Reviews > Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam Pull A Fast One With Backspacer
By Johnny Firecloud
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Returning to producer Brendan O’Brien for the first time since 1998’s Yield (O’Brien also produced No Code, Vitalogy and Vs.), Pearl Jam was looking to cut the fat from their budding set of new songs. The plan may have worked a little too well; at 36 minutes, Backspacer leaves little room for the indulgent experimentation of some their previous albums. In fact, the thread of sociopolitical discontent that pervaded so much of Vedder’s writing in the past has been put on the backburner, thankfully, leaving the singer open to explore new – and more universally appealing – lyrical frontiers.
Much of the Backspacer’s instrumental work was completed without Vedder, ensuring that the singer’s soul-searching acoustic Into The Wild flavors didn’t bleed too heavily into the fabric and allowing for interesting new dynamics between the players. Sure, there’s still plenty to gripe about, and while some of the band’s finest work has risen from the mores of sociopolitical outrage (Insignificance, Whipping, W.M.A., Grievance, etc), Backspacer finds the group looking inward, walking narrative lines that yield to the music’s natural energy, rather than guiding the song itself towards a specific agenda.
In a four-part opening blast, Vedder, Gossard, Cameron, McCready and Ament set the train back on the track that many had felt they’d gone off after 2002’s age-embracing Riot Act. Unlike their most recent self-titled release, they don’t sound like aging men grasping for the spark of youth any longer, but rather empowered by their rediscovered strengths and acceptance of the current stage of their lives. This energy is genuine, the passion reinvigorated, and the formulas are put through a new filter.
Ripping open with a screaming riff, the galloping wail of Gonna See My Friend will whip the Pearl Jam diehards ecstatic before the seconds hit double digits. The song is brimming with precisely the kind of high-octane power and frantic energy that makes their live shows among the best you’ll ever see. Airtight and free of partisan division, everyone can get on board with this punchy ode to escape… unless narco-fix narratives aren’t your thing.
Rhythm guitarist Stone Gossard addressed the band’s political flag-waving tendencies in a recent interview: “We’ve made a couple of political and pointed records, the last two in particular, and just to move away from that is great, because it allows you to go back to that when you need to and it refreshes everybody,” he said, “and it comes down to a beat and a melody and your friends and a lyric and a poem and something that’s important to you.” Of course, Vedder hasn’t completely abandoned the activist within – he’s simply layered the message a bit to avoid overwrought preaching. The call-to-action flare of Got Some delivers much more punch and color than 9.2 million of us first saw in the song’s debut on the premiere of The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien earlier this summer, with a build to rise the thermostat. When he screams “Have you heard of diplomatic resolve?”, the message isn’t being crammed down your throat, but the intent is clear.
The Cameron and Gossard-penned highlight Johnny Guitar is a stretch for Vedder, with a rapid-fire vocal cadence entirely new to the prolific singer. It serves the song in fantastic fashion, creating a new flavor from a familiar mix of ingredients that will derail the expectations of even the most devoted Pearl Jam aficionado.
After four tracks, with Vedder’s trademark brooding discontent having been traded for optimism with flares of New Wave and Surf Punk, it’s clear that Pearl Jam are looking at new horizons with hopeful eyes. The tonal shift at the fifth track is a traditional downtempo step for the band, at which point the rock seekers and casual fans will likely tune out. The delicate acoustics of Just Breathe follow the initial framework of Vedder’s acoustic instrumental Tuolumne from the gorgeously introspective Into The Wild soundtrack, but with a lovesick narrative that’s bound to tug the tear ducts of anyone who’s come close to losing the compass of one’s own heart. The naked vulnerability of the song, wrapped in the warmth of raw love, will no doubt serve as a reminder to the lucky ones of the rare lightning in their bottle.
Following suit is Amongst The Waves, striking an earnest pop-ballad chord with a Chariots Of Fire sparkle. “If not for love I would be drowning / I’ve seen it work both ways, but I am up / Ridin’ high amongst the waves / I can feel like I, have a soul that has been saved / I can feel like I’ve put away my early grave / I gotta say it now, better now than too late” The unabashed appreciation for second chances of the heart is anything but Rock N’ Roll, but anyone still digging for adherence to modern rock doctrines in Pearl Jam’s music is entirely missing the point of this band. What makes PJ special, what separates them from their contemporaries is the fact that their music is always, above all else, a matter of heart.
Following that line is Unthought Known, which opens like a hybrid of Wishlist and Love Boat Captain before rising like a tide, building on keys and drums as Vedder delivers some of his most poignant, poetic and nakedly optimistic imagery to date. Chronicling mankind’s tendency to get lost in the labyrinthian prisons of our own minds, he offers words of personal resolve and spiritual incentive. “See the path cut by the moon / For you to walk on / See the waves on distant shores / Waiting your arrival,” he suggests with ever-increasing intensity, insisting that life has more to offer than the immediacy of the routine discomfort and misery too many of us find ourselves trapped in with daily rituals and dreams defeated, traded for whatever passes for comfort these days.
The punk-pop cheese of Supersonic, which shares a chord arrangement with the No Code ugly-duckling track Mankind, is saved by a positively funkalicious breakdown that finds Gossard and lead guitarist Mike McCready flexing new muscles together. The mirror-staring mortal realization of Speed of Sound is a stark contrast by comparison, a heartbreaking take with minor-key changes that add a melancholy icing to the regretful yearning.
The lost-heart tale of Force Of Nature contains a potency akin to Binaural’s most heartfelt moments, scanning the horizon for a love’s return that never comes, waiting forever on the shoreline of his own unrequited dreams. It’s a fitting segue into the crushing final track The End, a final-goodbyes reflection of a man facing an early grave and the guilt associated with the burdens he leaves behind:
“I just want to hold on / I’m not worth your love, enough / I don’t think there’s such a thing / It’s my fault, I’ve been caught, a sickness in my bones / How it pains to leave you here with the kids on your own / Just don’t let me go / Help me see myself, ‘cause I can no longer tell / Looking up from inside of the bottom of a well / It’s Hell, I yell, but no one hears / Before I disappear, whisper in my ear / Give me something to echo in my unknown future’s ear / My dear, the end comes near, I’m here, but not much longer…”
The drop into nothingness that follows hits like a cannonball to the heart. It’s a devastating, abrupt ending to a record that began as a screaming fit of optimism, leaving the attentive listener desperate to start it all again, to escape the album’s harrowing conclusion. Thankfully, a dropped needle or mouse click can accommodate, restarting the cycle on an album that proves Pearl Jam have hit a new stride and are still finding potent new strengths as a band, nearly two decades into their career.
- 01. Gonna See My Friend
- 02. Got Some
- 03. The Fixer
- 04. Johnny Guitar
- 05. Just Breathe
- 06. Amongst The Wave
- 07. Unthought Known
- 08. Supersonic
- 09. Speed Of Sound
- 10. Force Of Nature
- 11. The End
36 minutes? That’s downright punky. Or at least seventiesish, back when they could only fit 40 minutes on two sides of vinyl. I wasn’t a big fan of pj’s overtly political stuff recently. This should be a good change.
I am practically salivating. This shit sounds like it will be good. I’m definitely looking forward to this one way more so than the last two records.
As usual, great writing. Not trying to kiss ass or anything, but you always seem to delve deeper than most and resonate with some serious truth. It’s always refreshing to read your critiques.
Epic WIN
A friend of mine said “11 songs in 37 minutes! what are they, the Ramones?!?” Well there are worse things to be compared to.
As closing tracks go, as subtle and understated as “The End” is, it literally explodes. I like this album very much.
That reminds me of the first time I saw PJ back in 95 at the San Diego Sports arena with….The Ramones. They literally did like 30 songs in 40 minutes. Greatest thing ever. PJ kicked ass too……..
“What makes PJ special, what separates them from their contemporaries is the fact that their music is always, above all else, a matter of heart.” So true :) awesome review! thankyou. i’ve already listened to backspacer like 100 times in 3 days and still cant stop :)))
It comes full circle!! Didn’t I meet you on a sidewalk in San Francisco waiting days to see Pearl Jam?? Three years later and a new record! I’ve held out on listening to this release. Waiting for my fan club cd to show up in the mail. Your review has me very very tempted to listen NOW! I’ve always waited, I will wait again.
See you in a few short weeks, in LA!!
Riot Act and Pearl Jam are great albums. Nonetheless, Backspacer should and will be better than the latter two. I have a feeling it will be up in the rankings with Yield and No Code. I have a Ten Club version coming in the mail this week and I will be more than happy to listen to it a few days prior to the 20th. I usually hold out until release dates for all other Pearl Jam albums, but I’m going to break the cycle for this one.
Excellent review. You nailed it. (As did Pearl Jam.)
“Unlike their most recent self-titled release, they don’t sound like aging men grasping for the spark of youth any longer, but rather empowered by their rediscovered strengths and acceptance of the current stage of their lives. This energy is genuine, the passion reinvigorated, and the formulas are put through a new filter.”
That so perfectly encapsulates why I’ve never “loved” their last release, yet was never able to put my finger on it. It seemed contrived, perhaps. Not authentic like so much of their work. Were they trying too hard?
Backspacer is different, and from the opening notes you can tell. Like a long lost friend’s anticipated return, I can’t get enough of this group of songs.
See you all in Seattle on Saturday night!
Matter of heart. This is it. This is why I love them, everything they do… they are honest in all their bad and good stuff, every time in concert Ed stumbles on his lyrics is like he is your best friend that has a bad moment and you sing your soul out to help him… everytime they get torn apart because they “have lost it after “insert VS, Vitalogy, No code…” and because of Vedders political agenda and because they became soft and not relevent… it is like somebody is attacking my family that is not perfect but it is in its core the most beautiful thing in the world and you just want to tell everyone that they should shut it, it is not about record sales, grunge, political stuff, target deal.. it is about heart. We, fans – we know it. It is a feeling. We are not loyal to them because we are crazy. We are loyal because we are in love. Thank you for this wonderful review.
(sorry for my english, i am not a native speaker)
amen to that. well said.
This album…kills it. It will wear out your repeat button. I saw them twice in Chicago last month, and will see them twice in Philadelphia next month! Hell Yessss!
i don’t wanna pee in anyone’s cheerios, but while pearl jam has been one of my favorite bands for as long as i can remember, i’m not a fan of this one. i only like the first four tracks and force of nature. am i the only one in that boat?
Agree 100% Skwerl – I think the album has three great tracks (2,4 and 10) and two good ones 1 and 3. And then mostly filler.
I don’t know if that’s any worse than usual, with the exception of their first two albums, that ratio seems about right to me.
The upbeat stuff is going to sound awesome live though, can’t wait to see them in November!
Hehe Darren, I also absolutley love Force of Nature! I don`t love Johnny Guitar, everything else is good for me.
@Skwerl: the second half of the Amongst The Waves paragraph specifically addresses my theory as to why you may not like it.
oh yeah, i’m totally “missing the point.” you know me better than that dude. i respect the effort and the sincerity. i’m not saying pearl jam sucks 50% of the time. just that most of this album does nothing for me personally. objectively, great stuff. subjectively, can’t dance to it.
In other words: you’re missing out 50% of the fun. Never listened to Pearl Jam, might as well start with this one.
Man what are you talking about? The End is the most danceable track Pearl Jam has ever written. Cuttin rugs as we speak.
[...] PJ Fanboy Johnny Firecloud at The Antiquiet.com 4 of 5 stars Pearl Jam have hit a new stride and are still finding potent new strengths as a band, nearly two decades into their career. Full review here. [...]
I agree with skwerl, amongst the waves and unthought known kinda derail the album for me, I suspect it has something to do with not being alive in the during the 80s. The former is growing on me though. I think the first 5 tracks are stellar, and the breakdown on supersonic is funky as hell, I wish the whole album could’ve sounded like that. Force of Nature has a great riff and verse, but the choruses kinda cheeses it up, and that solo is pretty bad too..
I give ‘Unthought Known’, ‘Just Breathe’ & ‘Force of Nature’ 10/10.
‘The Fixer’, ‘Get Some’, ‘Amongst the Waves’ all get 9/10.
This is a great album.
Can’t say this album a disappointment for me because the last few albums made it clear that PJ are on the decline. The funky songs are best reserved for live performances, not the studio albums; The guitars riffs are mostly repetitive and/or just plain boring; and Eddie’s voice too often sounds tedious. Three songs are OK: Got some, Amongst the waves, and.. erm.. maybe Speed of Sound.
If they had been the LEAST good songs in the album then I would count this album as decent.
i agree with Byrnzie. My favs are definitely ‘unthought known’, ‘force of nature’ and ‘just breath’ and ‘amongst the waves’ close second. But ‘johnny guitar’ is a great grower too, and i would say all others are pretty much ‘danceable’ :) the only one that doesnt quite ‘fill my soul’ is ’speed of sound’, (the lyrics are great though, as always)…
I think most pj fans agree this is the best one since binaural, and you ‘guitar solo yearners’ go listen to iron maiden or something :P
It took me a while, but after a few full listens this album finally got me.
Or I “got” it. whatever.
At first I didn’t really like it, I thought the second half was kinda weak, but I am really digging this whole album now.
I will go out on a limb and say that “amongst the waves” is quite possibly one of the most “complete” songs they’ve ever written and definitely one of the best they’ve written in a long time. Beautiful in simplicity.
[...] retail agreement with Target, the indie record stores were protected and permitted to sell Backspacer. After being tied to Sony for 18 years, they’ve adapted and are now making their own [...]
[...] Fascinating to Pearl Jam fans, no doubt, as Vedder has never been one to casually associate symbolism with his work (fans are still deciphering the voluminous hidden meanings in the cover of Pearl Jam’s last album Backspacer). [...]
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