Backspacer Review from Spin Magazine
TheRiotAct
Posts: 131
Conventional wisdom marks 2006’s Pearl Jam as the grunge outfits reignition point after years without a spark. If that’s true, then the first three songs on their ninth full-length are the explosion at the end of an extremely long fuse. The band hasn’t put together a trifecta this energized and from the gut in a decade, and though the rest of Backspacer doesn’t match that opening salvo, it has terrific time trying.
“Gonna See My Friend”, “Got Some” , and “the Fixer” nearly upend each other after rushing out the gate, exploiting Pearl Jam’s leanest, punkest tendencies. And those traits carry through the albums 36 minutes. No time to waste and Obama in the White House mean no political bellyaching, so when Eddie Vedder pulls out that indignant yet inclusive snarl and proclaims “When somethings gone, I wanna fight to get it back again”, you can probably assume “it” is his bands mojo.
Even the requisite restrained ballads feel renewed: “the End” finds Vedder channeling Cat Stevens, backed by a string and brass ensamble. Then there’s the towering anthem “Amongt the Waves”, which could bring “Alive” fans back to the fold. It even expands on that song’s theme, moving from grudging survival to jubilant exuberance (”I’ve put away my early grave”). For the first time in years, Pearl Jam are seizing the moment rather than wallowing in it. JOSH MODELL
8/10
“Gonna See My Friend”, “Got Some” , and “the Fixer” nearly upend each other after rushing out the gate, exploiting Pearl Jam’s leanest, punkest tendencies. And those traits carry through the albums 36 minutes. No time to waste and Obama in the White House mean no political bellyaching, so when Eddie Vedder pulls out that indignant yet inclusive snarl and proclaims “When somethings gone, I wanna fight to get it back again”, you can probably assume “it” is his bands mojo.
Even the requisite restrained ballads feel renewed: “the End” finds Vedder channeling Cat Stevens, backed by a string and brass ensamble. Then there’s the towering anthem “Amongt the Waves”, which could bring “Alive” fans back to the fold. It even expands on that song’s theme, moving from grudging survival to jubilant exuberance (”I’ve put away my early grave”). For the first time in years, Pearl Jam are seizing the moment rather than wallowing in it. JOSH MODELL
8/10
"Close but no sitar." ~ EV
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Comments
Eddie: Dublin & London
See, this is why Pearl Jam is hands down my favorite band. I can honestly say that I love all of their albums, I may be critical of a song here or there, but overall I find myself constantly impressed. All this on top of the fact that this is now a nearly 20 y/o band.