Look, I’ll preface this review by saying that I do not listen to Pearl Jam that much or really like too many of their songs. In general, I find their songs slow, and Eddie Vedder’s voice is a garbled mess. BUT, with that being said, I do like some of their songs, but it’s few and far between. Everything has to be just about perfect for me to listen to it more than once.
I can say with certainty that I will not be listening to Gigaton in full ever again. Sure, about half of the songs were bearable, but only two really hooked me. “Superblood Wolfmoon” is a prime example, probably because it’s explosive from the start. The lyrics (or what I could make out) seemed a bit odd, but the heaviness of the track detracted from them. I was also a huge fan of “Dance of the Clairvoyant.” This song! It’s a ten out of ten for me. And that’s probably because it sounds almost nothing like a typical Pearl Jam song, other than Vedder’s voice. It’s very synth-heavy, but with a rush of guitars and pounding drums. Bravo, Pearl Jam!
The whole back half of the record for me was agonizingly slow and long. There’s only so many seven minute songs I can listen to Vedder’s voice drag out like his vocal cords are being pulled behind a truck on a gravel road. Yikes. But that’s just my opinion, and again, I am not a Pearl Jam fan in general, so take what I just said with a grain of salt. I’ll be interested to hear what my dad thinks of the album once he finally gives it a listen since he is a fan. Perhaps I’ll update this post with his take once that happens. But, check it out or don’t. It’s your life.