Fanviews / reviews
Options
Comments
-
So I’ve been through it 3.5 times now:
1. Streaming over Sonos Friday morning. Only got through the first four tracks (three of which were previously released) before the kids got up and started bothering me, so the bulk of my listening was on background while I was making breakfasts etc. As a side note, I actually have come to prefer approaching albums this way - listening on background the first time through to get a general feel, the later listening more intently (got that tip from a music critic friend of mine a few years back).1.5. Put it on while riding my bike around town on a beautiful afternoon yesterday, dropping off bottles of wine on my friends’ porches. For better or worse, I didn’t make it past the midway point on the album, because “Seven O’Clock” was such a perfect soundtrack for what I was doing that I just repeated it over and over again.
2.5. Headphones again, while grocery shopping this morning.3.5. Got some time after lunch to sit down and really get into it, spun the vinyl (2M Blue -> Fluance RT85 -> Mofi Ultraphono -> Sennheiser HD6XX) and followed along through the book.Here’s what I’ll say about this album: when it comes to new records from artists that I have a long relationship with, I always try to imagine how I’d react if it was by an artist I wasn’t familiar with. If this was an album by a new (or new to me) band, would I say “yeah this is fine” and never listen to it again, or would I put it on my “best of the year” list, start suggesting it to friends, look up when the band is coming to NYC, etc? If I’m being honest with myself, most new albums by bands I already love fall into the former category (which isn’t to say that I don’t come to love those albums anyway - the fact that I already am committed to the band usually means I’ll give it enough time to sink in). Gigaton is the rare album that I think passes this test for me - if it wasn’t Pearl Jam, I think I’d be penciling this in right at the top of the list for the year, and texting my friends that they need to check this out. It doesn’t hurt that, as a lot of other people here have already noted, the themes of the album are amazingly even more timely and topical today than they were when the album was recorded.I said this in another thread but my only quibble with the album is that side C (Buckle Up, Comes Then Goes, Retrograde, River Cross) drags a bit. I think if they’d just flipped Take The Long Way (my least favorite tracks so far) with Buckle Up and/or Comes Then Goes) it would have helped the pacing of the back half just a little bit.Also, as noted by several others, the record sounds great on vinyl through a solid set of headphones. This is a very busy record from a production standpoint, and I don’t mean that in a bad way. Like my favorite albums of the last five years (Teens of Denial, Go Farther In Lightness), it’s layered without being distracting, so there is a lot to chew on and discover on repeat listenings. I have to say, I think the BoB version of this album wouldn’t be nearly as successful. That’s not a slam on him, but they made a good choice going in another direction for this one.Camden 2 2006, Newark 2010, Barclays 2 2013, Central Park 2015, MSG 2 2016, Wrigley 1 2016, Rome 2018, Prague 2018, Asbury Park 2021, EV & Earthlings NYC 1 2022, MSG 2022, Louisville 2022, Dublin 2024, MSG 1 2024, MSG 2 20240 -
Comes Then Goes.
Absolutely stunning.
Thanks to the band for all the music and for still going strong.8/27/00 - Saratoga 4/29/03 - Albany 6/27/08 - Hartford 6/28/08 - Mansfield 6/8/09 - Albany (Eddie Vedder) 6/9/09 - Albany (Eddie Vedder) 5/15/10 - Hartford 5/20/10 - NYC 5/21/10 - NYC 6/18/11 - Hartford (Eddie Vedder) 10/16/13 - Worcester, MA 10/25/13 - Hartford, CT 9/26/15 - NYC 4/28/16 - Philly 4/29/16 - Philly 8/5/16 - Boston - 8/20/16 - Chicago 8/22/16 - Chicago 9/02/18 - Boston 9/04/18 - Boston 8/31/23 - St. Paul 9/2/23 - St. Paul 9/7/2024 Philly0 -
tdawe said:So I’ve been through it 3.5 times now:
1. Streaming over Sonos Friday morning. Only got through the first four tracks (three of which were previously released) before the kids got up and started bothering me, so the bulk of my listening was on background while I was making breakfasts etc. As a side note, I actually have come to prefer approaching albums this way - listening on background the first time through to get a general feel, the later listening more intently (got that tip from a music critic friend of mine a few years back).1.5. Put it on while riding my bike around town on a beautiful afternoon yesterday, dropping off bottles of wine on my friends’ porches. For better or worse, I didn’t make it past the midway point on the album, because “Seven O’Clock” was such a perfect soundtrack for what I was doing that I just repeated it over and over again.
2.5. Headphones again, while grocery shopping this morning.3.5. Got some time after lunch to sit down and really get into it, spun the vinyl (2M Blue -> Fluance RT85 -> Mofi Ultraphono -> Sennheiser HD6XX) and followed along through the book.Here’s what I’ll say about this album: when it comes to new records from artists that I have a long relationship with, I always try to imagine how I’d react if it was by an artist I wasn’t familiar with. If this was an album by a new (or new to me) band, would I say “yeah this is fine” and never listen to it again, or would I put it on my “best of the year” list, start suggesting it to friends, look up when the band is coming to NYC, etc? If I’m being honest with myself, most new albums by bands I already love fall into the former category (which isn’t to say that I don’t come to love those albums anyway - the fact that I already am committed to the band usually means I’ll give it enough time to sink in). Gigaton is the rare album that I think passes this test for me - if it wasn’t Pearl Jam, I think I’d be penciling this in right at the top of the list for the year, and texting my friends that they need to check this out. It doesn’t hurt that, as a lot of other people here have already noted, the themes of the album are amazingly even more timely and topical today than they were when the album was recorded.I said this in another thread but my only quibble with the album is that side C (Buckle Up, Comes Then Goes, Retrograde, River Cross) drags a bit. I think if they’d just flipped Take The Long Way (my least favorite tracks so far) with Buckle Up and/or Comes Then Goes) it would have helped the pacing of the back half just a little bit.Also, as noted by several others, the record sounds great on vinyl through a solid set of headphones. This is a very busy record from a production standpoint, and I don’t mean that in a bad way. Like my favorite albums of the last five years (Teens of Denial, Go Farther In Lightness), it’s layered without being distracting, so there is a lot to chew on and discover on repeat listenings. I have to say, I think the BoB version of this album wouldn’t be nearly as successful. That’s not a slam on him, but they made a good choice going in another direction for this one.0 -
Tier 1: Who Ever Said, SBWM, Quick Escape, Never Destination, Take The Long Way, River Cross
Tier Two, Albright, Dance, 7 O Clock
Tier 3: Buckley Up, Comes then Goes, Retrograde.
To get 6 solid songs at this point in their career is amazing.0 -
10-11-12 are so goddamn beautiful I could listen to them all day!jesus greets me looks just like me ....0
-
Sounds great in the car. My headphones are meh. In the car, blasting with full range of sound is much better. No bass on headphones, made the harder songs sound sparse. A whole new album in the car.Up here so high I start to shake, Up here so high the sky I scrape, I've no fear but for falling down, So look out below I am falling now, Falling down,...not staying down, Could’ve held me up, rather tear me down, Drown in the river0
-
KN219077 said:MedozK said:So much better than Backspacer and Lightning Bolt
"Red Rover, Red Rover, Mike McCready – Take Over!!" - E.V.
Ten Club "Ambassador" (recap-writer) - DEEP.pearljam.com
Contributor & Patron - liveon4legs.com
2018: Chicago 2 (Wrigley Field) 8/20 | 20(20)22: St Louis 9/18 | 2023: Chicago 2 (United Center) 9/7, Indianapolis (Deer Creek) 9/10 | 2024: Vegas 5/16-&-18, Indy? Wrigley 2?
EV:
2018: CURE Benefit Show (Chicago - Navy Pier) 10/15* * * * * * * * *
RIP: Andy, Kurt, Chris0 -
PJWGIII said:KN219077 said:MedozK said:So much better than Backspacer and Lightning BoltUp here so high I start to shake, Up here so high the sky I scrape, I've no fear but for falling down, So look out below I am falling now, Falling down,...not staying down, Could’ve held me up, rather tear me down, Drown in the river0
-
Veddernarian said:Sounds great in the car. My headphones are meh. In the car, blasting with full range of sound is much better. No bass on headphones, made the harder songs sound sparse. A whole new album in the car.
so earbuds? those aren't headphones.
0 -
I'm really digging Alright. Love the interplay and Jeff's lyrics sung by Eddie. Alright seems to me to be a good show opener much like Pendulum. Comes Then Goes will be great to open Encore 1. Love these 2 songs the most of the slower tempo songs. I could see 7OC dropping like song 7 of first set. Would be a tempo killer much like Sirens was, but a good song that needs to be played.It's a hopeless situation...0
-
tbergs said:I'm really digging Alright. Love the interplay and Jeff's lyrics sung by Eddie. Alright seems to me to be a good show opener much like Pendulum. Comes Then Goes will be great to open Encore 1. Love these 2 songs the most of the slower tempo songs. I could see 7OC dropping like song 7 of first set. Would be a tempo killer much like Sirens was, but a good song that needs to be played.0
-
JPPJ84 said:tbergs said:I'm really digging Alright. Love the interplay and Jeff's lyrics sung by Eddie. Alright seems to me to be a good show opener much like Pendulum. Comes Then Goes will be great to open Encore 1. Love these 2 songs the most of the slower tempo songs. I could see 7OC dropping like song 7 of first set. Would be a tempo killer much like Sirens was, but a good song that needs to be played.It's a hopeless situation...0
-
tbergs said:JPPJ84 said:tbergs said:I'm really digging Alright. Love the interplay and Jeff's lyrics sung by Eddie. Alright seems to me to be a good show opener much like Pendulum. Comes Then Goes will be great to open Encore 1. Love these 2 songs the most of the slower tempo songs. I could see 7OC dropping like song 7 of first set. Would be a tempo killer much like Sirens was, but a good song that needs to be played.0
-
MedozK said:So much better than Backspacer and Lightning Bolt"Mostly I think that people react sensitively because they know you’ve got a point"0
-
Spiritual_Chaos said:MedozK said:So much better than Backspacer and Lightning Bolt0
-
The one song that I can't get into is Buckle Up. Just not feeling it. I've heard people mention it's the Parachutes of this album, but I find that a dig on Parachutes. I really like that song and thought it fit that album well. It may grow on me yet though, we'll see.It's a hopeless situation...0
-
Spiritual_Chaos said:MedozK said:So much better than Backspacer and Lightning BoltIt's a hopeless situation...0
-
Spiritual_Chaos said:MedozK said:So much better than Backspacer and Lightning Bolt0
-
Smellyman said:Veddernarian said:Sounds great in the car. My headphones are meh. In the car, blasting with full range of sound is much better. No bass on headphones, made the harder songs sound sparse. A whole new album in the car.
so earbuds? those aren't headphones.Up here so high I start to shake, Up here so high the sky I scrape, I've no fear but for falling down, So look out below I am falling now, Falling down,...not staying down, Could’ve held me up, rather tear me down, Drown in the river0
Categories
- All Categories
- 148.8K Pearl Jam's Music and Activism
- 110K The Porch
- 274 Vitalogy
- 35K Given To Fly (live)
- 3.5K Words and Music...Communication
- 39.1K Flea Market
- 39.1K Lost Dogs
- 58.7K Not Pearl Jam's Music
- 10.6K Musicians and Gearheads
- 29.1K Other Music
- 17.8K Poetry, Prose, Music & Art
- 1.1K The Art Wall
- 56.7K Non-Pearl Jam Discussion
- 22.2K A Moving Train
- 31.7K All Encompassing Trip
- 2.9K Technical Stuff and Help