Net Music Review

Fourteen years after ten, are Pearl Jam still relevant? Can they still even produce a good record having reached their forties? Well, I feel the answer to both these questions is definitely yes. Being the only major player left from the early nineties Seattle grunge explosion Pearl Jam have evolved over the years, frustratingly sometimes, but they are now a different beast. And this new album is certainly a beast! Starting off with five in your face tracks, the album doesn’t relent until the sixth track, the ballad Parachutes, but after that its straight back into the grove with the infectious Unemployable. The Cameron/McMcredy collaboration has a funky riff with an instantly catchy vocal and tells the story of a man struggling to keep his family. Story telling is a feature on the album, with lead singer Eddie Vedder putting himself in the shoes of someone else for the first time in a while, and the whole album is scattered with little stories everywhere.These stories range include the tale of a man who doesn’t fear the consequences of his actions. Severed Hand starts off with a typical “Who-ish” style intro and then erupts into a high octane rock track. With a riff that is reminiscent of the early classic Porch from debut album Ten, the song builds into an anthemic crescendo that is guaranteed to have anyone who has the pleasure of catching them live leaping around like a madman. Severed Hand leads straight into Marker in the Sand, another Mike McMcredy penned track, beginning with a simple hook and Matt Cameron’s pounding drums it surprises when it falls into a glorious melody of a chorus that Pavement in their pomp would have been proud of. This is the last of the ferocious opening to the album and then gives way to Parachutes. Definitely the slowest, and probably quirkiest tune on display it is a tender love-song.Another feature of the album is the shared song writing responsibilities, while Vedder wrote, all bar one set of lyrics, the music credits are shared around equally. This certainly adds to the feel of the album overall giving it a more rounded sounded, credit for this must also go to producer Adam Kasper. It has the feel of a band having fun again and re-discovering themselves, towards the end of their contract with epic the relationship has apparently deteriorated. For now J-Records seem to be the right setting for this veteran American rock band, although you could be forgiven for thinking this was the work of a much younger band given the energy levels displayed throughout.