I liked the more oblique reference in "Seven O'Clock" to "Sitting Bullshit as our sitting president," although it's a bit of a tongue-twister and easy to end up singing "our shitting president."
DotC was the pandemic. That song was a mindfuck. Listen to the words and remember what you were doing in late March 2020. Great album, great lyrics and music
Expecting perfection Leaves a lot to endure When the past is the present And the future's no more When every tomorrow Is the same as before
Numbers keep falling off the calendar's floor We're stuck in our boxes Windows open no more Collecting up the forget-me-nots Not recalling what they're for
Those 10 lines were Covid. I went through all my old shit in the garage, throwing shit out I had keep for year. Days just fading away, barely leaving the house. That song was creepy af
I feel like Retrograde was my big win for the album, that’s the one I go back too constantly. Love the build
Post edited by Foriginal Sin on
Chicago 6/29/98, Alpine Valley(EV) 6/13/99, Alpine Valley 10/08/00, Chicago 10/09/00, Phoenix 10/20/00, Orlando 4/12/03, Tampa 4/13/03, San Diego 6/05/03, Vegas 6/06/03, Phoenix 6/07/03, Chicago 6/18/03, Alpine Valley 6/21/03, Orlando 10/08/04, D.C. 10/11/04, Chicago 5/16/06, Chicago 5/17/06, LA 7/12/08, Chicago 8/23/09, Chicago 8/24/09, LA 10/07/09, San Diego 10/09/09 (Front Row Center, Finally), Phoenix(EV) 11/4/11, Wrigley 7/19/13, Phoenix 11/19/13, Denver 10/22/14, Wrigley 8/20/16, Wrigley 8/22/16
It will always be the Pandemic album for me, but in a good way. It was my pandemic soundtrack. I was listening to this album again this past week, the first time in a while, and I still think it’s one of PJs better albums since Yield.
There’s only one or two misfires and even then, there’s not a song I don’t like. Buckle Up is at the bottom of my rankings but it’s not because I don’t like it, It’s just the rest are better.
In my opinion WES, DotC, Quick Escape, Alright, 7, Take the Long Way and Retrograde are all really good songs. I’m going to both Melbourne shows later in the year and I’m really hoping to hear a couple of Gigaton songs per show as they haven’t toured here since 2014. Mainly hoping to hear QE, Retrograde, Dance and WES.
In my opinion WES, DotC, Quick Escape, Alright, 7, Take the Long Way and Retrograde are all really good songs. I’m going to both Melbourne shows later in the year and I’m really hoping to hear a couple of Gigaton songs per show as they haven’t toured here since 2014. Mainly hoping to hear QE, Retrograde, Dance and WES.
The ones you name here are all of my favorites from that album too. Quick Escape is their best song since Riot Act, maybe even Binaural.
DotC was the pandemic. That song was a mindfuck. Listen to the words and remember what you were doing in late March 2020. Great album, great lyrics and music
Expecting perfection Leaves a lot to endure When the past is the present And the future's no more When every tomorrow Is the same as before
Numbers keep falling off the calendar's floor We're stuck in our boxes Windows open no more Collecting up the forget-me-nots Not recalling what they're for
Those 10 lines were Covid. I went through all my old shit in the garage, throwing shit out I had keep for year. Days just fading away, barely leaving the house. That song was creepy af
I feel like Retrograde was my big win for the album, that’s the one I go back too constantly. Love the build
Yep. These lyrics from different tracks are out of context obviously but when I would hear them, it was so eerie.
Don't allow for hopelessness, focus on your focusness I've been hoping that our hope does last
And we think about the old days Of green grass, sky and red wine Should've known, so fragile
It's alright, to shut it down Disappear in thin air, it's your home It's alright, to be alone To listen for a heartbeat, it's your own
For this is no time for depression or self-indulgent hesitance This fucked-up situation calls for all hands on deck
Feels like illusion... This taking place? Disease of confusion... Stripped of our grace
Don't wanna believe it... These endless miles
Never destination, just more denial
Forever futures fading out Feel the retrograde all around
It's gonna take much more time than ordinary love To lift this up
Can't spot a figure on dry land And afterthoughts of safety When in truth, none to be had... None to be had
Retrograde is one of my favourite pearl jam songs ever.
Love this album, reminds me of home schooling my daughter while I was furloughed from work, taking long walks around the lakes with her, while my wife was working extra hours we made sure we took good care her while she was home.
My daughter who is now 8 still calls this the lockdown record.
DotC was the pandemic. That song was a mindfuck. Listen to the words and remember what you were doing in late March 2020. Great album, great lyrics and music
Expecting perfection Leaves a lot to endure When the past is the present And the future's no more
Numbers keep falling off the calendar's floor We're stuck in our boxes Windows open no more Collecting up the forget-me-nots Not recalling what they're for
Those 10 lines were Covid. I went through all my old shit in the garage, throwing shit out I had keep for year. Days just fading away, barely leaving the house. That song was creepy af
I feel like Retrograde was my big win for the album, that’s the one I go back too constantly. Love the build
The lyrics are so eerie without even knowing it at the time.
When every tomorrow Is the same as before
Noblesville 5.7.2010. Lexington 4.26.2016. Nashville 9.16.2022. St Louis 9.18.2022. Chicago 1 9.5.2023. Chicago 2 9.7.2023. *Noblesville 9.10.2023* (Gutted) Seattle 5.30.2024 Noblesville 8.26.2024 Chicago 8.29.2024 Chicago 8.31.2024
Great album. WES, DOC, Quick escape, Alright, retrograde, River cross are my favs. River Cross in Denver was incredible. Gigaton was and is a solid album. Excited for DM
Still feel the same as original post, maybe more so. Would love to be able to disassociate it from that era’s trauma. Our unfortunate current “pandemic throwback administration” and political climate isn’t helping.
Listening to the commentary about each song I wonder if these will be equally interesting and insightful for Dark Matter songs. Perhaps for Upper Hand, Got to give, the title track and Setting Sun. Not so much interesting stuff going on in the others from a conceptual point of view, I feel. That said, I'm always interested in more background information about their music.
Retrograde and River Cross win a lot by these. So much going on in these songs.
Gave this album a literal spin today to celebrate the 5th anniversary. First thing I noticed, especially coming off listening to so much Dark Matter over the year, was how better engineered, mixed and mastered this album is. Not a surprise since Josh Evans mixed it, the great Chris Bellman cut the lacquers and it's pressed at QRP.
Quick Escape is on the shortlist of best studio song they've ever done. Full band is on fire, especially Jeff.
I know they're divisive, but I love DOTC and Buckle Up. Alright is a poor man's PIlate and Low Light, but it's not terrible. I can live with 7 o'Clock.
The rest of the songs are imo mostly forgettable and really makes Gigaton suffer like many of the other late PJ albums in that the back side is very noticeably worse than the first 5-6 songs.
Dark Matter is better in that regard. Just wish it wasn't such a poorly engineered album.
Chicago, Aug 24, 2009 Noblesville, May 7, 2010 PJ20 Night 1, 2011 Cincinnati, Oct. 1, 2014 Milwaukee, Oct. 20, 2014 Wrigley Field, Aug 20, 2016 Wrigley Field, Aug 22, 2016 Wrigley Field, Aug 18, 2018 Wrigley Field, Aug 20, 2018 St. Louis, Sept. 18, 2022 Chicago, Sept. 5, 2023 Chicago, Sept. 7, 2023
Love Gigaton. I really hope songs like Retrograde and Alright don’t totally disappear from setlists, I’m glad I saw them. Definitely the most atmospheric, best sounding album of their later work.
I like that it’s wordy in places even if couple of the lyrics come off a bit clumsy on occasion. “Trump hadn’t…” would have worked better as “That wasn’t..,” for me. It would be more universal but I understand and agree with the sentiment of the lyric.
Still holds up and is still in rotation more than any other album they have released for me. Maybe this comment last year about a lyric not being universal was misguided though. It actually hits way harder this year.
Love Gigaton. I really hope songs like Retrograde and Alright don’t totally disappear from setlists, I’m glad I saw them. Definitely the most atmospheric, best sounding album of their later work.
Agree 1000x and definitely need to put Gigaton on repeat again despite the PTSD of flashing back to pandemic times.
Who Ever Said, DOTC, Quick Escape, Seven O’ Clock, Never Destination, Retrograde, and Comes Then Goes are all above average tracks, in my opinion. Not too shabby for a band at their (almost) 30 year mark. Have always loved Gigaton.
Boston '06 Mansfield '08 Hartford '10 Worcester, Hartford '13 Global Citizen, NY '15
Comments
Leaves a lot to endure
When the past is the present
And the future's no more
When every tomorrow
Is the same as before
We're stuck in our boxes
Windows open no more
Collecting up the forget-me-nots
Not recalling what they're for
Those 10 lines were Covid. I went through all my old shit in the garage, throwing shit out I had keep for year. Days just fading away, barely leaving the house. That song was creepy af
I feel like Retrograde was my big win for the album, that’s the one I go back too constantly. Love the build
Melbourne #2 '03
Melbourne #3 '03
Melbourne #1 '06
Melbourne #3 '06
Melbourne '09
Melbourne '14
Don't allow for hopelessness, focus on your focusness
I've been hoping that our hope does last
And we think about the old days
Of green grass, sky and red wine
Should've known, so fragile
It's alright, to shut it down
Disappear in thin air, it's your home
It's alright, to be alone
To listen for a heartbeat, it's your own
For this is no time for depression or self-indulgent hesitance
This fucked-up situation calls for all hands on deck
Feels like illusion... This taking place?
Disease of confusion... Stripped of our grace
Don't wanna believe it... These endless miles
Never destination, just more denial
Forever futures fading out
Feel the retrograde all around
It's gonna take much more time than ordinary love
Can't spot a figure on dry landTo lift this up
And afterthoughts of safety
When in truth, none to be had...
None to be had
Love this album, reminds me of home schooling my daughter while I was furloughed from work, taking long walks around the lakes with her, while my wife was working extra hours we made sure we took good care her while she was home.
My daughter who is now 8 still calls this the lockdown record.
When every tomorrow
Is the same as before
Chicago 1 9.5.2023. Chicago 2 9.7.2023.
*Noblesville 9.10.2023* (Gutted)
Seattle 5.30.2024 Noblesville 8.26.2024 Chicago 8.29.2024 Chicago 8.31.2024
Would love to be able to disassociate it from that era’s trauma. Our unfortunate current “pandemic throwback administration” and political climate isn’t helping.
That said, I'm always interested in more background information about their music.
Retrograde and River Cross win a lot by these. So much going on in these songs.
2005 - Calgary, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Kitchener, Montréal, Ottawa
2006 - Verona, Torino, Pistoia
2007 - Munich
2013 - Calgary
2014 - Vienna
2016 - Quebec, Ottawa, Toronto N1, Toronto N2, Pemberton
2018 - Padova
2022 - Frankfurt, Krakow, Quebec, Ottawa, Hamilton, Toronto
Quick Escape is on the shortlist of best studio song they've ever done. Full band is on fire, especially Jeff.
I know they're divisive, but I love DOTC and Buckle Up. Alright is a poor man's PIlate and Low Light, but it's not terrible. I can live with 7 o'Clock.
The rest of the songs are imo mostly forgettable and really makes Gigaton suffer like many of the other late PJ albums in that the back side is very noticeably worse than the first 5-6 songs.
Dark Matter is better in that regard. Just wish it wasn't such a poorly engineered album.
Noblesville, May 7, 2010
PJ20 Night 1, 2011
Cincinnati, Oct. 1, 2014
Milwaukee, Oct. 20, 2014
Wrigley Field, Aug 20, 2016
Wrigley Field, Aug 22, 2016
Wrigley Field, Aug 18, 2018
Wrigley Field, Aug 20, 2018
St. Louis, Sept. 18, 2022
Chicago, Sept. 5, 2023
Chicago, Sept. 7, 2023
Mansfield '08
Hartford '10
Worcester, Hartford '13
Global Citizen, NY '15