Blessedly haven’t been paying enough attention to any lyrics on Pearl Jam’s latest, Backspacer, to pick up any specifics on what they claim were songs joyously written in the wake of last November’s presidential lunacy election. Dirty frankly, right now I don’t care. Pearl Jam finally did what so many of us have asked of preachy lefty performers for what seems like too long: shut up and sing.
Sing and play they do, too … well. For what also seems like an eternity (or maybe the first time for Vedder since his acting gig in Singles), the album also bristles with the band having raucous fun. Easily the best thing they’ve done since 1998′s Yield, so I’ll worry about the details later. Lord knows sounds like these help me forget (at least a little) what a clusterschmuck of a President these guys helped elect.
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They only shut up and played because they think they’ve WON and they’ll never need to be angry again. They’ll become just as insufferable again if their Chosen People lose Congress next year.
Oh sure, but I’ll take it while I can get it.
Has their sound changed significantly from their grunge stuff? Good artists constantly change their style (U2, Sinatra) and aren’t satisfied playing the same thing over and over again. But I’ve never heard anything else from Pearl Jam other than their debut album’s sound over again and again, throughout the years. That was the boon of 80s and 90s rock where bands like Motley Crue, Ratt, Poison, etc., played the same thing over and over until it became beyond tiring. Springsteen is another that comes to mind, making a career of playing the same style and regurgitating music over the years. In the Art world, your dead if you’re this type of shark that stops swimming.
Really, Matt? Different takes for sure, but I thought PJ evolved in bits and pieces each time around, especially on Vitology. I couldn’t stand most of Ten, either, probably because of the overkill. That said, and I’m still feeling my way around Backspacer, but it’s a loose, fun album. Non-preachy, too, at least as far as I can tell so far. In short: no grunge.
Loved Pearl Jam in high school. Then I grew up.
Guitar magazine put it best. A band that blended together the right influences (70s classic rock, Neil Young, Hendrix, some SRV) and had a semi-charismatic lead singer with a hard-on for Jim Morrison (again, at the right time). It’s listenable, at least the non-political stuff, but hardly special. Like Dave Matthews or the Dead, is a lot better with a 15-beer buzz.
Hopefully Matt Cameron gets sick of the politicalization and dumps Jam for a Soundgarden reunion.
Methinks yer gonna love this one…
Pearl Jams best album was the first one, “Ten”. It was pretty much downhill after that.