Gaslight Anthem frontman Brian Fallon kicks off his third solo album by singing “In this life there will be trouble you shall overcome”. The band challenge themselves and successfully delve into new territory resulting in a collection of songs that are thoroughly enjoyable and satisfying for these very strange times we live in. Gigaton will go down as a crucial album in Pearl Jam’s career. Whereas closing track ‘River Cross’ is a pretty tune but it doesn’t leave as much an impact like the rest of the songs on here. While by no means a bad song, for an acoustic ballad it’s a song that goes on for a little too long. However the album does dwindle ever so slightly towards the end with ‘Comes Then Goes’. Lead guitarist Mike McCready rips through with some of his most imaginative and creative playing on songs like ‘Superblood Wolfmoon’ and ‘Retrograde’. Every band member shines through on their performances on Gigaton. While likely expected to be a fast number, instead rhythm guitarist Stone Gossard starts the song with an intricate and syncopated guitar riff with the rest of the band providing a meditative and rowing sensation. The song is a ferocious punk number that incorporates several time signature changes throughout in such an effortless manner.Īnother surprise on Gigaton comes in the form of ‘Buckle Up’. There are even some subtle surprises thrown into the mix. ‘Seven O’ Clock’ is a firm continuation of the moods and sounds being explored much like what Pearl Jam delved in on albums like No Code (1996) and Binaural (2000). ‘Alright’ is a heart warming and reassuring number with it’s patient electronic keyboard melody. The loose groove and gritty scratch chords complement Vedder’s perspective of a future where humanity has swiftly abandoned the Earth to set up shop on Mars. ‘Quick Escape’ musically throws back to the band’s second album Vs. Vedder sings about the current state of the human condition with it’s thought provoking chorus hook “Whoever said it’s all been said / Gave up on satisfaction”. Bassist Jeff Ament brings the funk while vocalist Eddie Vedder combines cryptic yet humorous irony in the lyrics “Not one man / Can be greater than the sum / That’s not a negative thought / I’m positive, positive, positive”.Įlsewhere Pearl Jam prove they’ve firmly still got it on opener ‘Who Ever Said’ with it’s stadium sized guitar riffs, driving beat and urgent vocals. Drummer Matt Cameron starts the song with a Talking Heads inspired electronic drum pattern. Musically the band delve into new territory on songs like first single ‘Dance Of The Clairvoyants’. With a title like that, Pearl Jam evidently have big ideas at the ready setting their targets on Trump and the climate change crisis. The definition of the album’s title is a unit of explosive power equivalent to one (10 9) billion tons of TNT (Cheers, Google!). Gigaton demonstrates a band still with so many tricks up their sleeve even after thirty years in the game. 2009’s Backspacer saw the band showing off their sense of fun while 2013’s Lightning Bolt saw Pearl Jam experimenting in small doses but sticking to a familiar formula. Pearl Jam have honestly not sounded this earnest or experimental since their 2006 self titled effort. Gigaton is the grunge veterans’ first album in seven years and on first listen, it’s evident the band took their time perfecting their craft on each track. The world may be facing a global pandemic in the time of writing this but Pearl Jam have offered up an album that captures these strange times while creating a much needed sense of escapism. While not likely intentional, the release of Pearl Jam’s eleventh studio album comes at an unprecedented and unsettling time.
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