Daily Loaf

Over the course of its first eight studio albums, Pearl Jam had its share of miscues – usually due to self-importance or over-ambition – but the band was never guilty of being average.

That day has come. Which is not to say that PJ has devolved into just another average band. Far from it. But given the consistently high quality of its recorded output since 1991, Backspacer (Monkeywrench) can’t be accorded a higher evaluation than, yes, average.

Not one of the 11 songs would make its way into the upper echelon of the Pearl Jam canon. These are competent rock tunes, straightforwardly produced by Brendan O’Brien, many of which fall back on familiar PJ tropes, but which lack the menace and abandon that has made the Seattle quintet so compelling over the years. Compared to prior work, Backspacer is lighter and poppier – not a stance that suits the band.

The disc begins with four consecutive uptempo rock songs that don’t till any new ground and in at least one instance, the opener “Gonna See My Friend,” emerges as dull and disposable. Eddie Vedder still chews on and garbles the lyrics – his range and chops are very much intact – but only in rare spots does his singing raise the hairs on your neck.

The album’s most effective songs are the two acoustic ballads:

“Just Breathe,” given added lushness by a string arrangement, is a genuinely touching love letter, with Vedder singing such uncharacteristically direct and sentimental lines as “Did I say that I need you?/ Did I say that I want you?/ Oh, if I didn’t I’m a fool, you see/ No one knows this more than me.”

The folkish “The End” is another affecting love song driven by Vedder’s quavering baritone.

The worst Pearl Jam album? … That seems a bit harsh for a band that’s been so good for so long. How about? … Backspacer is the least of the Pearl Jam albums.

Posted in Music, Music Review | Leave a comment