I honestly didn’t think that I would find myself doing this in 2020. Neither reviewing a Pearl Jam album or maintaining myself isolated because of a global pandemic. Anyway, there’s two reasons why I bring the first fact to your attention: one, for a considerable period of time in my adolescence, Pearl Jam was my absolute favorite band. No contest. Two, they simply will never hold that title anymore. (Nobody actually, but that’s another discussion).

Sad, you might think. However, I still have solid respect for the band and what they represent in the evolution of rock music. They are probably one of the few that remain relevant from their well-known era. Now, approximately 13 years after I first heard them, I can say that their first 5 albums are essential for any rock fan. It’s frustrating then, that practically all of their albums in the 21st century are, at their very best, just light versions of their 90’s projects, or failed efforts in showing their changing focus, product of the experience they’ve gained over the years.

But it’s important that you understand how much I invested myself in Pearl Jam, because I kind of blindly loved all of those records. And look, there’s several songs that are worth it in that span of 5 LPs, but overall it is quite a lackluster output.

Gigaton however, at first listen, feels like a breathe of fresh air, and not only for their faithful fanbase. Pearl Jam themselves sound like taking 7 years to craft their next album was a right choice. In that period of time they toured massively, something that allowed me to see them live finally. (A little late, because it was magnificent, but that would be the last time I would seriously enjoy them). So, it wasn’t an actual vacation, but since the beginning of what is their eleventh album, a renovated energy is noticeable.

Pearl Jam, and their frontman Eddie Vedder, have never hid their penchant for writing about political turmoil and their views in the state of society. And, if you have an internet connection, you’ll know there’s been plenty of material for them to ruminate in the last few years. And that’s exactly what they do in ‘Dance Of The Clairvoyants’, the first single. One of the most adventurous songs in the album, it uses an eerie synth line and a programmed beat as driving forces. The track finds Vedder boasting lines like: ‘Not one man can be greater than the sum’ and the chorus reads: ‘Expecting perfection leaves a lot to endure/When the past is the present and the future’s no more’. The song starts with Vedder in a high register but his voice morphs as it advances, actually sounding angry.

This song comes after the one-two punch of openers ‘Who Ever Said’ and ‘Superblood Wolfmoon’ both of which stay in line of late-Pearl Jam power-riffing, but still add up to a solid start. Gigaton keeps it up like that with the somewhat surreal ‘Quick Escape’, which has a deserved solo from guitarist Mike McCready and a powerful bassline from Jeff Ament. After that the album arrives to its first two slower tracks. The standout is ‘Seven O’Clock’, a 6 minute ballad that ends-up being a highlight in the album at large. One of the most expansive songs lyrically, Vedder at the middle of it bursts-out: ‘Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, they forged the north and west/Then you got Sitting Bullshit as our sitting president’

However, in a very 2020 fashion, Gigaton dissapointing second half stumbles more than it rocks, proof enough that the record can’t carry its own weighty ambition. Because it is heavy. It is Pearl Jam’s lengthiest record, and while some songs justify their duration, it can’t be said of every track by the moment it ends. There’s the forgettable ‘Take The Long Way’ and the middling, mid-tempo experiment ‘Buckle Up’. ‘Comes Then Goes’ is an acoustic track that its engaging at first, but I was left wanting an instrumental crescendo that never came. ‘Retrograde’ actually stands-out, a widescope ballad and one of the best cuts in this regard Pearl Jam have made in a long time. ‘River Cross’ doesn’t hold-up quite well, specially after its predecessor, which could’ve been a better closer.

It’s that kind of production choices which have diminished the results of late-era Pearl Jam albums. Gigaton carries a bunch of good ideas, and a good part of them work in several songs, but as a whole, the record fails at trying to be the front-to-back solid comeback it is expected from the band. At this point, it’s unnecesary to ask for one, and this project showcases that when focused, the Seattle legendary band can still punch-out fierce and enjoyable rock songs. And it’s their best in a while, even considering that it falls short of actual greatness.