Pearl Jam, a band proverbial for fustian than transience, plays it laconic and fast on its ninth studio album, “Backspacer”, out on the 15th of September. The Seattle rockers’ first self-released album after eighteen years on major labels, blows through 11 songs in an atypically terse 36 minutes.
A quick glance, and a first-timer will easily misconstrue Pearl Jam to be a hardcore punk band. The group made its millions by draping a flannel shirt and heavily introspective lyrics over slow-build, lighter-waving rock straight out of the “Quadrophenia” era, back when bands like The Who and The Velvet Underground roamed the hockey rinks of the world. But Vedder’s taut songwriting on “Backspacer” is a tonic reminder of a less-celebrated aspect of Pearl Jam’s personality, the step-up-and-conquer of “Spin the Black Circle,” “Evenflow” or “Do the Evolution.”
Since their debut album Ten in 1991, the delineating train of thought in Pearl Jam’s songs has always been less brassy and more spiritual and unearthly. The only torch-bearers of the classic-rock era, Pearl Jam have come a long way, and survived all gyrations of the alternative sound. After a trilogy of early grunge landmarks beginning with “Ten,” the quintet followed with three diverse but unfocused albums, as if uncertain about direction.
The back story on “Backspacer” was dominated by its delivery method. After leaving the majors, the band decided to self-release it by partnering with Target, a major chain store. The move had some fans howling “sell-out,” though the band’s first eight albums were also overseen by multinational businesses.
Only “Amongst the Waves” and “Unthought Unknown” aspire to join Pearl Jam flag-wavers like “Alive” or “Save You,” and “Force of Nature” sounds like a stoically mundane scene from one of their late ‘90s albums. Otherwise, the album’s tone is set by four quickfire tracks: “Gonna See My Friend,” “Got Some,” “The Fixer” and “Johnny Guitar.” Matt Cameron’s (formerly of Soundgarden) drumming is the main drawing card, his fills arriving at just the right instant to keep the songs rocketing along. The guitars are rumpled and snarled, with solos briefly shaking loose and Vedder singing like he’s cornered. They are retrospective to the Ramones’ punk-reigned era.
In “Friend,” a junkie looks to get clean. In “Fixer,” the dealer is a problem-solver rather than a pariah. Later, “Supersonic” offers a panacea for anyone strung out on life: “Yeah, yeah, yeah!” Vedder yelps, which is exactly as profound as he needs to be.
Three slower, more introspective songs give the rockers context. “Speed of Sound” is sung from the perspective of a solitary toper. “Just Breathe” is an acoustic ballad flavored with subtle strings and intimations of mortality: “Hold me till I die/Meet you on the other side.”
On “The End,” Vedder mines vulnerability by singing tenderly at the top of his range. Although it reminded me of the climax to The Doors’ debut album, it was nothing like it. “I’m here, but not much longer.” The bittersweet tone isn’t tragic. On the contrary, it’s a gentle reminder to enjoy the moment. The drop into nothingness that follows hits like a cannonball to the heart. It’s a devastating, abrupt ending to a record that began as a screaming fit of optimism, leaving the attentive listener desperate to start it all again, to escape the album’s agonizing conclusion. Thankfully, a dropped needle or mouse click can accommodate, restarting the cycle on an album that proves Pearl Jam have hit a new stride and are still finding potent new strengths as a band, nearly two decades into their career.
Unlike their most recent self-titled release, they don’t sound like aging men grasping for the spark of youth any longer, but rather empowered by their rediscovered strengths and acceptance of the current stage of their lives. This energy is genuine, the passion reinvigorated, and the formulas are put through a new filter.
4/5 in my book.
Where did racism come out from?
Roger Daltry (The Who)
