This is pretty lovely.

Certainly puts me to sleep hehe

I definitely started to well up during the last minutes of Seven O'Clock. I'm in love with the first 6 tracks on this album and continue to be...after nearly giving up hope on ever liking new Pearl Jam again after the Ole>LB>Can't Deny Me run i was ecstatic over what i was hearing on Gigaton.

It's one of the strongest 6 song runs in the catalog. Maybe only ten and vitalogy beat it. Vs. and S/T are solid, though

Got a chance to relisten to the first half of this this morning, through Seven O'Clock. I can't say this album is in my top 4 or anything, but it's just a remarkable comeback, and gives me a lot more hope (and expectations) on what they can do. There's just a lot of joy and liveliness in the music, you can hear them trying things and becoming inspired by the trying.

The last minute or so of Dance, as well as the bridge into Stone's gnarled solo midway through Quick Escape, are some of my favorite moments of the band on record. What's cooler is that the band is doing all this without really trying to sound like an earlier iteration of themselves; the band's playing sounds like the band as it is now, but they just have the foresight to use it to great effect.

Quick Escape is one of the purest encapsulations of the live pearl jam experience. Dance is one of the best (best?) examples of Pearl Jam actually using the studio to do something they can't do live. That last minute of Dance is a catalog highlight, full stop

Yes. I do think from what we've heard that Dark Matter will seem more try-hard, even though I also think we'll get a bunch of good songs. But Gigaton is perfect for being so, so decidedly Pearl Jam at 30 years in.

It will be the S/T to Gigaton's Riot Act. That's my vibes prediction and I'm sticking with it.

If the analogy holds, then for me that's a lesser-but-still-good-enough album. I'll take it.

Well I was thinking in terms of feel and different response to similar questions/themes.

S/T is a better album than Riot Act, even if Riot Act sounds better

Oh I know where you stand on those two. I did slip in a "for me" there

I would love QE a lot more had the guitars sounded thick instead of screechy.

I would've agreed until hearing versions of them live, surprisingly I feel like they haven't matched the QE studio version yet; there's a heft to that song, particularly in how it opens, that they haven't caught yet. I would have thought Dance would not be possible, but with Josh and Eddie looping his voice, they manage to get pretty close.

I think I got QE at each show I’ve been to recently (maybe just one) - not as good as the studio, but still pretty great

Gigaton listening:

Gigaton: Who Ever Said, Superblood Wolfmoon, Dance of the Clairvoyants, Quick Escape, Alright, Seven O’Clock, Never Destination, Take the Long Way, Buckle Up, Comes Then Goes, Retrograde, River Cross

B-sides: Get It Back, Can’t Deny Me

Live: Gigaton Tour Edition

"One of these things is not like the others..."

is there a greater qualitative jump in quality anywhere in the catalog than between Cant Deny Me and Whoever Said?

It’s a pretty great album. It goes a little long for me. I think if Retrograde and River Cross were cut and Never Destination was replaced by Get It Back, I’d be in love with it.

Even now, 4 years later, I still quite enjoy every song on this album. Currently through Take the Long Way and I legitimately enjoy every song here, and knowing that I really like Buckle Up, Comes Then Goes, Retrograde and River Cross. Thus far the thought that came to mind is that Never Destination and Take the Long Way are so much better than how they are treated by RM. Both are fantastic in different ways. I often consider this album the culmination of efforts to get at these sounds from as far back as the self-titled, but never quite this successfully and coherently - exceptional range in sounds without ever sounding awkward or misplaced. Great album.

Never Destination is really good. Even Gigaton’s least moments are still fine. this is legit one of their best albums