Battle of the Bands 08.04.09: Pearl Jam vs. Rise Against

Posted by Adam Battagello on 08.04.2009

The battle of Alternative rock between two bands who know what it means to stand for something.

Welcome one and all to what is quickly becoming my greatest labor of love as a burgeoning music writer; it's the epic conflict that is Battle of the Bands. Ever had an argument with another person over which particular song was better that became so heated that it nearly descended into fisticuffs? I know I sure have, and that's why I like to think I'm just doing my part to make the world of music a little brighter, by settling such disputes with this article. I guess you could say, I'm the decider…

This week we're looking at two groups that seem to be somewhat of a rarity in the modern music scene. Bands that actually genuinely represent a cause. Yes, as we shall see both of today's competing parties have a diverse history of involvement in various causes. But as holy as that may make them, it doesn't count for squat when we enter the realm of the face off.

LET'S GET THIS FACE-OFF ROLLING.

This Week:

Pearl Jam- The Fixer vs. Rise Against- Savior





Well, the first group in today's contest certainly needs no introduction. Eight albums, 60 million records sold worldwide and an established legacy of doing things their own way that could make any posing ‘rebellious' band blush with humiliation. Yes, Pearl Jam have seen and done it all when it comes to music, and later this year they are back again with their ninth studio album ‘Backspacer'.

Rise Against are certainly no strangers to musical success. The group has spent 10 years reviving the ways of punk music in the mainstream after an endless flow of ‘pop-punk' carbon copies was seemingly drowning the genre. While they may not yet have the pedigree of Pearl Jam, the same ‘speak your own opinion' ethos, that solidified Pearl Jam as Rock n' Roll idealists is also present amongst the members of Rise Against, particularly in relation to animal rights issues. But we all know the only thing that is going to separate the two in today's contest is the quality of their respective singles, so let's take a look.

Pearl Jam- The Fixer



Before we examine the single, let me get this admittedly biased opinion out in the air. Pearl Jam is THE coolest band in the world. I don't care who their competition is; these guys are, and have for along time been the ‘man' so to speak. How many other bands out there can say with pride that they essentially went to war with a ticketing juggernaut in an attempt to keep things fair for their fans? These are the kind of actions that give birth to the diehard loyalists people.

Now, onto the track itself. It's often all too hard to ignore some of the very vocal critics who claim that Pearl Jam's work over the last few years hasn't quite been up to the standard of many of the group's earlier career releases, and I guess all things considered, some of these criticisms do have weight. The band's 2006 self-titled album, while undeniably good, was simply not in the realm of albums such as ‘Vs.' or ‘Ten'. But it just goes to show how far ahead of their competition Pearl Jam are when even a less than stellar release from the band is still better than a majority of other music available on the market. But I digress.

Upon listening to ‘The Fixer' I was instantly reminded of the track ‘Life Wasted' off the group's last album. Both tracks have are underpinned by a common ‘get things started' sort of rock feel and, being that ‘Life Wasted' was my favorite song off of that particular record, this certainly boded well for the new release.

The song quite simply is three minutes of packed energy and musical power, and a lot of this in my opinion is the result of the work by front man Eddie Vedder. Vedder's vocals have always been resounding and forceful in such a way that you can't help but be completely drawn in by his message, and the same effect is certainly not lacking in The Fixer. Hell, a lot of the time in Pearl Jam's songs, The Fixer included, I might have trouble understanding what the man is actually saying and still have no problem understanding the intended intensity of the message itself.

One thing that the aforementioned ‘Life Wasted' did have that I feel is lacking in the group's new track was the absolutely blistering lead guitar work on the part of Mike McCready. The solo ‘s usually provided by McCready have become such an integral part of the Pearl Jam sound that when they are absent, as they largely are in The Fixer, it noticeably feels as if there is something missing. But hey, you don't need to take my opinion on it; the messages left by rabid Pearl Jam fans on the youtube page should be more than enough.

Minor criticisms aside, Pearl Jam have been in this business too long to make any real blundering mistakes, and what they have in The Fixer is a radio friendly rock song that is undoubtedly going to impress many.


Moving On!

Rise Against- Savior



Personally, punk as it exists in its modern form has never really been my thing. Call me crazy, but a majority of the time I'll take bands like The Germs and The Ramones over any current bands who squeeze themselves into the already bloated genre of punk. So, with this distasteful predisposition towards modern punk, you can imagine how surprised I was when I found myself highly enjoying this new single from Rise Against.

‘Savior' seems to possess a lot of the qualities that are lacking in modern punk songs. The track has the aggressive edge that needs to be present in any good punk music, but at the same time it doesn't sacrifice any of the catchiness that any modern single needs to have in order to be a success.

One issue I did notice that continued to nag at me was, although the song will undoubtedly satisfy many a punk rock follower, musically, the track offers nothing new. The guitar style employed by the band is a sound that has been used and used again in modern music, almost to the point of mediocrity. So, while I did find myself able to enjoy the song to a degree, I just felt that it didn't really offer anything that I can't hear from an endless line of bands in the modern ‘alternative' scene.

There can only be one!

And this week, it's going to be Vedder and the boys of Pearl Jam. Quite simply, this band has been doing what they do best for so long now that they are never going to write a ‘bad' song. The Fixer, while flawed in some ways, is in my opinion one of the better tracks to be released by Pearl Jam in some time now, and today it was more than enough to get them the win. Today's result was simply a case of Pearl Jam doing more right than Rise Against really doing anything wrong. Both tracks are good, one is better.





On a completely different note, yours truly will this weekend be lucky enough to be journeying up to the Sydney Opera House in order to see a musical tribute to the genius that is the Beatles' White album.

Jealous much?

Needless to say next week's article will contain some of my opinions on the concert itself, as well as my usual witty banter…

So until next time, happy sailing.