It's hard to believe that we first met this band in 1991-92.
Back then, our heroes were just another band from Seattle, out to make great rock music and have a good time doing it. For most of the band's career, even its most loyal fans have been looking for Pearl Jam to somehow recapture that spunky, live feel of "Ten" and "Vs." The band's musical direction has meandered at times, but it has always managed to hold fast to the sense of purpose that guided it through an infamous battle with Ticketmaster in the late 90's.
Even then, the band manged to seem like it was having a good time.
Most of the criticism of the band has been focused on the lack of urgency and passion on albums like "No Code" and the forgettable "Riot Act". At times, the band seemed to lose its edge.
Well, weep no more...
Backspacer is Pearl Jam's ninth studio album and the high-powered bookend to their eponymous 2006 release. Clocking in at 37 minutes, the band comes out swinging and reclaims its boyish, punky roots. The first three songs "Gonna See My Friend", "Got Some" and "The Fixer" seek to reclaim the ground the band surrendered after their frenzied ode to vinyl "Spin The Black Circle" on 1994's "Vitalogy".
The songs are catchy and the momentum is real.
Having Brendan O'Brien back in the control booth for the first time since 1998 has clearly helped the band's focus. The brilliant guitar attack of Mike McCready and Stone Gossard is in overdrive, grinding out healthy chunks of classic-rock and punk-inspired riffs that constantly propel the band forward. As always, Eddie Vedder is a house-of-fire, and his voice remains the beating-heart in the middle of all the joyous noise.
That's right...joyous.
There is a prevailing sense of optimism that guides "Backspacer". The band feels loose and frisky for the first time in a long time. Even the "yeah, yeah, yeah" chorus in the "The Fixer" conjures the image of a smile on Vedder's face. In fact, the song seems to pick up where the innocent vulnerability of "Wishlist" left off on "Yield". "If something's old, I wanna put a bit of shine on it," sounds like it comes from the same emotional place that harbors the sentiment, "I wish I was a messenger, and all the news was good". Vedder continues, "When something's gone, I wanna fight to get it back again", and I hear, "I wish I was the verb 'to trust', and never let you down."
Vedder also reprises the rustic charm he served up for the "Into the Wild" soundtrack with rugged ballads like "Just Breathe". There is also a lovely homage to the Beach Boys in "Speed of Sound" with its gentle castanets and soft organ drifting just below the melody. Even the barroom lament of "Speed Of Sound" ends by looking forward to the fresh start a new tomorrow will bring. Incidentally, both songs are arguably the most mature ballads the band has ever produced.
For the first time in a long time, Pearl Jam sounds like they are in a genuinely good mood. "Backspacer" is the sound of a band reclaiming the bounce in its step, after years of dragging its boots. For their fans, this renewed sense of optimism is long overdue. Vedder and his bandmates have crafted an album that is full of confident, mature rock songs. "Backspacer" summons the joy and energy of Pearl Jam's early releases without retreading old glories.
Onward and upward, boys.
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