Pearl Jam - Backspacer Review

Posted by Daniel Wilcox on 09.22.2009

Pioneers of grunge Pearl Jam are back and have set out to make a record that sounds like nothing they've done before, but how does it stack up in terms of the band's legacy?



Pearl Jam - Backspacer
Review by Daniel Wilcox

Eddie Vedder – vocals, guitar
Mike McCready – guitar
Stone Gossard – guitar
Jeff Ament – bass
Matt Cameron - drums

Track listing:
1. Gonna See My Friend
2. Got Some
3. The Fixer
4. Johnny Guitar
5. Just Breathe
6. Amongst the Waves
7. Unthought Known
8. Supersonic
9. Speed of Sound
10. Force of Nature
11. The End

Pearl Jam’s latest offering, Backspacer, the band’s first record since 2006’s self-titled effort, sees them breaking new ground and doing something they seemingly have never done on a record before. Conventionally, Pearl Jam was a return to form. Backspacer sees the band continuing that trend of making great music, only this time, for the first time, they seem to be having a whole hell of a lot of fun while they’re doing it. Backspacer is a straight-forward rock ‘n’ roll record unlike any studio album the band have put out before, and although ultimately Backspacer will not and should not receive the same acclaim that Ten and Vs. have done, it is nonetheless a hell of an achievement for a band that arguably haven’t done much worth shouting about in fifteen years.

Of course, if you’re one with a cynical nature, you might well just turn around and claim that Pearl Jam has “sold out,” producing a record that is designed purely for mainstream recognition and radio airplays. Undoubtedly, this is a collection of songs that will likely receive heavy rotation on rock radio, but I don’t think that was what the band had in mind. Instead, they just wanted to let loose and make a record that was enjoyable to make, not the record that they thought their fans wanted to hear. No one is denying, however, that this is Pearl Jam’s most pop record, but that doesn’t mean to say it isn’t a hell of an album.

Backspacer is the band’s shortest ever record, clocking in at just over thirty-six minutes, but for the entire time it never quits, unrelenting in its punk-poppish onslaught. Toe-topping, headbanging and sing-alongs will most definitely follow in the wake of this album. Even the ballads, in particular aptly-named album-closer “The End,” have far more oomph than the kind of Pearl Jam record you would’ve heard five or ten years ago. As Eddie Vedder, in hit single “The Fixer,” croons “when something’s gone, I wanna fight to get it back again,” you do get the feeling that he’s talking about the fun factor when it comes to his band’s music.

Of course, Backspacer has its mellower moments that would perhaps sound more at home on Eddie Vedder’s solo album. “Just Breathe,” while polished and accomplished, comes off a bit flat and nowhere near as intense as some of the bigger tracks such as “Amongst the Waves. ” Arguably the album peaks with the opening threesome – “Gonna See My Friend,” “Got Some,” and “The Fixer” – an undeniably hot trio of unadulterated rock ‘n’ roll that heads straight for the heart, grabs it and never lets go. That’s not to say the rest of the album isn’t good, because it is, it’s just that those first three tracks are the ones that have stuck in my head.

Vedder’s vocal ability is really well highlighted on this album, particularly on some of the ballads, where “Unthought Known” and “Amongst the Waves” also give the other band members their own glimpse of the limelight to show off what they can do, making Backspacer far and away the most well rounded Pearl Jam record in years. There are elements of funk and soul in various tracks, and a pleasant string and brass section on “The End,” which makes for the perfect backdrop for Vedder’s vocals.

Ultimately Backspacer is an album that should please Pearl Jam’s fan base while at the same time coax in a whole new generation of fans, if for no other reason than each and every song is very accessible, not because they’re overly simplistic but because they’re just well written pop songs, essentially. Perhaps this isn’t the direction ling-time fans will want to see the band go for the indefinite future, but for now, Backspacer is most certainly a worthy addition to the band’s impressive repertoire.

Essential downloads: "Gonna See My Friend," "Get Some," "The Fixer," "Amongst the Waves" and "The End."

The 411: Backspacer isn't a classic album, but it's a very good album put out by a classic band, and one that has managed to produce a good old fashioned rock 'n' roll album that still sounds modern, contemporary and relevant. While not on the level of some of the band's absolute best albums, in 2009 I think that this is the absolute best we were ever going to get out of Pearl Jam.

Final Score:  8.0   [ Very Good ]