Before we heard a single note from Pearl Jam’s ninth studio album, we heard about the long-running anti-corporate band’s partnership with Target and their plan to debut the first single (and arguably best rock song) in an advertisement for the retailer. The alliance was so talked about that by the time they released a proper video for “The Fixer,” we thought it was a Target ad. (It wasn’t, but the commercial uses the same footage.) Of course, as other songs hit the Web one by one, we moved beyond the backstory and let this latest Brendan O’Brien-produced collection stack up against PJ’s canon.
To recount: They did the rocker “Got Some” on Conan, offered an All-Star preview of “The Fixer,” revealed “Speed Of Sound” in a Tom Tomorrow treasure hunt, dug into downcast closer “The End” in London, teased the balladic “Just Breathe” in a 9-minute publicity video, and leaked “Supersonic” as a b-side. There are 11 songs in total. You’ve heard more than half of Backspacer without having to enter your local Target, so even if you haven’t listened to the LP from start to finish, you should have a pretty good idea. That is unless the five remaining tracks aren’t total game changers, right? They are not game changers. Let’s start at the beginning…
The opener “Gonna See My Friend”‘s a mid-tempo 3-minute grunge rocker that gives Vedder a chance to shred his throat and see his friend to “make it go away” before moving into another of these mid-tempo rockers “Got Some.” (“Mid-tempo” is a tag you could apply liberally across Backspacer.) “Got Some”‘s followed by the ubiquitous (and still Foo Fighters-esque) “The Fixer.” Then we limp into “Johnny Guitar.” Yeah, limp. Or plod? Is there anyone who likes this song? There are too many of these indistinguishable semi-rockers in a row.
When you get to “Just Breathe,” a pretty acoustic ballad about mortality and love, it feels like a godsend. It’s not the second coming of anything, but it’s a genuinely moving song, and if offers a much needed change of pace: “Oh I’m a lucky man / To count on both hands / The ones I love / Some folks just have one / Yeah, others they got none / Stay with me / Let’s just breathe.” It’s the finale, though, that really does something. We get “Nothing you would take / Everything you gave / Hold me til I die / Meet you on the other side” set to a tasteful string flourish. The acoustic-lined closer “The End” is another moving, reflective tune, but otherwise, the focus is on surprisingly generic power-chorded rockers.
“Amongst The Waves” continues the love theme, but picks it up some, and tries to soar. It’s not bad — in fact, the opening’s promising — but after we get to the chorus, it feels overlong (at less than 4 minutes). That happens a few times on Backspacer. A more successful variation on the theme is “Unthought Known,” a fine anthemic song that possesses some of Pearl Jam’s earlier unhinged feel, albeit in mellower form. Still, you can imagine Vedder climbing the amps in a small venue while he moves into the hypnotic repetition of “nothing left,” etc.
Nothing left. Pearl Jam have remained an admirable group of people, but you do wonder how much energy they have left. The moon’s a steady lyrical image on Backspacer. One of the strongest parts of “Unthought Known” is the lovely scenario conjured by “See the path cut by the moon / For you to walk on.” And “Speed Of Sound” includes a “dream of distant light” and a sun that never comes. “Force Of Nature” sees “a silhouette in the black light full moon.” People don’t usually say moons set, no, but when you couple this focus on nighttime skies with “The End” (and the album’s) final words “I’m here, but not much longer,” things get complicated. What are Pearl Jam hinting at? A new day? The end of a long (Bush-run) night? Are they just sapped and tired?
Whatever the case, Backspacer has its moments, but unless you’re a hardcore fan or incurably nostalgic, it’s difficult making it through the entire thing without nodding out. Weirdly, the slower they go, the better they sound. You don’t necessarily want to embrace mellower, less raucous old age, but it seems like it’s what suits them best at this point.
Backspacer is out 9/20 via Monkeywrench (and Universal internationally) at Target, iTunes, and independent record stores.
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I would like to read your Premature Evaluation on Island’s Vapours and The Flaming Lip’s Embryonic… Who cares about Pearl Jam.
I do cocksucker
The one PJ song in the I-pod is “Do the Evolution”…the two STP songs are “Big Bang Baby”and “Sour Girl”…
I agree, although ‘Johnny Guitar” is one of my favs. ‘Unthought Known’ almost sounds like it could be a Coldplay song. Scary!
i gotta agree with the last paragraph (not the nodding off part). After nearly 20 years of being a fan from their early crest of world domination, evolving into their rather tranquil slide of highly consistent recorded material reinforced by tours brilliantly sequenced for each and every one of their audiences. Their more sombre/reflective material resonates more. Then again it always has (Footsteps, Indifference, Oceans, Around the Bend, Long Road) I’ve long outgrown my residency in a teenage wasteland. The fury present in Ten, Vs, and vitalogy will always be around to satiate the desire for killer riffs and dynamic band interplay. Definitely following the blueprints of Townshend and Young. Personally, I couldn’t ask for anything more.
Yay, a new Pearl Jam album! Yay!!
I received my copy of the album in the mail today. I really like it. No nodding off here. “Unthought Known” is an inspired highlight.
This analysis loses credibility here by saying Got Some is midtempo. Got Some? Midtempo? Are we listening to the same thing? It’s really strange to say that, and it actually damages the rest of the review cause Ican’t believe one word anymore. If you play this side-by-side with any other early PJ album, this really does match the intensity, tempo, and acoustic breaks of any of their earliest work. It’s a big myth that this band dropped off – they’ve been solidly consistent A-/B+/B material their whole careers with their live shows taking them up another echelon.
Your evaluation of Backspacer is too premature. Give it several listens and you’ll see the brilliance behind every single song. Not to say it’s the best Pearl Jam album ever released but I’m happy to see the band rocking out once again. Can’t wait to see them live again!
Holy Shit Scott put this up you probably only have like 10 minutes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtlpAGs04Dg
I saw that earlier — we’ll have something up in the AM!
i don’t get the album art, it makes me uncomfortable on several levels
hey!!!i am lionus.what to say?….my mouth get shut it itself even when i think about yourself.what i will do when i will be so lucky to meet you someday which is my precious desire.if to say really…i was not knowing you a couple of months ago.but..it was my luck i have heard and know and listened your soothing songs…i like your cool look whch says you are a very freedom loving and sweet person.not to mention i like your each and every song.i just wanna to have a couple minutes with you…can i have a little time of urs….i know you are a celebrity..and…you won’t be having a few microseconds for me…it would make laugh everyone…but i really wanna meet you someday.i love you in every way!!!! forgive me…if its hurts you in any manner.keep singing as ever…will pray to god to give you a long life as god is very rude for honest and sweet persons…who have a lots of people to pray.
Got Some is not mid-tempo. It rocks pretty hard and fast. Johnny Guitar is new, exceptional territory. The vocal melody and the the song structure is unlike anything in Pearl Jam’s past. This song and much of the album I’d describe as strangely catchy and a blast. There are two lovely slow songs: Just Breathe and The End and a mid-tempo (yeah for real) triumph called Unthought Known that may be the album’s highest point with Eddie singing in full goose bump mode: “Dream the dreams of other men and be no one’s rival.” Grade A.
PEARL JAM?! PEARL JAM?! Stereogum please! Tegan and Sara’s Sainthood!! Or maybe Islands or Flaming Lips, but PEARL JAM?!
Gosh I love Tegan and Sara. And the Flaming Lips are good. But snotty young pricks who whine about giving attention to bands who were huge and influential (before said snotty prick’s time) but have slipped a little… I fucking hate those people.
This is what I was kind of trying to say.
Good work.
You can’t stay influential for 20 years not even when you’re called Pearl Jam. We can’t always expect them to release the next “Ten”. We all know including PJ themselves that will never happen. I haven’t listened to the album myself yet but I’m not expecting an instant classic. I like their music and if it’s a decent PJ rocker I’m happy. And what from what I read that’s exactly what it is.
“You can’t stay influential for 20 years”….Says the guy in the Led Zepplin shirt.
Led Zeppelin wasn’t around for 20 years.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Ten isn’t their best album. Vs. was better than Ten and Vitalogy was better than Vs. Personally I think Yield is one of their crowning achievements but it sickens me everytime I hear or see someone say Ten is their best album. It’s a damn good record but it’s top heavy and depressing. Why is Pearl Jam on here? People ask… because Pearl Jam one of the most influential bands of the 90′s and every indie band we like out there grew up listen to them. I was 11 years old when I first heard Even Flow and it changed my life. Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, STP, Smashing Pumpkins… those were the bands that shaped my teen years. Of all those bands, Pearl Jam is the only one that is still relevant and making good music. So, I say thank you Stereogum for posting Pearl Jam on here.
Man, Pearl Jam is awful.
They’re gonna have the record at targets too.
Yo Stereogum, I’m really happy for you, and I’mma let you finish, but Rolling Stone had one of the best Backspacer reviews of all time!
I love when reviews give it the ol’ “strictly for the die-hards” cliche. Because Pearl Jam have proven they’ve got about 800,000 of ‘em. A more than respectable amount for any album these days. Let alone one independently released. Also, their shows are still epic. And THAT’S what most bands loose after 20 years.
The album has energy and excitement. It’s a fresh of breath air. I really wish they would put a little more thought into the guitar and bass lines, instead of the power chord they’ve been using. In fact, not using power chords was the big thing that separated the this band from the rest of that grunge crap from Seattle back in the day, imo. Keep the strange chord changes, the political lyrics, the odd timings, but away with the simplicity (unless you’re writing those slow and beautiful acoustic songs).
My friend made me listen to this album this past weekend.
Every track.
It really sucked.
All of it.
I couldn’t even lift my head up after like 2 minutes.
My friend is really stupid.
He’s a real American jerk.
Ya know the kind.
Big A-hole Pearl Jam fans.
-Farmer Ted
Apparently you haven’t listened to this album but that’s a nice story. Pearl Jam sux. America sux. Keep it real, bro.
All right. Ya caught me.
I didn’t listen to the whole album.
I did listen to about 30 seconds of each song.
I wish I had not.
So bad, dude.
So so bad.
-Farmer Ted
i can say without a doubt this is the record they’ve been waiting at least 10 years to make. this review doesn’t do it justice in the least. fuck stereogum.
Farmer Ted – your mom just called. She said its time to come home for dinner because you have that big spelling test tomorrow. Remember – i before EXCEPT after C. Those 7th grade tests can be hard. Good luck!
As a graphic designer, I can conclusively say that both this album and it’s cover art are awful. But the music is worse. So bad, So, so, so, so, so, so bad.
Remember how Stone Temple Pilots was a rip-off of early Pearl Jam? Well this is like a rip-off of Nickleback.
Thank God. I’d been waiting for a graphic designer to weigh in with the definitive statement on this one.
Sounds zero like Nickelback.
As an art director let me say conclusively that you have poor taste. Why don’t you go listen to Nickelback and we’ll listen to Pearl Jam.
And as a top chef, I daresay your taste sucks. And your spaghetti sauce has too much garlic.
Dave’s taste is funny to me. Farmer Ted is also funny. Every time there is a pearl jam review, blurb, or song on stereogum, this hack jumps on and something juvenile and lame. This record rocks. You want unoriginal? All stereogum does is post retread reviews straight from Pitchforks dumpster. Leave PJ alone, you pretentious fucks. Time is on their side.
except stereogums reviews go up first since they dont wait for the store release date. still this album sucks and i am a pearl jam fan
Nickelback look a like? Got Some mid-tempo? Tegan and Sarah?? Why I still read this?
Duh. Pearl Jam is good. This album’s probably not that great, but all the people saying it shouldn’t be covered are wrong. In fact, PJ represents a real alternative to most music right now. Not every band being cute and quiet is good, or cute and loud either. If you know what I mean. (Emphasis: I’m not saying PJ is still making good music)
I think I have to agree with the comment about Pearl Jam being far suited to slower songs at this point, which I’m fine with given most of my favourite PJ tracks are the more slower sombre ones.
U2 has been influential for 20+ years, I’m not saying they’re the best band ever, but they’ve been pretty influential. I am fairly baffled by the whole “GET IT AT TARGET!” pitch though…
The Fixer is pretty great, but the rest is pretty MEH, imho…
Barack as Johnny Depp… hilarious!
I like it!
target had the single too…
Clever artwork…
I actually think “The Fixer” has more of a Phoenix-like pop sensibility. I really can’t disrespect Pearl Jam for making music though. Though I gravitate toward more vapid, LSD induced indie rock sounds, I often wonder If I’m missing the fun aspect of music that a band like Pearl Jam must be purveying these days. Always something great about Radiohead, but its not something you can play in the car driving into a sunset.
And because I’m a graphic designer you can take my opinion to the bank…
You know, I love Pearl Jam. They’ve evolved, like anyone else has. And they’re true to themselves. Theyre great musicians, and, although I wish the songs were somewhat more intricate and challenging, theyre still a strong effort, and far better than any other crap out there nowadays (including Nickelback). You see, they could’ve churned out the U2 epic anthems and go on glitzy, highly promoted tours, but decided not to. Anyone doubting whether another Ten could be made is fooling themselves; PJ can spit out 10 of those (and I’m sure they’d be great). But they ain’t gonna sell out to what the people want, they’ll make music the way THEY want to, and not compromise. All in all, the integrity of it all is appealing as well, and it makes listening to their music a real and intimate experience; as if there are no layers to peel. In fact, I dont care much for Riot Act, I’d say it’s one of their worst, and Ten is indeed one of their best (2nd to Vitalogy IMO); that’s the beauty of it, PJ is so varied and non-cliched that there’s something for everyone. And I like my spaghetti sauce with tons of fucking garlic; I like testing my gf’s commitment by forcing garlic-laced kisses upon her – fuck yeah.
I like the Hamlet reference(lyrically) on TheFixer
The more I listen to the Fixer,the more I like it;the rest fall flat for me!