Gigaton: Official album thread

[Strat]

I don't think ive heard the band seemingly have as much fun playing as they do in Never Destination.

Just love it.

[guitar_davey]

I don't think ive heard the band seemingly have as much fun playing as they do in Never Destination.

Just love it.

Yep. This might be the ultimate "fun" song in the entire canon.

[Kevin Davis]

I don't find Seven O'Clock's spitfire lyrics any less authentic, completely different energy though

Definitely not inauthentic. PJ can rarely be accused of that. But some of those lyrics land in "Alright" territory for me (summer speaking to winter, clipping a butterfly's wings, etc.). I know we have different takes on this.

[Strat]

I don't find Seven O'Clock's spitfire lyrics any less authentic, completely different energy though

Definitely not inauthentic. PJ can rarely be accused of that. But some of those lyrics land in "Alright" territory for me (summer speaking to winter, clipping a butterfly's wings, etc.). I know we have different takes on this.

Aw. I love that line about the butterfly. The phrasing, the melody, the delivery, the entire passage itself. hits me right in my new age hippie sweet spot

[Jaeti]

One bad ear and one eye blind
It takes a village but don't take mine
Living forward in a backwards town
I feed 'em drinks just to watch 'em drown
Swallow my pencil and bleed out my pen
Surrender the wish we'll be together again
But I won't give up
No I won't give up on satisfaction, satisfaction


Impossible not to dance with this moment. IMPOSSIBLE.

This spitfire tirade at the end of "Who Ever Said" has become one of my favorite parts of the album. Unlike "Seven O'Clock," where Ed's wordiness gets to feeling a little navel-gazey at points, here he feels possessed by the outpouring of words. I think there's something poetic about a song that challenges the concept of "it's all been said," itself seemingly never running out of things to say.

I find myself literally pounding my chest as Matt's drums pick up underneath the "rubble of commandments" couplet at the end.

[Mike]

Most improved for me are all Ed songs except for River Cross which dropped quite a bit. The Ed rocker have lively and authentic energy to them and are just so much fun, they're infectious. Who Ever Said and SBWF pull me right into this album with force. I wish they would have kept up the energy for a little bit longer because the next stretch gives me whiplash. I still think DOTC is a really good song (stayed pretty much the same as my initial reaction) but it does not give me what WES and SBWF put me in the mood for. It's not too bad though, because the song itself is so good. What follows sometimes makes me either want to stop listening to Gigaton or makes me want to skip it.
Quick Escape had the biggest downfall in my esteem. It's all style over substance for me. At first the sound and hugeness of it made me like it quite a bit but on further listens it kept boring me more and more. It just drones on and on with the chorus being the worst part. Yeah, it sounds pretty badass but there's just nothing that grabs me. Alright also fell quite a bit but not as much because my inital reaction alredy wasn't that posivite. Just like QE it's style over substance and this time with questionable lyrics on top. I like Seven O Clock more than these two but at this point in the album I need something that wakes me up again and this song is not that.
The next stretch is probably my favorite part of the album but already was my favorite part on first or second listen, so my appraisal did not change much. Never Destination is what I needed to wake up. Such a loose and fun rocker. It's lively. I believe THEY are having fun. It's great. I loved TTLW and Buckle Up the first time I listened to them and I still do. I needed a few listen for Comes Then Goes to warm up but now it's one of my favorites here. Just a great Ed performance.
Too bad the album ends the way it does. Retrogade was blah at first and it still is. River Cross is alright. It's a song that overwhelms you with it's emotion at first which made me like it quite a bit but like with other songs I'm not sure there's enough substance for the future.

Overall I like Gigaton just slightly less than initially. There are great songs on here but the length and ordering of the songs (and some songs just by themselves) can make it a slog to listen to. It starts great, then is mediocre for quite a wihle, then is great again and then ends mediocre. Better than Backspacer and LB but far away from the rest. Still happy they managed to make 5-6 greats songs.

[VinylGuy]

One bad ear and one eye blind
It takes a village but don't take mine
Living forward in a backwards town
I feed 'em drinks just to watch 'em drown
Swallow my pencil and bleed out my pen
Surrender the wish we'll be together again
But I won't give up
No I won't give up on satisfaction, satisfaction


Impossible not to dance with this moment. IMPOSSIBLE.

This spitfire tirade at the end of "Who Ever Said" has become one of my favorite parts of the album. Unlike "Seven O'Clock," where Ed's wordiness gets to feeling a little navel-gazey at points, here he feels possessed by the outpouring of words. I think there's something poetic about a song that challenges the concept of "it's all been said," itself seemingly never running out of things to say.

I find myself literally pounding my chest as Matt's drums pick up underneath the "rubble of commandments" couplet at the end.

fuck yeah. Imagine this beast live.

[VinylGuy]

fuck QE is such a stomper. Im listening to Matt and Jeff now. They sound like RATM for sure.

I love how many layers this song have...i mean that NIN piano?

[Ms Harmless]

fuck QE is such a stomper. Im listening to Matt and Jeff now. They sound like RATM for sure.

I love how many layers this song have...i mean that NIN piano?

the NIN piano is so great

[Ms Harmless]

I don't think ive heard the band seemingly have as much fun playing as they do in Never Destination.

Just love it.

Yep. This might be the ultimate "fun" song in the entire canon.

my only contenders for that are Hitchhiker and Gremmy

[VinylGuy]

fuck QE is such a stomper. Im listening to Matt and Jeff now. They sound like RATM for sure.

I love how many layers this song have...i mean that NIN piano?

the NIN piano is so great

its so dramatic and at the same time super rocking too.

[evenslow]

I can't help being frustrated still at the guitars and bass on TTLW being a bit buried in the mix; I like it a fair bit, but I wish I could wack up that dial on the mixing desk and rock out harder

Yeah, the lack of bass in this is odd and takes the song down a notch for me.

Wasn't someone here supposed to attempt to add a bassline in as a fun experiment?

Spoiler: show

[evenslow]

My biggest climber is absolutely SBWM. At first, I thought it was just okay and then resigned myself to the hope that it would be maybe the worst one on the album.

Somewhere at listen number 5-10 of the proper album it all clicked in and now I love it and look forward to it.

[VinylGuy]

yeah, i have been there. At first it was oh, another of this songs....yeah, ill probably skip it.

Now its, cmon already bring it! I looooove it.

[guitar_davey]

I don't think ive heard the band seemingly have as much fun playing as they do in Never Destination.

Just love it.

Yep. This might be the ultimate "fun" song in the entire canon.

my only contenders for that are Hitchhiker and Gremmy

Good call. I'd probably add U, Down, and the Fixer (I know this won't go down well on here) to this list.

[stip]

i stand by a comparison I made earlier between rivercross and everybody hurts. while I think both are good songs in their own right, but they are really ‘occasion songs.’. They are a very heavy spice not appropriate for all meals. most of the time RC is just a song but if it catches you at the right time it is super powerful. EH is the same. You COULD stop Gigaton with the retrograde climax and you get one type of experience. But you can keep playing for an entirely different message.

unfortunately EH is track 4, so you cant compartmentalize it. but find the river is the greatest album closer ever so you cant move it there.

[Mike]

find the river is the greatest album closer ever

i would not argue with that

[Thurman Murman]

I don't think ive heard the band seemingly have as much fun playing as they do in Never Destination.

Just love it.

Yep. This might be the ultimate "fun" song in the entire canon.

my only contenders for that are Hitchhiker and Gremmy

Ultimate "fun" Pearl Jam song = Black, Red, Yellow

[Thurman Murman]

find the river is the greatest album closer ever

i would not argue with that

That entire album is perfection.

[Strat]

Yea nothing has become less desirable for me on this album. Only songs i didnt initially care for have grown on me (retrograde) and the others have cemented themselves firmly as fucking great.

Im beyond the moon over this album. It has everything I want and need in pearl jam right now.