130bpm Backspacer review

tcaporale

Pearl Jam may very well be the most recent “classic rock” band. That’s not meant to be an insult; the Seattle group’s early albums appealed to young and old rockers alike, and were all successes commercially and artistically. Their debut, Ten, is still one of the strongest albums to emerge from the grunge era, as well as from the 1990s as a whole. It may be hard to remember, but before the wave of imitators, Pearl Jam was a startlingly original band. Their heavy, highly technical interpretation of hard rock was a natural counterpoint to the punkier sounds within the grunge scene. While Nirvana may have been responsible for bringing alternative rock into the mainstream, Eddie Vedder’s crew are largely responsible for keeping it there.
That was nearly 20 years ago. In between 1991 and 2009, Pearl Jam has gone through five drummers and changed very little. If anything’s different, it’s that they’ve mellowed. Hey, a lot of bands mellow over time, especially as they try to “grow up.” The problem is aggression is a crutch Pearl Jam uses to cover up its flaws. And flaws there are–primarily, they were never a particularly melodic band. They also weren’t terribly prolific. Their third album, 1994’s Vitalogy, survived greatly on the strength of songs written in the bands early days (or in the case of “Better Man,” the members’ previous bands). Once that well was tapped, the band sank into mediocrity, and have yet to truly bounce back.

Enter Backspacer, Pearl Jam’s ninth studio album. As with the previous eight, the album has two types of songs: high-energy rock numbers and slower, folk-tinged ballads. That’s not to say this is a formulaic repeat of previous successes. The band isn’t trying so hard to force their raw, in-your-face power like their past selves would have done. They even turn down the distortion for the majority of the album. This would be a very poor move if not for the fact that there are some surprisingly melodic up-tempo tunes present. These aren’t great songs, but they are good, and good songs in the hands of a band as capable as Pearl Jam can make for a fun listen.

The problem, as has been the case for just about every Pearl Jam album since their mid-’90s peak, is how the slow songs sound so unconvincing. It gets particularly bad with “Just Breathe” and “Speed of Sound” which should never have seen the light of day. Pearl Jam hasn’t been able to pull off that kind of song in over a decade, but it doesn’t appear they realize it. This is a band that works best when they’re rocking so hard they’re falling down on stage. They don’t function well when they’re trying to get you to hold up your lighter–not anymore, anyway. Perhaps the most disheartening aspect of the slow numbers is how worn-out Vedder’s voice sounds. He still has it, but he sounds like a man closer to his mid-fifties rather than his mid-forties. Ultimately this doesn’t matter, as these aren’t songs that can be saved. Vedder is tailor-made for the fast numbers. On those his rasp sounds fresh, and Vedder shows he can still tear through a song.
Pearl Jam has also toned down the overt political messages. Perhaps the election of Barack Obama has given Vedder less to complain about. In any case, this is welcome, as past Pearl Jam political sloganeering has come across as far too obtuse (the 2000s may have been rough, but “World Wide Suicide,” really?). The biggest change of them all, however, is how short the album is. Of Pearl Jam’s previous eight studio albums, none ran shorter than 46 minutes, and half were over the 50 minute mark. That makes the 36 minute Backspacer a very surprising turn. The bad songs are over quickly, but the good songs end too fast as well. Overall, this is a positive development, as the songs aren’t unnecessarily extended like Pearl Jam tends to do.
These changes can’t cover up the fact that while there are good songs here, there aren’t any true home runs. Really, the only songs that stand out in memory are the bad ones. The rest are squarely in the same basket as most of the band’s work from the past 15 years. What that means is this isn’t a record you have to own, even if you are a Pearl Jam fan. The album will exceed the expectations of a lot of cynics, but it doesn’t come anywhere close to the band’s early ’90s zenith.

69%

Plankton

Well, no one here is really going to agree with this are they?

Spiritual_Chaos

Not far from my opinions.

LikeAnOcean

Just Breathe is the type of song I hated from the clips, but love the full version. It's not normally the type of song I'd like, but I really do.. I wish people would stop reviewing albums.

No album should be reviewed on a first or even second listen. Ten was not that great on the first listen. For a long time I even skipped half the songs before I finally fell in love with it.

SM169849

I have never had a problem with the slower numbers, i love Just Breath and Speed of Sound, i think they are both great songs.

newy777

it's sad that people like this guy are unaware of the true beauty of this album. i guess he will never know...but it sucks for those who read this and are mis-informed.All i can say is i love every minute of the album!

morgie2

I wonder what kind of reviews Backspacer, or even Avocado, would get if they were debut albums. Sometimes a band's biggest hurdle to get over is past success. It's really a stretch to compare a band of early to mid twenty year olds to a band of early to mid forty year olds, even if we are talking about the same band. The music rocks in both era, imho.

DarthSpacegrass

Other notable bands ninth studio release:

The Doors An American Prayer
The Who Face Dances
Led Zeppelin Coda
Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers
Bruce Springsteen Human Touch
Kiss The Elder
Dinosaur Jr. Farm
Chili Peppers Stadium Arcadium
Sonic Youth Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star
Grateful Dead Terrapin Station

Keep in mind that PJ contemporaries like Nirvana, Soundgarden, AIC, Screaming Trees, Tool did not reach nine studio albums.

Ledbetterman10

The problem, as has been the case for just about every Pearl Jam album since their mid-’90s peak, is how the slow songs sound so unconvincing. It gets particularly bad with “Just Breathe” and “Speed of Sound” which should never have seen the light of day. Pearl Jam hasn’t been able to pull off that kind of song in over a decade, but it doesn’t appear they realize it. This is a band that works best when they’re rocking so hard they’re falling down on stage. They don’t function well when they’re trying to get you to hold up your lighter–not anymore, anyway. Perhaps the most disheartening aspect of the slow numbers is how worn-out Vedder’s voice sounds. He still has it, but he sounds like a man closer to his mid-fifties rather than his mid-forties. Ultimately this doesn’t matter, as these aren’t songs that can be saved. Vedder is tailor-made for the fast numbers. On those his rasp sounds fresh, and Vedder shows he can still tear through a song.

These changes can’t cover up the fact that while there are good songs here, there aren’t any true home runs. Really, the only songs that stand out in memory are the bad ones. The rest are squarely in the same basket as most of the band’s work from the past 15 years. What that means is this isn’t a record you have to own, even if you are a Pearl Jam fan. The album will exceed the expectations of a lot of cynics, but it doesn’t come anywhere close to the band’s early ’90s zenith.

I totally agree with these two sections of the review.

morgie2

Ledbetterman10 wrote:

The problem, as has been the case for just about every Pearl Jam album since their mid-’90s peak, is how the slow songs sound so unconvincing. It gets particularly bad with “Just Breathe” and “Speed of Sound” which should never have seen the light of day. Pearl Jam hasn’t been able to pull off that kind of song in over a decade, but it doesn’t appear they realize it. This is a band that works best when they’re rocking so hard they’re falling down on stage. They don’t function well when they’re trying to get you to hold up your lighter–not anymore, anyway. Perhaps the most disheartening aspect of the slow numbers is how worn-out Vedder’s voice sounds. He still has it, but he sounds like a man closer to his mid-fifties rather than his mid-forties. Ultimately this doesn’t matter, as these aren’t songs that can be saved. Vedder is tailor-made for the fast numbers. On those his rasp sounds fresh, and Vedder shows he can still tear through a song.

These changes can’t cover up the fact that while there are good songs here, there aren’t any true home runs. Really, the only songs that stand out in memory are the bad ones. The rest are squarely in the same basket as most of the band’s work from the past 15 years. What that means is this isn’t a record you have to own, even if you are a Pearl Jam fan. The album will exceed the expectations of a lot of cynics, but it doesn’t come anywhere close to the band’s early ’90s zenith.

I totally agree with these two sections of the review.

Funny but to me, the only song Eddie has a little trouble with is "The End". Just Breathe is awesome. And I completely don't agree with part 2. But to each his own.

Ledbetterman10

morgie2 wrote:

Ledbetterman10 wrote:

The problem, as has been the case for just about every Pearl Jam album since their mid-’90s peak, is how the slow songs sound so unconvincing. It gets particularly bad with “Just Breathe” and “Speed of Sound” which should never have seen the light of day. Pearl Jam hasn’t been able to pull off that kind of song in over a decade, but it doesn’t appear they realize it. This is a band that works best when they’re rocking so hard they’re falling down on stage. They don’t function well when they’re trying to get you to hold up your lighter–not anymore, anyway. Perhaps the most disheartening aspect of the slow numbers is how worn-out Vedder’s voice sounds. He still has it, but he sounds like a man closer to his mid-fifties rather than his mid-forties. Ultimately this doesn’t matter, as these aren’t songs that can be saved. Vedder is tailor-made for the fast numbers. On those his rasp sounds fresh, and Vedder shows he can still tear through a song.

These changes can’t cover up the fact that while there are good songs here, there aren’t any true home runs. Really, the only songs that stand out in memory are the bad ones. The rest are squarely in the same basket as most of the band’s work from the past 15 years. What that means is this isn’t a record you have to own, even if you are a Pearl Jam fan. The album will exceed the expectations of a lot of cynics, but it doesn’t come anywhere close to the band’s early ’90s zenith.

I totally agree with these two sections of the review.

Funny but to me, the only song Eddie has a little trouble with is "The End". Just Breathe is awesome. And I completely don't agree with part 2. But to each his own.

I don't necessarily think Eddie has "trouble" with anything but I agree when the reviewer says that the slower songs over the last few years sound "unconvincing". Now, I'm not exactly sure that means but I know I'm not "convinced" by songs like Just Breathe, Come Back and Thumbing My Way because they bore me. And that's not to say they're bad songs. But to me, they just lack SOMETHING that songs like Black, Nothingman (which I don't even like), Off He Goes, Oceans and Around The Bend had.

As for the second part, I totally agree that nothing stands out as great and that the good stuff is in the "same basket as most of the band’s work from the past 15 years".

LikeAnOcean

Ledbetterman10 wrote:

I don't necessarily think Eddie has "trouble" with anything but I agree when the reviewer says that the slower songs over the last few years sound "unconvincing". Now, I'm not exactly sure that means but I know I'm not "convinced" by songs like Just Breathe, Come Back and Thumbing My Way because they bore me.

I agree that Come Back and Thumbing My Way are boring, but I think Just Breathe is one of their best songs. I'd easily put it above Around the Bend.

morgie2

Ledbetterman10 wrote:

I don't necessarily think Eddie has "trouble" with anything but I agree when the reviewer says that the slower songs over the last few years sound "unconvincing".

Trouble is the wrong word. Good point. Just doesn't seem as "smooth" to me on that one.

theserialthrilla

is it eddies fault for setting the bar so high.if another band could make this album would the review be as above.No they would love it ..

You cant live in the 90's this is a stunnig ablum and yes his voice has changed .for the better

Ledbetterman10

theserialthrilla wrote:

is it eddies fault for setting the bar so high.if another band could make this album would the review be as above.No they would love it ..

You cant live in the 90's this is a stunnig ablum and yes his voice has changed .for the better

I'm not living in the 90's. I think Avocado is better than Backspacer. At least the rock songs rocked on that.

LikeAnOcean

Ledbetterman10 wrote:

theserialthrilla wrote:

is it eddies fault for setting the bar so high.if another band could make this album would the review be as above.No they would love it ..

You cant live in the 90's this is a stunnig ablum and yes his voice has changed .for the better

I'm not living in the 90's. I think Avocado is better than Backspacer. At least the rock songs rocked on that.

I'm not sure what you mean by "rocked".. do you mean more aggressive? Because, yes, Avocado was a more aggressive album. It dealt with war and protest.. Backspacer feels more rocking to me than Avocado, but on a lighter, less serious, but more personal approach.

Ledbetterman10

LikeAnOcean wrote:

Ledbetterman10 wrote:

theserialthrilla wrote:

is it eddies fault for setting the bar so high.if another band could make this album would the review be as above.No they would love it ..

You cant live in the 90's this is a stunnig ablum and yes his voice has changed .for the better

I'm not living in the 90's. I think Avocado is better than Backspacer. At least the rock songs rocked on that.

I'm not sure what you mean by "rocked".. do you mean more aggressive? Because, yes, Avocado was a more aggressive album. It dealt with war and protest.. Backspacer feels more rocking to me than Avocado, but on a lighter, less serious, but more personal approach.

I do mean aggressive. I dunno...to me, the only "rocker" that seems inspired is Got Some and I just can't get into the rest.

SolarWorld

That review is garbage...

Amphibyus

I couldn't have written a better review myself... thats probably why I don't get paid for the words I put on paper.

The only thing I disagree with is the reviewer stating that since the mid 90's, the band has only released mediocre stuff. On the contrary, everything up until this album has been calculated to hit you like a ton of bricks. After reading a review where eddie was mulling over the fact that many of the songs were quick from inception to final cut, I see why I'm lefting wanting (expecting) more.

One positive note: I've been listening to all of their other albums to remember what the band is capable of :~)

tcaporale

I just don't like that the reviewer seems to insinuate that everything since Vitalogy has been unremarkable - did he listen to No Code and Yield?

BF25394

I think the album is stronger than the reviewer believes (and I think, in the long run, the slow songs are the ones that will stand the test of time, particularly tracks 5-7). But there is one observation he makes that I've never heard before and find very interesting-- the idea that Pearl Jam has never been all that prolific. They certainly haven't been prolific in recent years, with more and more time between each album:

"Ten" to "Vs.": 26 months
"Vs." to "Vitalogy": 14 months
"Vitalogy" to "No Code": 20 months (with "Mirror Ball" 6 months after "Vitalogy")
"No Code" to "Yield": 18 months
"Yield" to "Binaural": 27 months
"Binaural" to "Riot Act": 30 months
"Riot Act" to "Pearl Jam": 42 months
"Pearl Jam" to "Backspacer": 40 months

cajunkiwi

Plankton wrote:

Well, no one here is really going to agree with this are they?

Actually, I pretty much agree with the review.

Maybe the band set the bar too high with their first few albums - us old farts on the board aren't listening to Backspacer with virgin ears, we're listening to it and comparing it to how we felt when Vs came out and hit you in the face like a sledgehammer. It may be a bit much to expect a bunch of guys in their mid-40s to write songs like Animal and Rearviewmirror again - they've got kids to feed, and they're not quite as worried about paying the bills as they used to be.

As for Darth's list... man... Sticky Fingers is an awesome album. It was a completely different era back then though - that album came out seven years after their debut. Could you imagine what the 90s would've been like if Yield was their ninth album when it was released in 98?

DewieCox

newy777 wrote:

it's sad that people like this guy are unaware of the true beauty of this album. i guess he will never know...but it sucks for those who read this and are mis-informed.All i can say is i love every minute of the album!

It's sadder that people can't take a review for what it is. The review isn't bad.


Backspacer isn't great, but solid.

T-Bone 82

DarthSpacegrass wrote:

Other notable bands ninth studio release:

The Doors An American Prayer
The Who Face Dances
Led Zeppelin Coda
Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers
Bruce Springsteen Human Touch
Kiss The Elder
Dinosaur Jr. Farm
Chili Peppers Stadium Arcadium
Sonic Youth Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star
Grateful Dead Terrapin Station

Keep in mind that PJ contemporaries like Nirvana, Soundgarden, AIC, Screaming Trees, Tool did not reach nine studio albums.

That Dinosaur Jr. album is great! I have been listening to it a ton. Seeing them this Friday in Philly.

Backspacer is a great 9th album, that's for sure.

DarthSpacegrass

T-Bone 82 wrote:

DarthSpacegrass wrote:

Other notable bands ninth studio release:

The Doors An American Prayer
The Who Face Dances
Led Zeppelin Coda
Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers
Bruce Springsteen Human Touch
Kiss The Elder
Dinosaur Jr. Farm
Chili Peppers Stadium Arcadium
Sonic Youth Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star
Grateful Dead Terrapin Station

Keep in mind that PJ contemporaries like Nirvana, Soundgarden, AIC, Screaming Trees, Tool did not reach nine studio albums.

That Dinosaur Jr. album is great! I have been listening to it a ton. Seeing them this Friday in Philly.

Backspacer is a great 9th album, that's for sure.

The Dinosaur Jr. album is pretty good. My point being with the above list is at this stage of the game, a ninth studio album can be hit or miss, never respected or respected a decade later... I think the initial reviews are going both ways with backspacer and there is no perspective at all.
Riot Act included, PJ has put out 9 strong studio albums that can go up against all of the bands listed above.