Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam

THE REVIEW

An avocado cut in half, a blue cover, and a white inscription. This is how Pearl Jam returns. Simply. They come back after years of waiting and do so to present us with their eighth studio album, which takes its title from the band's own name. Pearl Jam, therefore... in every sense. It was about time. We missed them.

The first thing that "catches the eye" is the choice of the artwork which, as with previous works, is always well curated. Against the sunny cover mentioned above (strictly cardboard as has been the case since 'Vitalogy'), there are "tool-like" images and dark colors. It's a worldwide suicide. A side pocket hides, as always, the scented booklet with the song lyrics. But let's get to the music. Play.
The first three songs take your breath away. Eddie is in great shape and the band has energy to spare. Besides the single ("World Wide Suicide"), we hear a sparkling "Comatose" (already played at some live shows under a different title) and "Life Wasted" which opens the CD, alternating rhythms with unusual accents and bursts of a pick finally free to resonate. Following are "Severed Hand" and the beautiful "Marker in the Sand" where McCready, who wrote the music, lets a cascade of funky notes full of delay and reverb flow through his fingers, alternated by a very melodic chorus. Magnificent.

The atmosphere rises and those once trapped in repeated skeptical discussions towards post-Vitalogy Pearl Jam begin to reconsider, albeit timidly. We are only at the beginning. Don't worry. The album continues and Pearl Jam shows us they can play everything. Very well indeed. "Parachutes", "Unemployable", and "Gone". We move respectively from vaguely Beatles-like sounds to almost country rhythms and then return to the classic acoustic guitar ballad that is never lacking when Vedder sits down and picks up a "country".
In the midst of this swirling alternation, we find only "Big Wave", which ironically might be the most straightforward song of this album if you listen to it thinking about Pearl Jam and the sounds they have accustomed us to. We proceed. "Wasted Reprise" is a small interlude of organ and voice that brings to mind the wonderful "Arc" from "Riot Act", but beyond that, we find ourselves in front of another notable track. "Army Reserve". Light, soft, enchanting. Vedder's voice gives chills and Matt Cameron's presence behind the drums is unmistakable. Stone's unmistakable guitar is there, changing the rhythm in the usual "Gossard-like" way while McCready, simply by touching the strings, makes the song oscillate in a whirlwind of sensations and colors. Essential.

We approach the end of the CD, but Pearl Jam, not yet content with the excellent work, give us another gift. Perhaps the most beautiful of their latest work (at least on first listen). "Come Back". Any comment is useless. This song makes you daydream. So close your eyes anyway... and listen. Listen to Vedder’s warm voice, the sweetness of the guitars, and Mike's amazing solo (perhaps one of the best ever)... then wipe away your tears and continue listening to the last track. "Inside Job". Piano and vaguely Floydian atmospheres close this album full of energy, melody, color, and character. Fans most attached to the band's early works say that Pearl Jam is back... I say they never left and I hope they continue to make great music with simplicity. As always.