CD Odyssey Disc 1435: Pearl Jam

Greetings, gentle reader! I am officially on vacation. Like most people right now, my plans include doing nothing, going nowhere, and seeing no one. Good times.

Disc 1435 is…. Gigaton

Artist: Pearl Jam

Year of Release: 2020

What’s up with the Cover?  A cliff face with water spilling off of it. Maybe a melting glacier? It is hard to tell with that reflective finish they’ve coated it with. There is also an EKG heartbeat line (ambitiously referred to in the liner notes as a “font”) across the top of the cover for no apparent reason. As covers go this one is a cover.

How I Came To Know It: I’m a longtime fan of Pearl Jam, so I was just trying out their new record and hoping for the best.

How It Stacks Up: I have twelve Pearl Jam albums. Of the twelve, “Gigaton” comes in at #10. Scoring 10 is often a good thing, but not this time.

Ratings: 3 stars

When you’ve been successful for as long as Pearl Jam has, you start taking on the qualities of super groups like Them Crooked Vultures or Queens of the Stone Age. That usually means a bit more bombast and a whole lot of production (there being no need to pinch pennies or monitor studio time). Such is the case with Pearl Jam’s, “Gigaton” which shows both promise and excess in equal measure.

“Gigaton” is Pearl Jam’s first album in seven years (their last was 2013’s “Lightning Bolt”). “Lightning Bolt” had more range and held my interest a lot more strongly than “Gigaton,” which is solid but not innovative. Pearl Jam rocks out and plays tight and with great energy that belies their age, but at few points to do they paint outside the lines.

Vedder’s vocals have held up well over the years and his powerful back of the throat singing style continues to put pleasant vibrations in your backbone. Many have tried to emulate Vedder’s style over the years, often with disastrous results (I’m looking at you Scott Stapp) but there’s only one Eddie Vedder. “Gigaton” doesn’t give Vedder any legendary moments, but even a regular Vedder performance is worth the price of admission.

The coolest tune on the record is easily “Dance of the Clairvoyants.” It features a very interesting shift between an almost techno bass lick and a more traditional rock croon B section. Also, how could any song called “Dance of the Clairvoyants” not be good? That’s a dance I want to attend – so long as everyone promises not to tell me my future. Then again, if they said nothing but just regarded me sadly, would that be worse? I dunno. I only came to this clairvoyant convention for the dancing. But I digress…

Lyrically, I had a hard time getting into this record. Part of that were all the layers of production. The band is good enough to make it all work, but the record felt more about the groove than the stories. “Superblood Wolfmoon” has lyrics that are every bit as ridiculous as the song’s title would imply, and not in a good way. Pearl Jam has also continued in their long tradition of printing the lyrics in the most indecipherable font possible, providing further disincentive to learn more.

The one notable standout lyrically was “Seven O’clock” which is a beautiful and sparse tune that showcases Vedder at his mournful best. There are some meandering guitar bits in the background from Mike McCready and/or Stone Gossard (I’m never sure) but they suit the song well and give it a bit of that deep ocean feel that is a signature quality of many good Pearl Jam songs.

It is followed up by “Never Destination” which has the band returning to its frantic, “wouldn’t you rather be driving to this?” sound. Yes I would, but if I’m being honest, there are other songs I’d rather be driving to.

The album’s final third gets a bit quieter, and I enjoyed the slow soak it provided my ears. “Retrograde” is the standout here, but the sleepy and saccharine lullaby “Buckle Up” is to be avoided. I get that they are trying to juxtapose a tragic story with a gentle tune, but it failed to draw me in sufficiently to learn more.

If you already love Pearl Jam (and by love I mean you didn’t stop listening to them in 1994) then you should check “Gigaton” out. I think you’ll like it. If you don’t already love them, start with a classic like “Yield” or “Ten” and work your way in.

Best tracks: Dance of the Clairvoyants, Seven O’clock, Retrograde