Gigaton revisited

bobasfeet

First off, I love this album, but does anyone have a tough time listening to it sometimes? Specifically, in reference to the timing of its release around the pandemic. When the shit was hitting the fan, I was glad to have to have a new PJ record. During the lockdowns, I spent a lot of time alone listening to help take my mind off things. It felt like the soundtrack to the pandemic, eerily prophetic. Now when I listen, the music sometimes conjures up difficult memories and old feelings of the confusion and fear of the unknowns we were facing.

2-feign-reluctance

I do sometimes. 

beano.79

The pandemic and the lockdowns were very tough of themselves, but, I spent time at home with my daughter, home schooling and doing morning home workouts while my wife had to work, which is something I look back on fondly. And Gigaton was the soundtrack to those memories. So, strangely happy memories when I listen to it.

tschav

The first 4-5 tracks remind me of the daily run I'd go on when Chicago locked down (only excuse to be outside apart from grocery trips while working at home). After a few miles, the cadence of the album was the perfect length and pace to feel energized, breathe some fresh air and has some amazing moments near the end. Tired and exhausted from a run, looking around my empty city during Retrograde/River Cross was emotional. 

Plenty of the songs still hold up. Glad to have heard most of them at Ohana because I doubt many people will get a chance to hear more than a few of them live, and they all sound great at a show. 

The tone of the album was more serious than the past few, and the timing of the release couldn't have been any more perfect (not with respect to touring, unfortunately). In some perverse way, I'm glad Gigaton isn't written off as an election year album and the messages and feelings from it are tied to a larger world event. 

We All Believe

Since it's been released, I've listened to it more than anything else, by PJ or any other artist. It's not a stretch to say that I still listen to at least half of it on a daily basis.

2020 was the worst year of my life. My relationship ended right as Gigaton came out, and a couple of months later, I lost my job, and was unemployed for almost a year. Combine those two things with COVID isolation, and the end result was me immersing myself in Gigaton even more than I normally would have.

There are so many things in it that parallel what was going on in my life at the time that it's eerie.

No Code is the record that, for me, changed PJ from a band that I really liked to something more, something greater and more meaningful.

Gigaton is on a similar level. It will forever be associated with the worst year of my life, but it will also forever be associated with me continuing to dig out from where I was, getting back to higher ground,

And even after all of that, there was one more kick in the pills lol. I fainted during Wishlist at Sea Hear Now, missed the rest of the show, and missed the next night. PJ and the Pumpkins, my 2 fav bands, on the same bill. And I missed 75% of it all.

But I went to all 4 Canadian shows last year, and had a great time. Even met a girl in Quebec, and hung out with her for a bit.

I am in a much, much better place now.

- Once, you were somewhere. And now, you're everywhere.

- If your heart still beats free, keep it for yourself.

- Would some love be best had it not appeared?

- Swim sideways from this undertow, and do not be deterred.

- Accelerate the change.

THEBIBLEISTEN

It’s a great record. I thought River Cross sounded great live in Denver and I’ve been playing 2 tracks on repeat for the last month, Alright and Take the long way

1STmammal2wearPants

Seven O'Clock gives me major pandemic vibes. Maybe it's the "Sitting Bullshit as our sitting president" line?

mfc2006

"Stuck in our boxes, windows open no more." 

That line still gives me chills in some way. Great album.

mace1229

We repainted our bedrooms when the pandemic started. The first time listening to the record was painting our kids' room. Got to hear it 3-4 times. Thats what comes to mind when I hear it. 
I can't believe its been 3 years though. 

a5pj

yeah i'm with ya. Pandemic kinda showed me where I was, not in a good place, but it helped me make a lot of good changes. And to keep working on those changes.
It's weird when we talk about it and I'm like yea I stopped drinking and got a divorce from the pandemic, all good things. Cue the weird looks lol.

BrainofBGA

Certainly brings back a lot of memories, good, bad and strange. It obviously connects us to an interesting time in our lives. Those opening chords of Who Ever Said definitely takes me back to March 2020. A time we’ll never forget I’m sure. 

CarryTheZero

Love this record. It was a welcome album during the pandemic. Felt like it addressed so much of what I was feeling during those times. Still love listening to it, but sometimes listening to River Cross is tough. That’s an emotional song. 2020 sucked, lost my dad right in the last few days, so sometimes these songs can be hard to listen to. Overall, reminds me of more time spent at home with my family and an eventual road-trip with my son and his first PJ shows in 2022.

DM282158

Totally concur. 

Who Ever Said and Seven O’Clock with the heaviest pandemic related vibes. 

“Our freedoms fraught with danger of being circumscribed.”

”They giveth and they taketh and fight to keep that what you’ve earned.”

And then the overall aura of fear, anxiety of the unknown. Gigaton really sets that mood in general. I find DOTC spooky like Ed predicting the future. Obscure reference is the opening lines to Tool’s Fear Inoculum: “Immunity, long overdue. Contagion, I exhale you.”

BF25394

I have had a similar experience to the OP. I have listened to the album well over 100 times and I love it. There are several truly outstanding tracks on it, and I think it is consistently good from start to finish. But I got my first copy on March 18 after having started sheltering in place on March 12, and that was such a stressful time. My family, including my elderly parents, are all in New York City, which was the epicenter of the pandemic in the U.S. at that time, and I was very worried about them (I am in L.A.). I support myself via my investments, and the stock market was going haywire at that time. Plus, the reality was setting in that this wasn't going to be merely a weeks-long disruption.

Just as there are some albums that automatically transport me back to particular times in my life, like childhood or college or my first year in a new city, this album will always bring me back to that extremely stressful period in the spring of 2020. I though that seeing the songs performed live at Ohana in 2021, and then again on the 2022 tour, had shaken this "taint," but it's still there. It's a shame because it's such a fantastic record notwithstanding that exogenous factor.

bobasfeet

Interesting...it's Gigaton's birthday. I had no idea the timing when I started this thread. Makes even more sense why it was on my mind. 

pdalowsky

I dont think I'll ever tire of hearing River Cross, 

and SBWM is one of those tracks that has grown since the release

Weston1283

It's a good but not great album to me.  Retrograde, River Cross, Who Ever Said and Dance of the C are excellent.  

I think alot of the other "good songs" like Seven O Clock and Quick Escape are just way too wordy and jumbled for me to enjoy on a regular basis.  Sometimes, simpler is truly better.

Long term, I see myself preferring Backspacer and Lightning Bolt over Gigaton just due to ease of listening

lastexitlondon

It totally  is my soundtrack  to lockdown.  It is almost clairvoyant 

iOnlyownMymind

Weston1283 said:

It's a good but not great album to me.  Retrograde, River Cross, Who Ever Said and Dance of the C are excellent.  

I think alot of the other "good songs" like Seven O Clock and Quick Escape are just way too wordy and jumbled for me to enjoy on a regular basis.  Sometimes, simpler is truly better.

Long term, I see myself preferring Backspacer and Lightning Bolt over Gigaton just due to ease of listening

Agree with this 100%. I find Who Ever Said to be too wordy also.  Haven't listened to the album in over two years.  I'm glad people enjoy it though. Even with pandemic connection and it even coming out on my birthday, it just didn't do anything for me. Oh well. 

BF25394

Weston1283 said:

It's a good but not great album to me.  Retrograde, River Cross, Who Ever Said and Dance of the C are excellent.  

I think alot of the other "good songs" like Seven O Clock and Quick Escape are just way too wordy and jumbled for me to enjoy on a regular basis.  Sometimes, simpler is truly better.

Long term, I see myself preferring Backspacer and Lightning Bolt over Gigaton just due to ease of listening

I understand thinking "Seven O'Clock" and "Who Ever Said" are wordy, but "Quick Escape"? That one's pretty succinct. And it rocks.

iOnlyownMymind

BF25394 said:

Weston1283 said:

It's a good but not great album to me.  Retrograde, River Cross, Who Ever Said and Dance of the C are excellent.  

I think alot of the other "good songs" like Seven O Clock and Quick Escape are just way too wordy and jumbled for me to enjoy on a regular basis.  Sometimes, simpler is truly better.

Long term, I see myself preferring Backspacer and Lightning Bolt over Gigaton just due to ease of listening

I understand thinking "Seven O'Clock" and "Who Ever Said" are wordy, but "Quick Escape"? That one's pretty succinct. And it rocks.

Superbood is the other that I think is overly wordy. 

2-feign-reluctance

Happy Birthday Gigaton. Released on my birthday, wife’s birthday, Uncle Steve, my friend Stephen, and apparently Flea’s wife’s birthday. What a weird, scary,  fucked up time that was. 

jimjam1982

Looking back, i enjoy the music more then the words. While Ed has some good lines throughout the album it's far to complex and wordy. It's a shame because instrumentally it's some of their best work in a long time. 

rey

Seven O'Clock exhausts me with all the words squeezed in there.  It also feels like several different songs patched together.

bobasfeet

I can't believe this was 4 years ago today. happy "birthday" Gigaton. 

CROJAM95

7??? 4 man

kramerica4

I loved Gigaton when it was released and still love it the same 4 years later.
A fantastic record!

dwjmu84

lastexitlondon said:

It totally  is my soundtrack  to lockdown.  It is almost clairvoyant 

100% agree.  Unfortunately, I think the association is so strong for me that the songs actually have not stood the test of time because of it, now that covid seems like a thing of the distant past (thank god). I find myself only having a few songs on the reg rotation:

Dance
WES
7
Alright

The rest are honestly forgettable to me (save maybe the last 2 mins of Retrograde). I am shocked at how poorly River Cross evolved for me.  Outside of the final chorus, I could never listen to the rest of that track and be perfectly content.

Do I think it's a special album? Yes, but it only ranks above the lowly LB and barely better BS in my view.  

PJNB

River Cross is def the one that dropped off the most for me especially live. 7oclock as well just keeps going and going and is pretty boring imo. 

Whoever Said 
Quick Escape
Retrograde

Are really the only songs I care to hear live again if at all.  

bobasfeet

CROJAM95 said:

7??? 4 man

Typo. Fixed. My bad.

RatherStarved

mfc2006 said:

"Stuck in our boxes, windows open no more." 

That line still gives me chills in some way. Great album.

These lyrics, as well as those within In Hiding, were creepily prophetic.