Pearl Jam: Backspacer (Full Review)
michaeljamesmccabe
Posts: 109
Pearl Jam: Backspacer (Full Review)
Pearl Jam's latest album, "Backspacer", demonstrates that the greatest band on the planet still has plenty left to say, and that they are still very much the light at the end of the tunnel in a world of music that has been getting progressively worse. The band's ninth studio album highlights all of the things that the general public has come to love about Pearl Jam, while at the same time satisfies their massive world-wide audience of hardcore fans.
The interesting thing about the fact that this album is accessible to both new and old fans, is that I don't think the band set out to create an album that would achieve this. They simply tried to make the best, most concise, most direct album that they could. They worked on the music separately, came together, planned out their recording sessions, hand-picked their producer (Brendan O'Brien), and then they went to work getting the job done. Almost the exact same approach that they used to create their masterful debut album, "Ten".
"Backspacer" is a very short album that moves along at a very fast clip. There isn't a single song longer than four minutes on the entire album. This is the biggest overall "change" that you will find. A few theories have been floated around that this was done as a reaction to today's listening public, but I disagree with that. I actually think that this album was laid out in the same way that the nightly set-lists for their concerts are.
I've literally lost count of the Pearl Jam concerts I've attended. And even though each concert has a unique set-list, and each show has it's own distinct "feel", there are a few commonalities. When Pearl Jam take the stage, they get right down to business. You can count on them blasting out three of four songs in a row, before Ed even says, "Hello" to the audience. (You're there to see Pearl Jam, and they're there to give it to you.) After that, there is usually some conversation, and maybe a couple of funny stories and jokes. After that, there will be a middle section that includes a ballad or two, where the mood gets semi-serious to serious. That will typically transition into some more introspective songs that can be extended for some McCready magic. Finally, there is always a definite end to the main set. (Two encores are usually the standard for Pearl Jam.) The general flow of "Backspacer" matches this pattern almost exactly. This leaves the listener with the quintessential "Pearl Jam experience", wrapped into a (little over) half hour package. I think that was the goal, and they certainly achieved it.
While it is a very tight album, the boys touch on basically every aspect of what makes rock music so great. There are some real hard charging, straight ahead songs, some high energy punk songs, some soaring ballads, and some quiet reflections. Having the ability to create excellent (and maybe classic) songs in all of these sub-genres, highlights just how extraordinary this band really is.
Pearl Jam are now "beyond genre". Many of their contemporaries release clearly defined, "rock" albums, or "acoustic" albums, or whatever segmented genre they want to classify themselves as. Meanwhile, Pearl Jam have developed themselves to a level where their music is beyond a clear definition. That is the truest validation of their greatness, and "Backspacer" is a showcase of their evolution.
I feel better about recommending this album than I did recommending the last two. That's actually saying a lot, because I continue to have a lot of love for both 'Riot Act' and 'Pearl Jam'. But, this album is just easier to get into. If you put it in your CD player (or load the tracks into your MP3 player/phone/mobile device), you will find yourself listening to this entire album quite a few times. You'll listen to it over and over, and you'll find at least two songs that you absolutely love. Honestly, that's about the best recommendation that I can give any album.
Pearl Jam's latest album, "Backspacer", demonstrates that the greatest band on the planet still has plenty left to say, and that they are still very much the light at the end of the tunnel in a world of music that has been getting progressively worse. The band's ninth studio album highlights all of the things that the general public has come to love about Pearl Jam, while at the same time satisfies their massive world-wide audience of hardcore fans.
The interesting thing about the fact that this album is accessible to both new and old fans, is that I don't think the band set out to create an album that would achieve this. They simply tried to make the best, most concise, most direct album that they could. They worked on the music separately, came together, planned out their recording sessions, hand-picked their producer (Brendan O'Brien), and then they went to work getting the job done. Almost the exact same approach that they used to create their masterful debut album, "Ten".
"Backspacer" is a very short album that moves along at a very fast clip. There isn't a single song longer than four minutes on the entire album. This is the biggest overall "change" that you will find. A few theories have been floated around that this was done as a reaction to today's listening public, but I disagree with that. I actually think that this album was laid out in the same way that the nightly set-lists for their concerts are.
I've literally lost count of the Pearl Jam concerts I've attended. And even though each concert has a unique set-list, and each show has it's own distinct "feel", there are a few commonalities. When Pearl Jam take the stage, they get right down to business. You can count on them blasting out three of four songs in a row, before Ed even says, "Hello" to the audience. (You're there to see Pearl Jam, and they're there to give it to you.) After that, there is usually some conversation, and maybe a couple of funny stories and jokes. After that, there will be a middle section that includes a ballad or two, where the mood gets semi-serious to serious. That will typically transition into some more introspective songs that can be extended for some McCready magic. Finally, there is always a definite end to the main set. (Two encores are usually the standard for Pearl Jam.) The general flow of "Backspacer" matches this pattern almost exactly. This leaves the listener with the quintessential "Pearl Jam experience", wrapped into a (little over) half hour package. I think that was the goal, and they certainly achieved it.
While it is a very tight album, the boys touch on basically every aspect of what makes rock music so great. There are some real hard charging, straight ahead songs, some high energy punk songs, some soaring ballads, and some quiet reflections. Having the ability to create excellent (and maybe classic) songs in all of these sub-genres, highlights just how extraordinary this band really is.
Pearl Jam are now "beyond genre". Many of their contemporaries release clearly defined, "rock" albums, or "acoustic" albums, or whatever segmented genre they want to classify themselves as. Meanwhile, Pearl Jam have developed themselves to a level where their music is beyond a clear definition. That is the truest validation of their greatness, and "Backspacer" is a showcase of their evolution.
I feel better about recommending this album than I did recommending the last two. That's actually saying a lot, because I continue to have a lot of love for both 'Riot Act' and 'Pearl Jam'. But, this album is just easier to get into. If you put it in your CD player (or load the tracks into your MP3 player/phone/mobile device), you will find yourself listening to this entire album quite a few times. You'll listen to it over and over, and you'll find at least two songs that you absolutely love. Honestly, that's about the best recommendation that I can give any album.
Michael James McCabe
http://mccabespointofview.blogspot.com/
myspace.com/mpov
http://www.facebook.com/michaeljamesmccabe
http://mccabespointofview.blogspot.com/
myspace.com/mpov
http://www.facebook.com/michaeljamesmccabe
0