice on this one.
River Cross - The last song of the night (album). It leaves me feeling good. Firstly the keys and drums are a great way to start a good building song. Secondly this type of song can be easily belted back at the band by the crowd. Who doesn’t like a singalong to close the night off. Enter the guitars, only soft but they are obviously there. This song is clearly one that concentrates on vocals and delivering a message. Yes, Eddie clearly has a message to deliver on this one. As an album closer. This one works for me.
So that was fifty seven minutes of properly listening to the new album and I have to say… There really is some greatness in this one. It is not one of their masterpieces, by any means, but I can truly see some of these tracks becoming staples on the road.
I didn’t really want to go into the lyrics and how they connect. That is a journey that I think every Pearl Jam fan does in their own way.
Did this make the top three list of Pearl Jam albums for me? No, but it is probably top six. There are five tracks from this album that are going into my curated “Ben’s Pearl Jam rotation” playlist on Spotify. We all have one of these playlists that we have built. Thats the great thing about this band, they connect with people in such different ways. I can’t name another band like it 🤔
See you all whenever Pearl Jam gets back on the road!
Stay healthy,
