With all sorts of uncertainties in the air at the moment, it feels a strange time for one of America’s premier mood-merchants to get all cheery on us. It’s not their fault, of course — Gigaton, Pearl Jam’s first studio album since 2013, will have been wrapped up months before the coronavirus crisis. Even so, garage rock jams Who Ever Said and Superblood Wolfmoon make for surprisingly jaunty beginnings.
It was always the grit and darkness at the heart of classic tracks like Alive and Jeremy that made the group so appealing, and without this Gigaton comes across a little hollow and unoriginal.
The shimmering synths and strutting bass of Dance of the Clairvoyants recalls The Killers, while Quick Escape sounds like Kings of Leon circa 2008. Eddie Vedder’s growl is as expressive as ever, but there’s a lack of material for him to get properly stuck into.
There are still moments. Tracks like Seven O’Clock cut through — especially with unintentionally timely lyrics like “This is no time for depression, or self-indulgent hesitance / this f***ed up situation calls for all hands on deck.” As long as those hands are washed, we can get on board with Pearl Jam in 2020.