Gigaton: Official album thread

[Mike]

This made me actively listen to the lyrics of Unemployable for the first time. I love the song but the lyrics are a bit of a mess, aren't they? It begins telling it story but that story only has two verses. Guy is fired and then he is awake at night smoking cigarettes worrying about bills while his family sleeps. End of story. Amazing. Guess Jesus did NOT save him.

[Jorge]

Guy is fired and then he is awake at night smoking cigarettes worrying about bills while his family sleeps. End of story. Amazing.

The story continues in "Gone" (he leaves his family behind), "Big Wave" (he becomes a professional surfer), and "Inside Job" (he dies of amoebic dysentery)

[Mike]

Guy is fired and then he is awake at night smoking cigarettes worrying about bills while his family sleeps. End of story. Amazing.

The story continues in "Gone" (he leaves his family behind), "Big Wave" (he becomes a professional surfer), and "Inside Job" (he dies of amoebic dysentery)

And "Gonna See My Friend" (he sees his friend Jesus).

[Ms Harmless]

what are all the new song threads about, this early?

[Bammer]

what are all the new song threads about, this early?

We had a long discussion about it in the mod forum. It’s time.

[dad]

wut is happening?

[96583UP]

When this album drops, everyone just be sure to listen to the whole thing on headphones / airpods / excellent speakers / loud

and preferably in the sunshine, in late morning, with a cup of coffee

no late night tired-brain computer speaker stuff

If that Dolby Atmos movie theatre stuff is real, I hope it comes to Denver. That’d be an experience.

two thoughts on that:

it's someone they've partnered with previously so it's got that going for it. on the other hand, I've only seen it announced via that Spanish language release and it doesn't come up anywhere else.

maybe its supposed to be a surprise closer-to and the spaniards jumped the gun

[WtOB?]

what are all the new song threads about, this early?

it's up!

[dad]

someone is getting spritzy with the album threads.

[Ms Harmless]

what are all the new song threads about, this early?

We had a long discussion about it in the mod forum. It’s time.

this is too confusing me

[Ms Harmless]

what are all the new song threads about, this early?

it's up!

what is up?

[Jorge]

what are all the new song threads about, this early?

it's up!

what is up?

Not much, what's up with you?

[96583UP]

DOTC too bland

SBWM word salad


burn the whole thing down


burn it down

[Ms Harmless]

what are all the new song threads about, this early?

it's up!

what is up?

Not much, what's up with you?

Hakuna Matata

[Strat]

Sirens main issue for me (other than the cheesiness) is that lyrically it can't decide what it is. But this is a well trodden discussion.

What do you mean? It's a man reflecting on his age and mortality and how now that he has a family he can't be reckless like he once was, because of how much he loves his wife and kids, but realizes that death is becoming a realistic threat and no longer an abstract thing far off that he doesn't have to worry about. It's just an older Vedder reflecting on his mortality...I really like it for that reason. The lyrics are great for where Eddie is in his life. It's not a song he could have written when he was 20, and that to me makes it a lot better than his attempts to recapture earlier energy and failing.

Oh my god ive never seen you be so clear and decisive. And I have never agreed with you more. Im so turned on right now.

[Ms Harmless]

Sirens main issue for me (other than the cheesiness) is that lyrically it can't decide what it is. But this is a well trodden discussion.

What do you mean? It's a man reflecting on his age and mortality and how now that he has a family he can't be reckless like he once was, because of how much he loves his wife and kids, but realizes that death is becoming a realistic threat and no longer an abstract thing far off that he doesn't have to worry about. It's just an older Vedder reflecting on his mortality...I really like it for that reason. The lyrics are great for where Eddie is in his life. It's not a song he could have written when he was 20, and that to me makes it a lot better than his attempts to recapture earlier energy and failing.

Oh my god ive never seen you be so clear and decisive. And I have never agreed with you more. Im so turned on right now.

Sirens is the anti-Black

[Strat]

Hear the sirens covering distance in the night
The sound, echoing closer, will they come for me, next time?

For every choice, mistake I made, is not my plan
To send you in the arms of another man
And if you choose to stay, I'll wait, I'll understand

This is where the lyrics turn. What the hell has another man got to do with this bloody song?

As I've discussed here many times, I am not a "lyrics guy". My preference is for mysterious sounding nonsense, Cropduster and In the Moonlight are among my favourite lyrics for this reason. I like the words to act as almost like percussive instruments rather than conveying some kind of clear textual meaning.

All of that said, I agree with LMS that the above lines are really jarring and totally take me out of the song. They don't even feel like organically Vedder/Pearl Jam lyrics, I'm not sure what he was going for at all.

The other part I can't stand is the phrase "this here town" used earlier in the song, which is like nails on a chalkboard. You know how presidential candidates are pilloried for being too "folksy"? That line gives me that feeling, there's nothing genuine about the phrasing. Does Ed go through life saying "this here town"? Or, for that matter, "he be havin' lots of women" in Johnny Guitar? It feels totally inauthentic and almost pandering, though to whom I'm not sure. Does it arise from an insecurity about being old and out of touch? I don't know, but it's very off-putting.

i can see that in sirens, but johnny guitar is a character, and i think that lyric works in that context

I don't hear any indication of that line being delivered by a character, other than the song's "narrator" (for lack of a better term) which seems to be Ed himself.

He's clearly inhibiting johnny guitar watson. He's discussed that he saw this album cover and imagined what it would be like to be that guy on the cover. Its clearly a character driven song.

[Ms Harmless]

further north a warmth of loving lingering

[Birds in Hell]

I always understood it was "further north, a warmth alive and lingering", which is definitely the only Pearl Jam lyric I can think of which graphically describes a vagina.

[dad]

I always understood it was "further north, a warmth alive and lingering", which is definitely the only Pearl Jam lyric I can think of which graphically describes a vagina.

That’s how I’ve always heard it as well.