Pearl Jam’s late-period renaissance rolls on with Backspacer. Their last album, 2006’s Pearl Jam, was a blast of righteous indignation in the waning days of the Bush administration. The songs were angry, confused and frustrated. Eddie Vedder kept asking “why?” as his band rocked behind him. It was a rabblerousing return to form. Backspacer continues in this direction, but there is something in this record that has never been heard on a Pearl Jam record to date.
Pearl Jam has always been about Big Important Statements. Youth suicide! Taking on huge corporations! Writing “pro-choice” on your arm with a magic marker whilst putting a theoretical gun against your head! Backspacer is not an album of Important Statements; it’s a no-frills rock n’ roll record.
Pearl Jam sounds different. They sound the same on the surface; lots of big guitars, Matt Cameron’s complicated drumming and Vedder’s unmistakable warble. However, the anger is gone. Instead of focusing on the world at large, the band turns its focus inward. The songs are about relationships, bluesmen, and *gasp* the state of rock n’ roll itself. The band sounds like they are having fun on this album.
The effervescent tone of the songs is reflected in the production. Producer Brendan O’Brien takes a step back, letting the band play. Backspacer sounds like it was recorded live in the studio. The guitars buzz and crackle from the amps, and each instrument pops out of the speaker. It’s not perfect, which is exactly how rock n’ roll should sound. It sounds like it was made during a live performance, not in a septic hospital hallway.
Guitarists Stone Gossard and Mike McCready keep things as simple as possible. The first single, “ The Fixer,” is just a collection of power chords, played with thunderous efficiency. Matt Cameron bashes the kit in perfect syncopation. The band hasn’t been this catchy since Ten.
Eddie Vedder’s trademark warble is still Pearl Jam’s centerpiece. Since his singing style has been bastardized and watered down by every mainstream modern rock singer of the past decade, it’s easy to forget how good it is. The howl is alive and well, but Vedder is capable of a lot more. On “Just Breathe,” an acoustic ballad, his voice is almost unrecognizable. His tone is quiet and relaxed, stretching out the notes at the end of every stanza. On the chorus, he goes into the howl for a brief moment, before switching to the original cadence.
Pearl Jam has always cited The Who as a primary influence, and Backspacer has similar structure to a post-Tommy Who record. A storming rocker like “Supersonic” is followed by “Speed of Sound,” an ornate and grandiose ballad. Everything fits together perfectly. The rock songs don’t overshadow the ballads, and the ballads aren’t the total focus of the album. The album is bookended beautifully. The opening track, “Gonna See My Friend,” is loud and bombastic, and the appropriately titled “The End,” is quiet and gentle. You get a complete portrait of the band, rather than a few pieces.