Gigaton and Dark Matter - Then and Now

[Kalevi]

I think gigaton being the modern no code has legs. The difference is that I haven't been instinctually reaching for gigaton much, at least since dark matter came out. That will probably change

[dimejinky99]

RM is just bots and Mossad now.

Depressing really but that’s the entire point.

[wtfisaledbetter?]

I'm so grateful that Gigaton exists.

This right here! Gigaton came out at such a weird time during the pandemic when I really needed something..something to enjoy. It grabbed me right away like no other Pearl Jam record has in a long time. I love the fact that they stepped out of their comfort zone and experimented more, it really is like a later career No Code.

[Jaeti]

Gigaton is (for me) the late-era No Code.

For me, No Code is a perfect record from Sometimes - Off He goes.

Gigaton is a perfect record from WES - 7 O'clock.

After that, each respective record has ups and downs but ultimately satisfies with far fewer misses than hits.

I've been listening to everything again lately, and I might... MIGHT... have Gigaton above Yield. Maybe. MAYBE.

Agree with all of this except maybe the last part. But i do have Gigaton sliding in right behind Yield.

Man that run of WES - 7 O'clock was such an overwhelming surprise for me at the time. Expectations could not have been lower after the whole Ole-LB-Can't Deny Me run of songs over the previous 8-9 years. Was practically in tears by the end of 7 O'Clock...turns out my favorite band wasnt done making quality new music after all.

Right there with y'all on Gigaton 1-6.

[guitar_davey]

Gigaton got me through the pandemic and, frankly, gave me a lot of comfort during some difficult personal stuff.

I'm so glad they made this record.

[epilogue]

Gigaton got me through the pandemic and, frankly, gave me a lot of comfort during some difficult personal stuff.

I'm so glad they made this record.

[Jaeti]

Been a while since I ran through Gigaton front to back. Probably should do it today.

[Jaeti]

Been a while since I ran through Gigaton front to back. Probably should do it today.

[lowlight79]

While I enjoyed gigaton when it came out, the tragedy and trauma I experience during the pandemic, that album kept me going. Now it's just a reminder of those times and I barely go back.

[stip]

post dark matter i tend to go back a lot less. someone compared it to no code in its feel and I dont think I disagree. I like gigaton a lot more (love that record) but there is a softness and distance to it that is certainly one of the modes of pearl jam (and my favorite version of it) but not my preferred mode

[Cairn_Away]

Gigaton is cigarettes and Dark Matter is vape

[Matters]

Gigaton is cigarettes and Dark Matter is vape

Flip these and we’re good.

[Ryuhza]

Gigaton is one of my favorites. I wasn't sure how on board I was with Pearl Jam's future after Lightning Bolt. I don't hate Can't Deny Me, I thought it was a small step up from the banal comfort and relaxed intensity of Lightning Bolt, but it also wasn't going to win me back over.

Then they released Dance of the Clairvoyants, and my attention was back in full. Oblique lyrics, instrumental experimentation the likes of which I hadn't heard since something like You Are on Riot Act, and most important of all, it came together powerfully. It's not a full reflection of the album Gigaton would turn out to be--which is far more conventional in parts, fine enough--but promised a level of intrigue and atmosphere I had no longer come to expect from the band. I guess I shouldn't have given up on satisfaction, ho ho ho. Also the best sounding album they've made since Riot Act, imo. Josh Evans is a keeper.


Still working on Dark Matter. The frankly atrocious audio engineering had me putting it down for a long time after my initial listen, but the recent fan mix by Wombat has me revisiting it. I still don't find the songwriting quite as interesting as the bulk of Gigaton. Even the quieter songs travel to the same place where everything crescendos, and Eddie sounds like he's struggling to bellow over the instruments, which works if not overdone (and not compressed to hell).

I think I may always be a little disconnected on it though. I was going through a rough time in early 2024, facing the most tremendous loss of my life, and these weren't the sounds I needed or was drawn to. I was skeptical of Watt after not enjoying Earthling's production. Dark Matter the song was cool, but not revelatory. I was ready to be disappointed with the final album, and I suppose I was. Still, I hope it can grow on me to some degree.

[stip]

welcome to the board

[Ryuhza]

Thanks. I haven't been on a phpBB forum proper in close to 15 years. It's getting me a lil' nostalgic.

[epilogue]

I've been listening to both of these albums a lot recently. Gigaton is far and away the better record, I think. Which is no slight to Dark Matter -- an album I admire more than I like, but still really like.

Stip often talks about the weight an album bears when it is "the last" album. I think that's fair. So it's interesting to me that I liked Gigaton more from the jump (and it actually made Lightning Bolt lesser) and also find that the addition of Dark Matter had only exacerbated that attraction. I'm excited to see what a new album reveals about Dark Matter should we ever get one.

But right now, I know that what Dark Matter revealed about Gigaton is substantial. The record has only gotten better to me. Gigaton is a massive achievement and a very special record; something I worried Pearl Jan was no longer capable of delivering. Dark Matter, while being more direct and satisfying than Backspacer and Lightning Bolt, is a big step back from Gigaton.

[Leatherhead]

Dark Matter is a better Lightning Bolt.

[Got Some]

Dark Matter is a better Earthling.

EFA

The only thing that hurts Gigaton is two of the best songs they recorded in these sessions didnt make the album.

[VinylGuy]

I've been listening to both of these albums a lot recently. Gigaton is far and away the better record, I think. Which is no slight to Dark Matter -- an album I admire more than I like not still really like.

Stip often tasks about the weight an album bears when it is "the last" album. I think that's fair. So it's interesting to me that I liked Gigaton more from the jump (and it actually made Lightning Bolt lesser) and also find that the addition of Dark Matter had only exacerbated that attraction. I'm excited to see what a new album reveals about Dark Matter aloud we ever get one.

But right now, I know that what Dark Matter revealed about Gigaton is substantial. The record has only gotten better to me. Gigaton is a massive achievement and a very special record; something I worried Pearl Jan was no longer capable of delivering. Dark Matter, while being more direct and satisfying than Backspacer and Lightning Bolt, is a big step back from Gigaton.

This is a very interesting view, and agree with Gigaton being the better one. DM is way more direct , it feels like Vs while Gigaton feels more like a mix between No Code and Yield maybe in what its trying to do.

[Monkey_Driven]

I've been listening to both of these albums a lot recently. Gigaton is far and away the better record, I think. Which is no slight to Dark Matter -- an album I admire more than I like not still really like.

Stip often tasks about the weight an album bears when it is "the last" album. I think that's fair. So it's interesting to me that I liked Gigaton more from the jump (and it actually made Lightning Bolt lesser) and also find that the addition of Dark Matter had only exacerbated that attraction. I'm excited to see what a new album reveals about Dark Matter aloud we ever get one.

But right now, I know that what Dark Matter revealed about Gigaton is substantial. The record has only gotten better to me. Gigaton is a massive achievement and a very special record; something I worried Pearl Jan was no longer capable of delivering. Dark Matter, while being more direct and satisfying than Backspacer and Lightning Bolt, is a big step back from Gigaton.

This is a very interesting view, and agree with Gigaton being the better one. DM is way more direct , it feels like Vs while Gigaton feels more like a mix between No Code and Yield maybe in what its trying to do.

This is right.

DM and Gigaton provide two different flavors of PJ. DM is more of the direct, catchier version (like Vs., Yield, and Backspacer) while Gigaton is messier and more nuanced (like Vitalogy, No Code, or Riot Act). I tend to prefer the latter when reaching for an album but both have a time and a place.