Pearl Jam goes retro
Pearl Jam returns with its self-titled eighth studio album, an inspired batch of songs from the reinvigorated Seattle quintet.
Published May 2, 2006
The ageless rockers of Pearl Jam return today with their self-titled eighth studio album. It marks the band's first since 2002. Once the kings of rock 'n' roll, Pearl Jam has fallen far from the mainstream consciousness over the past decade, producing mostly solid albums but few radio hits.
Recently, though, the band has come crashing back in, with the fierce comeback single "World Wide Suicide" burning up airwaves all over the nation. The band hasn't just been on the radio. From an appearance on "Saturday Night Live" to numerous interviews, the usually reclusive group is promoting this album harder than any of its previous records.
Pearl Jam has crafted an unabashed throwback album with this eponymous set. The band is harkening back to its glory days and reasserting its past signature aggressive sound. The album sounds like the proper follow-up to 1993's Vs. The real follow-up to that record, Vitalogy, was a challenging semi-art album that began Pearl Jam's self-imposed exile from the mainstream and its habit to move its sound to new directions with each new release.
The problem is, though exciting and sonically diverse, the more experimental albums were not as commercially successful as their older, more straightforward ones. It's no surprise the band has suddenly stopped the experimental work and created such a retro album because apparently even Pearl Jam wants a hit every now and then.
And a hit is the intent with this record. Pearl Jam hasn't called on the masses in quite some time, but "World Wide Suicide" has shown it can still write glorious radio rock 'n' roll. Not coincidentally, the song is the band's first No. 1 modern rock hit since 1996's "Who You Are," which, also not coincidentally, was an experimental bongo affair that has been forgotten.
So enough about the album's retro tendencies — is it any good? The answer is a loud, resounding yes. Whatever the reasons for the nostalgia, be it frustration with President George Bush (a recurring theme), the desire to be popular again or both, it is refreshing to see that Pearl Jam has remembered it is a tight, hard-rocking outfit at its core. The songs brim with a confidence and vigor the band hasn't had since Vs.
"Life Wasted" begins the album in proper fashion with crunching guitars and an inspired lyrical performance from Eddie Vedder. Vedder has been giving lower-key performances with each passing album, but he is finally showing off his voice again, letting it soar while adding even more lyrical nuances to his always-memorable performance.
"Unemployable" and "Army Reserve" also are both high points on the album. Both are mid-tempo rockers that boast memorable melodies and guitar lines. "Come Back" is one of the band's best ballads in years, with Vedder letting his sentimental side show through the song.
"Inside Job" is a rather dreary ending to such an exuberant affair, but it eventually turns up the guitars to end the album properly.
Although not as challenging or complex as some of the band's more recent work, the album is still Pearl Jam's tightest set in years. The record shows the band can still be relevant and motivated 15 years after the landmark album, Ten. The release is an inspired statement from a reinvigorated group.