Retrograde is symbolic of Gigaton's superiority
Ok, I've been thinking about this for a few days. This is a bit long. So, if you bother to read it, bear with me.
Personally, Gigaton hit me harder and more immediately than the last two albums. Sure, I can chalk that up to opinion and preference. But why this collection of songs more than the songs on Lightning Bolt or Backspacer? After all, it's the same band. The same songwriters.
Then, I was listening to Retrograde and it hit me. It's the last 2 minutes or so of Retrograde, after the words have ceased. The band takes a song which to be honest, was/is probably one of the less than remarkable songs on the album, and elevates it to a place that they didn't achieve with any of the lesser songs on Lightning Bolt or Backspacer.
LB, in particular, take one of that album's lesser songs IMO, Swallowed Whole. It's a rather straightforward song. Nothing all that standout-ish about the lyrics or the music. It's not offensively bad by any means, but it's all in all forgettable. Same with Yellow Moon. Anyways, the band takes those songs and ends them at their natural conclusion. The words cease, the music closes. They don't uplift, they don't surprise.
Retrograde could have very well been that kind of song. But the band doesn't let the song just end at it's natural conclusion. It picks back up and transforms into something far more meaningful than if it had just ended when the lyrics ceased. The ending uplifts and surprises in a way that other "filler" type songs on previous albums never did. Retrograde's ending makes the song leaps and bounds better than Swallowed Whole or Yellow Moon or Supersonic or other similar songs.
Maybe I'm way off base. Maybe I'm hallucinating. Again, just my opinion. Take it or leave it.
Personally, Gigaton hit me harder and more immediately than the last two albums. Sure, I can chalk that up to opinion and preference. But why this collection of songs more than the songs on Lightning Bolt or Backspacer? After all, it's the same band. The same songwriters.
Then, I was listening to Retrograde and it hit me. It's the last 2 minutes or so of Retrograde, after the words have ceased. The band takes a song which to be honest, was/is probably one of the less than remarkable songs on the album, and elevates it to a place that they didn't achieve with any of the lesser songs on Lightning Bolt or Backspacer.
LB, in particular, take one of that album's lesser songs IMO, Swallowed Whole. It's a rather straightforward song. Nothing all that standout-ish about the lyrics or the music. It's not offensively bad by any means, but it's all in all forgettable. Same with Yellow Moon. Anyways, the band takes those songs and ends them at their natural conclusion. The words cease, the music closes. They don't uplift, they don't surprise.
Retrograde could have very well been that kind of song. But the band doesn't let the song just end at it's natural conclusion. It picks back up and transforms into something far more meaningful than if it had just ended when the lyrics ceased. The ending uplifts and surprises in a way that other "filler" type songs on previous albums never did. Retrograde's ending makes the song leaps and bounds better than Swallowed Whole or Yellow Moon or Supersonic or other similar songs.
Maybe I'm way off base. Maybe I'm hallucinating. Again, just my opinion. Take it or leave it.
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Comments
Supersonic is a cool song live... as was Speed of Sound (lucky enough to see that in Vienna 2014).
Even when I spin LB... I listen through those two songs.... hoping, hoping I will someday like them. Just can’t see it happening lol
I'd get if some didn't like Gigaton but there's certainly a lot of effort and thought been put into it
1998 (2) - East Lansing & Auburn Hills; 2000 (2) - Tampa & Noblesville; 2003 (2) - Lexington & Noblesville; 2006 (1) - Cincinnati; 2007 (1) - Chicago (Lollapalooza); 2008 (Ed in Milwaukee); 2009 (1) - Chicago; 2010 (1) - Noblesville; 2013 (3) - San Diego & Los Angeles I & II; 2016 (Temple of the Dog in Los Angeles); 2017 (Ed at Ohana in Dana Point);
2021 (3) - Dana Point I, II & III; 2022 (3) - San Diego & Los Angeles I & II; 2025 - Southern U.S. Tour Please!
...the world is come undone, I like to change it everyday but change don't come at once, it's a wave, building before it breaks.
Swallowed Whole brought me to tears when I first heard it. My Mum and Dad had both passed less than a year before LB came out...
What Lies Beyond the grave, might be welcome change and will come, come what may, with no rest in peace, until that day...
These lyrics hit the spot for me.
Yellow Moon also has a beautiful middle eight with poignent lyrics for me anyway!
Supersonic - well that is filler in my opinion!!
Having read an interview with Josh Evans, I think the last two minutes of Retrograde have a lot to do with his as well as the band's production ideas.
I really get a sense that there's much more production this time around. Hopefully the band do not come back in 15 years with a BOB redux because the work that Josh has done with them is outstanding.
Just my opinion though obviously - but SW still hits me every time I hear it - which most recently, was Saturday night!
But I do completely agree with you on Gigaton being far superior to both BS and LB.
Completely and utterly far ahead. And again, sorry about that!
he just gives it away...
I've been listening a ton to this album and it's amazing. Waiting a while to decide where it fits in the PJ catalog for me.
Enjoy!
When I first heard Gigaton, my big WTF moment was "Buckle up". The beat and with that clicking and clanking. The first thing that came to mind was that 1950s Disney song/video a cowboy he needs a horse which basically shows a cartoon kid on one of those horse head broomstick toys of course except for the lyrics. I'm actually starting to like that song now. Maybe it's like going to the beach when the waters really cold and then once you get used to it it feels great.
The one I'm starting to like less is the closer, "River Cross". Sometimes I love it and sometimes I wish that part where he repeats "can't hold me down/won't hold this down" could be shortened, and for some reason it sounds like to me that last part "share the light won't hold us down" was recorded separately. It just sounds like his voice has a different tone, like it was in another session, on another day, in another place, or there is some other setting that was slightly different. Some days I just love that song at some days I want to skip over it. Back to topic, I think Retrograde is really amazing.
┃┃╱╲ In this
┃╱╱╲╲ house
╱╱╭╮╲╲ this song
▔▏┗┛▕▔ is such
╱▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔╲
A Fucking Jam
╱╱┏┳┓╭╮┏┳┓ ╲╲
▔▏┗┻┛┃┃┗┻┛▕▔
Toronto - '96, '00, '03, '05, '06, '16, '20, '22
Ottawa - '16, '20, '22
Hamilton - '20, '22
It’s like Three Days by Jane’s Addiction. It’s like 11 minutes long and I’m still rocking out and wanting more when it’s over. Stairway to Heaven is like that as well.