Review Summary: Like a heavy cloud hanging over your head...
Pearl Jam have mostly kept to themselves throughout their career, tending to their sonic needs and comfort rather than passing trends or nostalgia factors. This is a band where everyone writes songs and thus, often rammed their heads into one another. This occurred especially (or more publicly) during the first decade of activity. Therefore, you could observe when they were on the same page or not. Luckily, all members share similar classic rock influences and that tied together most of their experiments. Celebrating the 30th anniversary this year, the quintet channeled their energy into
Gigaton, the first record in 7 years. No time was wasted recapturing former glories, as this collection of tunes feels more of an attempt to successfully regroup. Its sound is more mature and settled overall than before, whereas everyone seems focused to demonstrate to himself he can still come up with good music.
A thick atmosphere characterizes
Gigaton best; it’s like a heavy cloud hangs over it from start to finish. In some ways it reminisces
Riot Act, due to the mix of political, environmental and reflective subjects spread on moody ideas. Still, that album found a tension release through short bursts of aggressive songs. Sadly, here there is little to no relief. Eddie Vedder practices restraint, but I’m afraid that’s not always the answer. His discontent with multiple things surrounding is as tangible as ever, however, the music rarely allows him to shake it off. Nevertheless, ‘Take the Long Way’ and ‘Never Destination’ come closest, as Matt Cameron plays some straightforward beats over which crunchy guitars display some muscle. Moreover, ‘Superblood Fullmoon’ and ‘Who Ever Said’ feature catchier grooves overall, leaning towards 2009’s
Backspacer, where the front man employs some raucous vocals too. The material is not stellar, yet in this context, it provides a solid dose of much-needed energy. Meanwhile, ‘Quick Escape’ boasts a cockier instrumental, displaying some chunky riffs and a prominent bass line. The band feels energized here, diversifying the structure with some piano leads, a powerful guitar solo, plus a couple of sampled verses during the bridge. Since they let the song unfold and breathe, the results are also satisfying.
From here,
Gigaton settles into a brooding, mid-tempo-at-best pace. The second half is cluttered with ballads that may provide depth, but end up weighing heavy on the listener. There’s a nice country touch on ‘Comes and Goes’, yet its 6 minutes length is not justified. You’ve heard everything halfway into it, ultimately losing its potential impact. ‘Retrograde’ and ‘Alright’ are decent tunes, unfortunately, they lack truly memorable parts. Album closer, ‘River Cross’ breaks the patterns by using a keyboard progression and poignant bass notes as its foundation. A pastoral synthesizer line joins Vedder during the chorus, complete with tom-heavy drumming and welcomed backing vocals. This is an epic, pleasant conclusion to the journey, although I wouldn’t say it breaks new grounds for the band. It offers diversity, so it stands out. The only track in this lot that benefits from a gradual progression is ‘Seven O’Clock’. As the main rhythm is augmented by violins and smooth organ chords, the guitars discreetly play along. The chorus is beautiful and multiple layers are added for a grandiose finale. The lyrics sharply contrast the melody though and I can’t help but think they should’ve released an angry punk record instead.
Ultimately,
Gigaton is an album that probably the band needed more than the fans. It’s a nice souvenir for those who have followed them over the years and rejoice unconditionally at any record Pearl Jam presents us. The compositions are solid, every member brings something to the table and Eddie sings just as passionately as ever. Despite all these, there are only a handful of songs that spark actual emotion or groove at least, whereas the others fail to deliver memorable hooks. I can’t say I had fun listening to it either and its length is on the verge of uninviting in this case.
