Pearl Jam
No Code

THE REVIEW

After the so-called "first trilogy" - consisting of "Ten," "Vs," and "Vitalogy" - Pearl Jam had definitively established themselves as one of the greatest rock bands of the nineties. After three such masterpieces, one could legitimately be curious about the future: what will Eddie Vedder and his bandmates produce next? In 1996, two years after "Vitalogy," Pearl Jam gave their answer: "No Code."

This album is not like the previous ones; it's something... different. In my opinion, it's a culmination, both because, by listening to the voice of experimentation, Pearl Jam achieves artistic results of notable level, and because from here onwards, the Seattle band would know their decline (while continuing to produce quality work). The atmospheres of the early records are softened, muted; the group opens up to new instruments, such as the sitar in "Who You Are" and the accordion in "Smile". In short, there is a desire to surprise once again, at the cost of leaving the most uncompromising fans anchored to the past unsatisfied.

"No Code" opens with "Sometimes," which, after dampening the listener with Jeff Ament's bass, leads to an old-style track, "Hail Hail." It continues with the aforementioned "Who You Are," which is sustained by a few relaxing chords that calm the fury of the previous song; "In My Tree", then, allows the new drummer Jack Irons to showcase all his talent. After "Smile," where the electric guitar blends with the accordion, one arrives at one of the masterpieces of the album: "Off He Goes", a splendid acoustic ballad with a slow rhythm, enriched by Eddie's voice (but which song isn't?). The time of three more tracks - the wild "Habit," "Red Mosquito", where Neil Young's influence is felt, and the very fast "Lukin" - and one arrives at "Present Tense": in my humble opinion, an absolute masterpiece. Music, lyrics, structure... spine-tingling. Guitarist Stone Gossard warms up his vocal cords - just passably, to my taste - in the subsequent "Mankind"; "I'm Open" begins darkly with Eddie's spoken words, only to be permeated by a "solemn" atmosphere. The album concludes with the delightful lullaby "Around The Bend", dedicated to Irons' daughter.

Being a turning point in Pearl Jam's musical exploration, "No Code" probably requires being listened to multiple times to be appreciated: the first time I heard it, I thought it was trash, now it's one of my favorite albums. The quality remains high: Pearl Jam has simply channeled it through new pathways. To be discovered.