Pearl Jam Strives to Start Over, Let Go, and Recapture What Was Lost
Written: Sep 17 '09 (Updated Sep 17 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: THE END, Vedder's vocals, rhythm section, the lyrics, hard hitting, no overly long songs
Cons: some songs fall short of potential, Unthought Known's annoying piano, can it hold up?
The Bottom Line: Backspacer is solid, and in time, could join the holy duo of Pearl Jam albums (Yield and Vitalogy). But only time will tell.
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| MattA75's Full Review: Backspacer [Digipak] by Pearl Jam |
Warning: This is an insanely long review, even by my previous PJ standards.
On their 2006 self titled album, Pearl Jam took a back to basics approach. Gone was the cold, distant feeling of 2002's Riot Act, and the dark, somber pall that overtook 2000's Binaural. Instead they put out an album of hard rockers and tender ballads, with little room for experimentation. While that album has come down a bit in my eyes, I still think it's their best since 1998's Yield.
For the follow up, the band enlisted the services of producer Brendan O'Brien. As O'Brien produced much of what is considered PJ's classic material, it had Pearl Jam fans like myself salivating. Some fans have essentially said he is to Pearl Jam what George Martin was to The Beatles. I don't know if you can make up any higher praise than that. The band has said there's a comfort level present with O'Brien that they haven't quite felt with anyone else. That comfort level is in full view throughout Backspacer. For an album that reflects on life, love and loss in such a poignant manner, it certainly feels like a loose, carefree record. Singer Eddie Vedder has said it felt different writing in a post-George Bush world, and that has become clear.
This is no longer a band burdened with the weight of a president they so clearly despised. And maybe that's a good thing, since Eddie wrote every lyric on this album (always a good sign).
I've listened to this record at least a good 20-25 times, and it's still hard to wrap my head around how much I like it. On the one hand, I'm thrilled to have new Pearl Jam songs. On the other, I find myself asking the question of "in six months, will I still want to listen to this?" It's not usually a question I ask myself of PJ albums; instead I've been happy to sort of let the enthusiasm of my first few listens come out in my review.
Here's the good news. I like this album. There are some listens where I like it a lot. There's even been a couple where I thought it was downright great. And there's been a couple where it's made me feel uninspired. The album starts off strong, and ends even stronger. It's the middle I'm wavering on.
Gonna See My Friend kicks off Backspacer, and, just like every other PJ album save for Riot Act, it's an in your face rocker. Reminiscent of early Who songs, it features a propulsive bassline from Jeff Ament and some frenetic work on the drumkit by Matt Cameron. Forget about the guitars; outside of Vedder's lyrics and vocals, Ament and Cameron are the stars of this disc. Both of them are just animals on this record. Meanwhile Ed manages to channel Roger Daltrey via Dave Grohl. I wasn't too hot on this song at first, mostly because I think the lyrics are some of the weakest on the record (though they fit the overriding themes). But it has grown on me exponentially.
After that workout comes Got Some, debuted back in June on Conan O'Brien's inaugral night on the Tonight Show. That performance showed the song had potential, but it was obvious Eddie wasn't in live performance shape for it (the awful mix didn't help either). But here, it starts to shine through. The song starts as what seems to be a call to the lack of rock radio stations ("every time, you can try but you can't turn on a rock song"), and then, it jumps to politics ("this situation, which side are you on? are you getting out? are you dropping bombs? have you head of diplomatic resolve?"), which is a rarity for this record. Sometimes I wonder if Eddie's trying to put too many words together for the music that's there, but he manages to make it sound pretty good. This song has been pretty static for me, liked it at first, still like it now.
The band gets their pop swerve on next. First single The Fixer is a poppy concoction that has a lot of O'Brien sheen on it. I like the sentiment behind the song, and some of the lyrics are clever in a simple, straightforward way. But there's certainly some uncomfortable lines here ("when something's broke I put a bit of fixing on it") that will make you cringe. The music is decidedly simple and catchy, suitable for first single material. I love the bridge on this song, and as I said, the sentiment throughout is great. "When something's gone, I want to fight to get it back again." "If there's no love I want to try to love again." "I'll find us a way to make light." All of these lines reveal the central themes of the record: starting over, letting go, and recapturing what once was lost. The band has become husbands, and most importantly (especially in Eddie's case), fathers. No matter what happens, there is now a source of joy in their lives that cannot be replaced or replicated.
It's at this point of the record where my feelings about songs become very murky. Lyrically, I don't have any major issues with any of these songs. In fact, lyrically they'd all rate in from quite good to excellent. But musically I can't quite get my head around some of these songs.
Johnny Guitar has some of the better music on the record, and Eddie's vocal delivery is as good a Springsteen impression as you're going to get. But the lyrics and the story he's trying to tell don't really do much of anything for me. The Pearl Jam songs that have always done the most for me are the ones I can relate to, and I can't relate to this at all. With that said, I don't have a problem with this song, the chorus is insanely catchy, and I can kind of rock out to it.
The influence of Eddie's Into the Wild soundtrack is all over this album, but none moreso than on Just Breathe, Speed of Sound, and the closing The End. Taking these songs as a trilogy of sorts, they in fact represent everything this album is about.
Just Breathe deals with not taking loved ones for granted, and being thankful for what you have in life. It's one of his most tender and sincere vocals ever, and O'Brien's unobtrusive string arrangements help to flush the song out.
Speed of Sound, on the other hand, is the sound of a worn down man reflecting on life. He can see The End on the horizon, but he's not quite there, and isn't quite ready to surrender. So despite the somber alt-country shuffle feel of the music, there's a light of hope that shines through, both in Vedder's voice, and in the brightening of the music, which picks up its pace a bit. There have been times over the last few days where this is my favorite song on this record. Quite a leap from least favorite after 1 listen.
The end of the trilogy (and the album) is, appropriately, The End. Vedder has never sounded more vulnerable on any single song than on this one. It's a remarkable vocal performance, full of hushed tones and regrets. The strings from O'Brien are once again placed perfectly. This song puts to rest any doubt that Eddie'd be a solo superstar if PJ were to go away. As he sings the last line, you hear a hushed sigh that is at once heartbreaking and chill inducing. This is the best song on the album, it's the best song they've recorded since the Yield sessions. Period. End of story.
This leaves 4 other songs I haven't covered. Supersonic is this album's big dumb rocker of choice, but unlike Big Wave from the last album, it works. It has a great amount of spunk to it, and it's a lot of fun. And its placement works as a nice break from the serious side of things.
Then we have Amongst the Waves and Force of Nature, the two "anthems" so to speak of the album. Both of these try hard to be the next Given to Fly, but both fall short. Force of Nature comes much closer, but Amongst the Waves had more potential, if that makes any sense. The problem with Amongst the Waves is that the initial build up doesn't lead to the powerful release that seems promised. The second half of the song does get the build up right, and from the second chorus on, it's a monster. But you still can't help feel like the song doesn't quite fulfill the promise it held.
Force of Nature, on the other hand, gets the build just right both times. As the band hits the bridge and you hear the crackling growl of Vedder's voice scream "makes me ache, makes me shake," it's a powerful moment. And when he continues by asking "is it so wrong to think that love can keep us safe?" he makes you think that maybe it isn't so silly. This song should be a beast live.
And lastly, we have Unthought Known. Pearl Jam fans seem to love this song. At least PJ fans except for me, apparently. And it's a shame, because this song has some of the best lyrics on the entire album. And the gems and rhinestones bit (you can't miss it) is undeniably powerful. But you know what this song sounds like? It sounds like Pearl Jam doing Coldplay. And my biggest issue is the piano. It just bangs against your head obnoxiously. It doesn't add anything a layered guitar that was put low in the mix couldn't, and the guitar would give it more of the anthem feel that the song is striving for. Who knows, maybe in six months this will be my favorite song from the record (like I said, I LOVE the lyrics), but for now, it just feels like so much unfulfilled promise.
Backspacer isn't their best album, and it's not their worst. It doesn't grab you as immediately as Avocado, but it offers a TON more on repeated listenings. And the lack of politics on this record is a welcome bit of fresh air. I've struggled all week with what to give this album, so I'm going with 3.5 stars, which, for now, I'll round up to 4. Maybe in six months I'll be completely bored with it, and maybe I'll put it up with the holy duo (Vitalogy and Yield). Either way, it's an extremely accessible album (even moreso than Avocado), and people who have put this band out of their thoughts for 15 years might want to give them another chance with this. At only a bit over a half an hour, each song doesn't last long enough for you to get truly irritated with it. Regardless, this is a solid effort all around.
Recommended:
Yes
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MattA75
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Member: Matt Aucoin
Location: South Berwick, ME
Reviews written: 1162
Trusted by: 465 members
About Me:
Gonna be a daddy, April 2010!
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