Pearl Jam's New Album

Anyone who knows me figured I’d get around to reviewing the new Pearl Jam album. And here it is. If you don’t get past this paragraph at least believe me when I say that the new release is going to turn some heads. If it doesn’t grip a new crowd, it will find fans who faded away years ago.

Pearl Jam’s self-titled addition is their first studio album released since completing their contract with Epic. Renewed with J-Records the band has new opportunities to explore. Although the first single “World Wide Suicide” has received considerable radio play, do not accept it in place of the whole. There is so much at work here.

What immediately impressed me on first listening was the diversity of styles present, reflecting the band members’ unique backgrounds and further stripping the band of its Seattle/Grunge label. And that was it all along. The band never really fit that mold. It has just taken me 15 years and this new album to figure that out.

Hailing from Illinois--not the West Coast—singer Eddie Vedder’s training was first and foremost as an avid listener, boasting a massive teen record collection spanning Zeppelin to Aretha Franklin. And Mike McCready’s bi-polar guitar solos have always sounded either blues or metal. There is no long-haired punk to be found.

If there is a Seattle sound at work it is from the backbone formed by Jeff Ament (bass) and Stone Gossard (guitar) who played together in multiple bands from the Puget Sound area for a decade before Pearl Jam formed. We can thank Stone for the raw riffs and Jeff for artistic flair. And Matt Cameron? Sure he was Soundgarden’s drummer. But he also sings, guitars in his own band Wellwater Conspiracy, and once played in a Kiss cover band. These kids didn’t grow up on the same street.

Politics has always been a motivating force in conceiving each album. And Pearl Jam has not exhausted what they have to say about the world. But the message is delivered more constructively this time around. Explicit F*ck Yous to the establishment have been eschewed for understanding. The band finds an even more vivid illustration of the times we live in today without pointing fingers and naming names.

The message is theirs. Early albums like Ten and Vitology do not hide the fact that they are mouthpieces for Eddie. But “Pearl Jam” in name and creative unity draws from all members’ strengths. A quick glance through the lyrics and artwork shows contributions by all 5.

The emotions are as diverse as the musical styles and talents that make up the album: from the up-beat title-track “Life Wasted” to the laid back Beatles-sounding “Parachute.” The ballad “Gone” is musically reminiscent of hits “Betterman” and “In Hiding,” but the narrative is deep enough to survive repeated plays. The closing track “Inside Job” is epic and gripping, escalading to a cathartic climax that melodically reminds one of “Black” or "immortality."

Although a fan of all 8 (can you believe it, 8?!!) studio albums, I definitely hold this one above the previous three releases, Yield, Binaural, and Riot Act. I also suspect with further listening it will outdo what Ten, Vitology, and No Code did for me 10+ years ago.