Gigaton: Official album thread

[stip]

This REALLY builds off of L-bolt thematically, which was a grown up/middle aged album worrying about what you have and what you are leaving behind. This takes the next step. It is a logical evolution from Lightning Bolt, in that regard.

[Rob]

I might add to this tomorrow, or just wish I never wrote it instead. One or the other. Or neither. But this is something I like about the record.

This is an album about surviving past the end. It’s an unexpectedly appropriate subject for this day and age, and Pearl Jam is a uniquely authentic musical voice for it. They are capable of capturing, without fetishistic assumption or romanticism, the real experience of survival. They know what it means to live with losses that you can’t outlive. They know it’s not always going to feel like it was worth it.

So save your predictions, and burn your assumptions. But the band also wants you to feel the natural jubilance of the phrase “there’s much to be done.” Its reaction to the bitter end isn’t trademark fury, but just the same I’m still alive, different day.

The inspirations were clearly (primarily) Trump and climate change, but the band’s empathetic fixation on surviving hardships (both physically and spiritually) make this the ideal album to carry into uncertain quarantine. It’s an album that wants you to feel less alone. First, do no harm. Then: buckle up.

Even the president, lazily disparaged, is then immediately sympathized with in terms the band cannot help but understand. “His best days gone, hard to admit,” and here the smugly-strutting song becomes a mother’s hug. “Angry punches, with nothing to hit.” It’s like a Riot Act song all grown up...still furious for all of the denied and powerless, but now able to find its own reflection in the failures of the powerful.

Pearl Jam used to make albums about surviving the moment. Then, for a while there, they sort of made albums about remembering what it was like to be surviving the moment. Now, they’re finally ready to talk about you do next. Which in its way is just another kind of promise to survive. Whoever said it’s all been said gave up on satisfaction.

I could very well end up humiliated by how much I like this. I’ll live with it. Because whether or not this is a great record, it hits me right now because I’m pretty scared but hoping, and a hope dies last.

McP speaks truth. These are first impressions, but those count the most, right? This album seems different, in a good way. All the producer arguments I don’t care about seem obvious here. This album has atmosphere and ambition. I’m impressed.

[WtOB?]

PLEASE PM ME A LINK I AM A VETERAN OF THE BOARD.

[Jaeti]

I might add to this tomorrow, or just wish I never wrote it instead. One or the other. Or neither. But this is something I like about the record.

This is an album about surviving past the end. It’s an unexpectedly appropriate subject for this day and age, and Pearl Jam is a uniquely authentic musical voice for it. They are capable of capturing, without fetishistic assumption or romanticism, the real experience of survival. They know what it means to live with losses that you can’t outlive. They know it’s not always going to feel like it was worth it.

So save your predictions, and burn your assumptions. But the band also wants you to feel the natural jubilance of the phrase “there’s much to be done.” Its reaction to the bitter end isn’t trademark fury, but just the same I’m still alive, different day.

The inspirations were clearly (primarily) Trump and climate change, but the band’s empathetic fixation on surviving hardships (both physically and spiritually) make this the ideal album to carry into uncertain quarantine. It’s an album that wants you to feel less alone. First, do no harm. Then: buckle up.

Even the president, lazily disparaged, is then immediately sympathized with in terms the band cannot help but understand. “His best days gone, hard to admit,” and here the smugly-strutting song becomes a mother’s hug. “Angry punches, with nothing to hit.” It’s like a Riot Act song all grown up...still furious for all of the denied and powerless, but now able to find its own reflection in the failures of the powerful.

Pearl Jam used to make albums about surviving the moment. Then, for a while there, they sort of made albums about remembering what it was like to be surviving the moment. Now, they’re finally ready to talk about you do next. Which in its way is just another kind of promise to survive. Whoever said it’s all been said gave up on satisfaction.

I could very well end up humiliated by how much I like this. I’ll live with it. Because whether or not this is a great record, it hits me right now because I’m pretty scared but hoping, and a hope dies last.

Tremendous.

[bodysnatcher]

I think Ed sounds great throughout - he works with his voice rather than against it. There aren't that many frothy moments. The most intense he regularly gets are the growls in SBWM

Ed does sound great. I think Josh Evans did a great job with him as well. New mics, new way of recording. There were a couple of moments where i heard some modern Ed pronunciations and weird inflections, but where they were so front-forward on previous albums, Josh did a great job hiding them.

[Birds in Hell]

Quality of songwriting aside, the difference in production, even on this compromised poor quality leak, is stark.

There's a sense of real live humans playing these songs, which was notably absent from Backspacer and Lightning Bolt.

[VinylGuy]

I might add to this tomorrow, or just wish I never wrote it instead. One or the other. Or neither. But this is something I like about the record.

This is an album about surviving past the end. It’s an unexpectedly appropriate subject for this day and age, and Pearl Jam is a uniquely authentic musical voice for it. They are capable of capturing, without fetishistic assumption or romanticism, the real experience of survival. They know what it means to live with losses that you can’t outlive. They know it’s not always going to feel like it was worth it.

So save your predictions, and burn your assumptions. But the band also wants you to feel the natural jubilance of the phrase “there’s much to be done.” Its reaction to the bitter end isn’t trademark fury, but just the same I’m still alive, different day.

The inspirations were clearly (primarily) Trump and climate change, but the band’s empathetic fixation on surviving hardships (both physically and spiritually) make this the ideal album to carry into uncertain quarantine. It’s an album that wants you to feel less alone. First, do no harm. Then: buckle up.

Even the president, lazily disparaged, is then immediately sympathized with in terms the band cannot help but understand. “His best days gone, hard to admit,” and here the smugly-strutting song becomes a mother’s hug. “Angry punches, with nothing to hit.” It’s like a Riot Act song all grown up...still furious for all of the denied and powerless, but now able to find its own reflection in the failures of the powerful.

Pearl Jam used to make albums about surviving the moment. Then, for a while there, they sort of made albums about remembering what it was like to be surviving the moment. Now, they’re finally ready to talk about you do next. Which in its way is just another kind of promise to survive. Whoever said it’s all been said gave up on satisfaction.

I could very well end up humiliated by how much I like this. I’ll live with it. Because whether or not this is a great record, it hits me right now because I’m pretty scared but hoping, and a hope dies last.

Amazing post...and yeah...remember how Riot Act felt angry but at the same time, like they lost some war? This feels like a very mature response to the overall feeling of ¨we are all doomed, everything is shit¨.

I love it.

[mvw]

So I finally got home to listen to this on some decent headphones and wanted to update my thoughts:

Who Ever Said *** 1/2
-Still not totally sold on this. The original word on this was pretty damn misleading. Not bad....just not great.

Superblood Wolfmoon *** 1/2
-This still plays better as an album track than a single. It actually seems to have more life coming after WES.

Dance of the Clarevoyants ****
-Same impressions as before.

Quick Escape *****
-Best song in 20 years. Hands down. It has swing, swagger, groove, and pure attitude. Who knew they had this in them still? Feels like a less frantic and more developed 1/2 Full....turned up to 11. Ed is solid, Matt and Jeff own it, Stone hammers away and Mike's solo FITS the song instead of mindless wanking.

Alright *****
-Gives Quick Escape a run for its money as best song in 20 years. It's pure fucking gold and is the next great opener. It's like an ambient and more mature Oceans. Ed is top notch here, Matt is great, Jeff is solid, and Stone and Mike add a ton of atmosphere to this thing.

Seven O'clock ****
-The opening minute or so is a little off to me as Ed's vocal delivery is different but the last 3/4's of the song is spectacular. Ed's voice soars and the song just hits hard that last half.

Never Destination ***
-Definitely get the BRY vibe blended with Supersonic but then the song kinda changes gears in the outro and gets better. The problem is the opening half which just feels like a retread of older material.

Take the Long Way ****
-Matt and Stone/Mike own this song. Love how the guitars just cut through the song. Great vocal melody by Ed. Outro is total gold again. Still the second best hard song on the album.

Buckle Up ****
-Upon further listen, this thing is pretty demented but in a great off-kilter way. It's like I'm Open coupled with Parachutes.

Comes Then Goes ****
-This is a really good solo Ed song but a real missed opportunity to beef up the backend with some heavier guitar work or shading by Stone and Mike. Like others have said, it's different than Ed's more recent solo schlock/dreck of Just Breathe/Future Days/Out of Sand/etc. Feels fresh like Thumbing My Way but doesn't have that downtrodden melancholy of TMW. Totally hear that Pete Townsend acoustic "fury" that a reviewer stated earlier.

Retrograde ****
-First half of the song is just kinda mehhhh….then the back half kicks in and absolutely saves it. Definitely not Sirens Pt. II. It's not as straightforward and bland as Sirens. Tremendous outro.

River Cross **** 1/2
-Elegiac and some wonderful touches by the band to close out the album. Love Matt's work on this as it's ever-present but doesn't overpower everything else going on.

Bottom Line: **** 1/2 overall
-This record lays waste to Avocado/BS/LB. This sounds like a completely different band than the one we've been saddled with for 18 years. It's like they ret-conned those 3 albums and progressed on from Riot Act. Where has this band been for these past 18 years???? It has a burning fury, hopefulness, and unabashed experimentation that's been sorely lacking for so long. Ed has some really great moments here and his decade-old vocal ticks and over-emoting don't ruin songs like in years past. His range here is terrific. Mike doesn't do any rock wanking but builds solos that add to the vibe of each song. Stone is grinding away and anchors things quite well. Jeff and Matt are the absolute studs of the album though. Their playing and song contributions are spectacular. The final MVP is Josh Evans. This album is going to put him on the map. He captures so much space and atmosphere and pushes the band in so many directions it's a glorious listening experience, even with a few missteps (mostly Ed's contributions with WES, SBWM, and ND). Bottom line is I'm floored they could produce such a consistent album this late in their career. I'm also kinda sad so much time was lost in that 18 year/3 album period.

Nice review!

[Jaeti]

I'm still awake and emotional about this whole thing

How did they do this?

[Tuolumne]

I really think Alright might be the most integral track on the record. If they follow up QE with another "rocker" the character of the record changes. 7 o'clock might be the central song of the record, but Alright connects the dots between DOTC, Buckle Up, Comes then Goes, and Retrograde. I'm only on the 3rd or so listen of Alright, and it might be one that sends a lump down my throat similar to how Inside Job did.

[WtOB?]

thanks gang, got it!

[bodysnatcher]

Quality of songwriting aside, the difference in production, even on this compromised poor quality leak, is stark. There's a sense of real live humans playing these songs which was notably (more now than ever) absent from Backspacer and Lightning Bolt.

1000%

[daft twat]

I downloaded this on my phone. How do I put this on iTunes so I can listen in order without interruption?

[VinylGuy]

Im relieved with Come Then Goes, it does sounds very cool. Ed sounds fucking good....he is singing in a very cool low registre, feels like something he would do in 1999 or the 2000 really.

[Homeboyd]

Not proud of it but after completing my wine-buzzed play-through with headphones I think Comes Then Goes is my favorite track...and it's barely a PJ song

[VinylGuy]

Im sure it will become a favorite for me too.

[bodysnatcher]

I downloaded this on my phone. How do I put this on iTunes so I can listen in order without interruption?

hey Dad, didn't know you were on this board too

[dimejinky99]

I downloaded this on my phone. How do I put this on iTunes so I can listen in order without interruption?

If it’s iPhone you’re absolutely fucked.

I’m in the same boat

[The Town]

I have my web browser set to restore the previous closed session each time I open it. So I was on page 765 of this thread (Monday morning the 16th) when I opened my browser today, just now.
Sure enough the thread page loaded fresh so I saw the new poll then jumped right to the last page of the thread (837) to confirm.

I knew I was just going to be lying in bed wide awake for a while tonight unable to quiet my mind enough to sleep. This is quite the upgraded reason! Fuck you thoughts of coronavirus, PJ is here to crowd you out.

Hot Damn!!

[Ledbetterdays]

Ok, so I've read so many thing being said while I was at work. I have not heard anything, as I have not asked for a link. That's a first for me. With my other account I had, and then this latest one, I always came here at new album time, and got an early listen. I told myself that wasn't going to do that again, and I won't. I really am enjoying reading everything people are saying, it's great, and I feel all your enthusiasm etc.

I would like to ask a few questions.....

Although very, very early, If you would give "Yield" a 10 let's say, where would this record place out of ....you know.....10 for you, and where did you rank the last 3 albums as well? I'm not interested in pre Yield, because that's just in a different galaxy then we are now.

Also, I know the leak quality apparantly isn't the best, but vocally, how does Ed sound opposed to the last 3 records in your opinion?

Thank you for any feedback, seriously.

For context, I think Yield was their last great album. Nothing since has provided the high-level quality of songs. I know most people on here disagree--a lot of people on here who love Riot Act or Binaural. I do not, but there is a feeling that comes from this album that was similar to Binaural or No Code. What are they doing? How do I feel about this? What I find myself coming back to is that this album has a lot of great moments--parts of songs, but maybe not necessarily a lot of great songs. There are just these great little moments in almost all of these songs that are cool or unpredictable or more importantly improve on similar ideas of the last few albums. There are not really big choruses or arena rock pomp and circumstance. It is more introspective REM, and more 80s guitar tones, more uncomfortable in mostly a good way. Frat guys from the 90's will totally reject this version of Pearl Jam and for many, that will be a relief. There is still too much of Ed's smaltz on this album and it is still a little too formulaic to the point where the first 2 songs really make little sense in the context of the album. It does not mean that those are bad songs, but this album needed to break the mold with a slow opener. More Long Road, Of the Girl, and not this Go, Animal setup that doesn't work the same way as it did on Vs. As far as Ed goes, his delivery is probably about as good as could be expected. He tries a lot of new styles--Springsteen, Byrne, but still manages to fall just below what I want, which is a range of emotion in his voice. As someone else said, it is to soon to rank this as a whole, but I will say I was more surprised, more challenged, and more interested to listen again then any of the last three albums. On the other hand, I don't know if I have found a song yet that I want to play on repeat over and over in the car. Perhaps we have enough of those songs already, and perhaps this album was made with the fans in mind who put on headphones and absorb all of the intricate details, because that will be a trip!