Pearl Jam’s Backspacer finds the veteran Seattle band in a reflective, graceful mood. While the album has its share of catchy up-tempo rock songs, they aren’t necessarily the highlights. Instead, Backspacer shines with some of the group’s most heartfelt and comforting ballads. Though known for his despairing, confrontational lyrics, frontman Eddie Vedder seems to be in a more encouraged mindset this time around, offering songs of steely determination that mark Backspacer as one of the band’s more uplifting records of their career.
The Worst Is Over
The easy explanation for Backspacer’s optimistic tone could be the election of Barack Obama last year. After spending nearly a decade raging at the Bush administration, Pearl Jam sound noticeably happier on Backspacer, and while the record isn’t a sunny pop affair, the songs repeatedly reveal a surging, big-hearted spirit, as if the dark clouds have finally dissipated. Whether it’s the rousing “Got Some” or the slowly-building inspirational anthem “Unthought Known,” Pearl Jam can barely contain their enthusiasm on Backspacer, sounding very much like a band who have endured the worst of times and have come out the other side stronger and wiser.Saying Goodbye to Their Past
Of course, some would say that it wasn’t just our previous president who put a damper on this band. Since their underrated 1996 album No Code, Pearl Jam have largely eschewed the big arena rockers that made their name, instead opting for darker, more rumbling tunes that expanded their musical palette while it lost them many mainstream fans. But with 2006’s Pearl Jam, which was hailed as a comeback, and this new record, there is a sense that the band members have righted the ship. But the truth is that Pearl Jam aren’t trying to write another “Jeremy” or “Alive.” Instead, they’ve hit upon a winning formula of distinctive songwriting and accessible rock-radio instincts. They’re no longer multi-platinum superstars, but they haven’t gotten boring, either. With longtime producer Brendan O’Brien back behind the boards for the first time in 11 years, Backspacer has a noticeably streamlined urgency to it. The album isn’t an attempt to write pop hits, but Pearl Jam have definitely moved away from the experimentation of recent records for a no-bull approach that’s appealing without feeling calculated.Quiet, Reflective Gems
The lead singles “Got Some” and “The Fixer” are engaging radio hits, but Backspacer’s quieter numbers are the real standouts. “Just Breathe” has a campfire intimacy to it, buoyed by acoustic guitars, strings and romantic lyrics that may be about lovers getting ready to be separated by death. “Speed of Sound” explores a dark night of the soul, recalling the poignancy of the band’s classic “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town,” albeit with a fuller, richer sound than that stripped-down ballad. And Backspacer’s final track, appropriately titled “The End,” catches Vedder as he looks back on his life, asserting that he wants to grow old alongside his true love. Now in his mid-40s, Vedder is no longer the angry young Who-loving punk of Pearl Jam’s heyday, and Backspacer’s softer songs are touched by the real-life worries of a grownup trying to find some grace in a world that’s often beset with misery. Even in these quieter passages, Backspacer is a defiantly optimistic album, bravely staring into the darkness but refusing to succumb to it.Adding to Their Legacy
When a band have as large a legacy as Pearl Jam, any new album will inevitably be compared to the group’s all-time greats. Backspacer doesn’t have the raw immediacy of a Ten or the eclectic brilliance of a Vitalogy, but it’s nevertheless a strong record that demonstrates their continued relevance as they prepare to enter their third decade as a rock ‘n’ roll band. “People change as does everything,” Vedder sings during “The End,” and surely he’s including his own band in that statement. But Backspacer argues that change can lead to growth, which is how the best rock groups stay vital.'Backspacer' – Best Tracks:
“Got Some”“Unthought Known”
“The End”
“Speed of Sound”
“Just Breathe”
Release date – September 20, 2009
self-released
