10 little-known details about Pearl Jam’s ‘Gigaton’

Pearl Jam’s 11th studio album, “Gigaton,” is one of the most anticipated albums of the year. Information about the recording of the record has been relatively sparse leading up to its release. With its street date less than three weeks away, here are 10 details about what went into the making of the album lifted straight from its liner notes in order to help shed some light on the highly-anticipated release.

There is a backup singer for the first time

The Matt Cameron track “Take The Long Way” finds Eddie Vedder singing over backing vocals from Megan Grandall. If that name sounds familiar to local music fans it’s because Grandall is the principal creative force behind Lemolo. The song marks the first time a backup singer who is not a member of the band has been credited on one of the group’s studio albums.

Brendan O’Brien is present, but he didn’t produce the album

The band’s longtime producer Brendan O’Brien did not handle producer duties on this album. Instead, the band co-produced the album with Josh Evans. And while O’Brien didn’t produce the album, he does appear on the tracks “Quick Escape” and “Retrograde” where he plays the keyboard parts since the group doesn’t record with touring keyboardist Boom Gaspar. O’Brien filling in for Boom isn’t unusual since he played keys in the studio during the “Lightning Bolt” sessions and on other Pearl Jam albums.

There’s an indirect Sean Penn lyrical reference

On the song “Never Destination” Eddie Vedder namechecks Bob Honey. Who is Bob Honey? He’s a fictional character in a book series written by Vedder’s friend Sean Penn. The first book in the series “Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff” was released in 2018 and its plot centers around an assassin named Bob Honey who murders elderly people with a mallet. According to Wikipedia, it is considered one of the worst books ever written and has been criticized for “racist and misogynistic content.”

‘Gigaton’: a hopeful Pearl Jam record for angry times

Social activism is encouraged throughout the album

This shouldn’t be a surprise since Pearl Jam is known for its social activism. In the liner notes the band lists the websites Sealegacy.org and Only.one. Both are environmental organizations that focus on ocean vitalization, keeping in the global activism theme of”Gigaton.”

Eddie Vedder sings every song but ‘Gigaton’ has multiple lyricists

This is also something that should not be a surprise since Pearl Jam evolved into a songwriting democracy after its “No Code” era. Vedder wrote the lyrics to nine of the album’s 12 songs. Jeff Ament contributed lyrics for “Alright,” Cameron pitched in with “Take The Long Way” and Stone Gossard wrote the lyrics for “Buckle Up.”

‘Dance of the Clairvoyants’ was a group effort

Every member of the band chips in with music and lyric writing on “Gigaton” but the only song on the album where every member of the band is credited with writing music is lead single “Dance of the Clairvoyants.”

Parts of a song were recorded in an old sailmaking loft in Ballard

Part of “Take The Long Way” was recorded at The Ballard Baitshop, which is local producer Nathan Yaccino‘s studio that was once a sailmaking loft. Yaccino has previously worked with Cameron on Soundgarden material and has worked with Lemolo as well, which might be how Megan Grandall got involved with the track. Yaccino is also credited as an additional engineer on the track recorded at his studio.

Pearl Jam to debut ‘Gigaton’ in movie theaters

The band recorded in Montana for the first time

Pearl Jam often goes outside of Seattle to record its albums. Atlanta, California and New Orleans are all places where the band has spent studio time. For “Gigaton” Jeff Ament’s Horseback Court Studios at his home in Big Sandy, Montana is listed as the lone recording location outside of Seattle. It’s the first time the studio is credited on a Pearl Jam album.

Jerome Turner and Al Nostreet return

Who are Jerome Turner and Al Nostreet? They’re the creators of the concept behind “Gigaton” and several other Pearl Jam albums. They’re also the pseudonyms used by Vedder (Turner) and Ament (Nostreet) in the liner notes of several Pearl Jam albums under “album concept created by.”

Once again, there’s an official typist

Did you know Pearl Jam has an official typist? It’s true. For at least the past 15 years Eddie Vedder has been credited in the liner notes of Pearl Jam albums as the band’s typist. Vedder, who is an avid user of typewriters and uses them to write songs, has that same distinction on “Gigaton.” The liner notes even list the year, make and model of his typewriter. It’s a Torpedo typewriter model 18B circa 1961-62 in case you’re curious.

Watch Eddie Vedder perform Gigaton song ‘River Cross’