Dean(ish)

I’ve been a fan of Pearl Jam since their debut album, Ten, hit the street 15 years ago. I remember going to a Pearl Jam concert when I was about 12; my mom had to sneak my brother in because we couldn’t afford the extra ticket (no thanks to TicketMaster, but praise Pearl Jam for fighting them) and the show was awesome. I even saw Eddie Vedder perform a solo set at the Ralph Nader rally at the Rose Garden before the 2000 elections.

Indeed, I have been a fan for many years. I haven’t been the most loyal fan, however; aside from their singles, I’ve not listened to much of Pearl Jam since 1994’s Vitalogy. Still, I was very excited to hear “World Wide Suicide,” the first single off of the new self-titled Pearl Jam album, as it brought with it a lot of energy like classics “Even Flow” and “Once.”

Pearl Jam’s Pearl Jam

1. “Life Wasted” - The album gets off to a fast-paced start with the first track which seems to have some classic rock influence, à la Led Zeppelin. Towards the end, “Life Wasted” rocks out with its chock out similar to the end of “Alive” (from Ten).
2. “World Wide Suicide” - The first single off this album features well-written lyrics and a good hook. Not my favorite off the album, but good nonetheless.
3. “Comatose” - If Tom Petty and The Misfits had a one-shot song together, it would sound something like this. Lots of energy and a catchy hook to back it up. Eddie’s screaming vocals really accentuate the music on this one, and it’s got a nice guitar diddy as well.
4. “Severed Hand” - Starts off with a cool backwards-guitar effect. There’s a cool guitar solo towards the end and, unlike the solos in many of the other songs, it’s of a good length. I could see this one being the next single.
5. “Marker in the Sand” - This one starts off deceptively loud and just when you think they’re gonna bust out the heavy guns, they get melodic and pretty. The combination actually works out well for this song, and I could see this one becoming a single as well.
6. “Parachutes” - This one brings the album to a snail’s pace, but it really shows that Pearl Jam’s softer side is a beautiful thing.
7. “Unemployable” - Excellent drums on this song and, like “Life Wasted,” features more of a classic rock sound but this time it’s more like Rush than Led Zep.
8. “Big Wave” - Going back to the harder sound of the first four tracks, “Big Wave” has a catchy guitar riff, sing-along chorus, and a sweet little guitar solo towards the end.
9. “Gone” - Eddie’s quiet, lower-range voice accompanies an acoustic guitar while an electric guitar slowly whines in the background. The drums come in, building anticipation, and then the song turns into rock while Eddie’s vocals come alive, the conjigation of which forces your head to bob unintentionally.
10. “Wasted Reprise” - Fifty-three seconds of organ and vocal that really don’t add a whole lot to the album.
11. “Army Reserve” - There are hints of U2 scattered throughout the guitar in this song but, despite that, this one definitely sounds like classic Pearl Jam.
12. “Come Back” - One of the only tracks where the lyrics are completely intelligible, this song is somewhat reminiscent of the slow dance at prom. Nonetheless, it’s a beautiful song; Eddie’s soulful vocals really shine on this one.
13. “Inside Job” - This song starts romantically soft, like “Come Back,” then progresses into a rock jam. How can this be? Because it’s Pearl Jam. Duh.

Overall, this album is really well put together. “Wasted Reprise” and “Unemployable” weren’t necessary, but stand-out tracks like “Inside Job,” “Comatose,” “Parachutes,” and “Gone” make this album worth having. The album rocks as a whole and is definitely worth the purchase.

My Experience: 8.5/10 - Get it! { AllofMP3 | Amazon }

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