Eddie Vedder
Into The Wild OST

It had been in the air for some time that Eddie Vedder, the leader of the great Pearl Jam, intended to embark on a solo career parallel to that with his band, and his great friend Sean Penn gave him this opportunity. In fact, this "Into the Wild" is nothing other than the soundtrack of the new film by the Hollywood actor-director. The film tells the true story of a young man who, after graduating, leaves civilization to pursue the dream of wilderness and takes refuge among the perpetual ice of Alaska.

Although it's a soundtrack, the 11 episodes that form the album are true songs, even if more than half of the tracks have a duration of less than 3 minutes. From a certain point of view, this can be seen as a merit because the various songs flow wonderfully, fresh and immediate. The album showcases Vedder's more folk soul; the major influences are certainly Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen, of whom Eddie, today, can be considered one of the best successors. Rough and engaging ballads ("Far Behind") alternate with melodic moments (the opening "Setting Forth") that would pair wonderfully with the cover image: traveling aimlessly and carefree, through a sunlit countryside in spring, with the wind tousling your hair. "Rise" is performed only with voice and banjo and represents one of the most minimal moments of the work, while the first single released is the epic "Hard Sun" (a cover of Gordon Peterson, an obscure pop-rock musician from the band Indio), enriched by a female choir, it's the only song that partly recalls the typical PJ style.

The second part of the album has a more nocturnal and subdued mood, starting with "Society", whose lyrics seem to trace the thoughts of the young protagonist: "Society, you're a crazy breed/ Hope you're not lonely, without me", continuing with the instrumental "The Wolf", another peak of minimalism, just keyboard and vocalizations (listening to it reminds me of Native Americans around the fire). It closes with "End of the Road", one of the most interesting moments musically, and the relaxed "Guaranteed".

Perhaps if it were a regular album, it might have disappointed somewhat, but the inclusion of this work in a film context obviously changes the parameters of judgment, and from this perspective, it's a successful soundtrack.

SCORE = 7.5