Gigaton – listening party. Part 2.
by Henrik Tuxen
Hey there. Another warm-up approach as what to expect on Gigaton.
Although Eddie Vedder is the main contributor in lyrics and songwriting on Gigaton, it's also very much a joint effort, with all band members contributing, and also in new and surprising roles.
First of all, it sounds like the band has had a lot of fun recording the album. There's lots of playful and experimental aspects in both compositions, instrumentations and expressions. You can just sense that the band has been fiddling around and playing with ideas.
In this respect it's truly a Pearl Jam album, and as Stone expressed in a snippet to Rolling Stone, 'It's very much us'.
Usually Ed writes pretty much all the lyrics. But this time Jeff Ament has written music as well as words to Alright, Matt Cameron has done the same for Take The Long Way, and Stone Gossard has written words and music, to the twisted lullaby Buckle Up. Remarkably Gigaton is 100% 'unboomed'. Meaning that Boom Gaspar is not credited or mentioned a single time, despite he's been touring with the band for 18 years, and has appeared on several PJ records, and has co-written Love Boat Captain.
One of the best examples of the new and alternating positions, is the already released single Dance Of The Clairvoyance. Stone is in charge of the groovy-new-wave-bass-line, Jeff is playing guitar and keys, Matt is credited for drum programming and Mike for percussion. All five are credited for writing the music to the song.
On the (I'm sure) fan-favorites-to-be, Quick Escape, Jeff is credited for drum loops and guitar, Brendan O'Brien (which is rarely otherwise involved) is credited for keys. Jeff plays kalimba on Alright, which has a prominent position in the sound picture.
All kinds of things are going on Take The Long Way. I generally believe that Matt Cameron is a way better drummer than songwriter, but this is his best yet in the Pearl Jam catalogue. Weird beats and patterns, and a cool atmospheric chorus, and a wicked-sounding b-part.
Jeff is on the piano for Stone's Buckle Up, where the guitarist is also adding some vocals. Mike McCready's single contribution as songwriter is the spooky Retrograde, where he, as well as Stone and Brendan O'Brien, are adding keys. (Producer Josh Evans also plays keys on different tracks). A song with a big wide open feel, which reminds me of some a vibe that could fit Into The Wild.
On the final track, River Cross, which Ed has played at solo shows, he's boxing with a pump organ while Jeff is back on kalimba. Kind of reminds me of something that Tom Waits could sing and perform.
Overall, I think there's a great collective vibe on Gigaton, where it seems like the band has had a lot of creative fun, and hasn't been afraid of trying out news things, which gives a lively feel to many songs. You get the feeling they've spent a lot of time in the studio. In one way new and experimental, but at the same time well-known and familiar, and definitely Pearl Jam.
Here's a piece from chapter 12 in PEARL JAM: The More You Need – The Less You Get where Stone is talking about the creative process in the band when writing and recording new music. At the time related to Backspacer, but I think it gives a pretty good idea of how the band works and communicate in general:
”We all can be in different places on different days. We don’t know where we are before we get started on a new project, and then it just unfolds from there, you could say. Everyone has ideas about what they think could become a new song, and what might happen, but until we get together nothing is certain. We’ve learned not to think too much about what’s going to happen the next time, but instead to stay more open– open to everyone’s ideas and try to give it our best. I know that if I bring something to the table, the others will help me with my stuff. I think the possibilities are wide open as things stand now. We could make a very quiet folk album, we could make an up-tempo punk rock album, we could do mid-tempo rock, heavy metal, there’s a lot we can do now. We’ll probably use a combination of all these elements.”
More Gigaton the next days.
Photo © Danny Clinch.