Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam

Item: Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam
Rating: 1
Author: puntiniCAZpuntini

puntiniCAZpuntini

26 apr 06 • Rating:

Rock

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Average: 3,47
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. . . fig. . . : Have you heard the latest Pèrl Gièm?
. . . caz. . . : No, I haven't. But a friend of mine says that. . .

The now historic Seattle band celebrates its aurea mediocritas.

A full four years after Riot Act, an album often at the bottom of the fan appreciation list among survivors of Seattle's grunge era, Vedder and company are back with an imminent self-titled album, bolstered by a brand new contract signed once more with Sony.

But in truth, in these four years, Pearl Jam has been anything but inactive: they've played all over the place except for Europe, they've released a second wave of official bootlegs of their concerts, and they've parted ways with their old record contract, celebrating a Merry Christmas with the superfluous collection of rarities Lost Dogs (which nevertheless includes some – but not all – of the best and well-known B-sides of the singles) and releasing a canonical Greatest Hits, as well as two live DVDs now on sale even in the best newsstands. One certainly can't say that Pearl Jam's marketing choices align with the grunge spirit that so much seeped and still burns in the eyes of the sensitive Eddie Vedder, who declared war on Ticketmaster, a near-monopoly ticket retailer in the United States.
With due caution - being a group that deserves respect for what they've produced at least in their first five years - we approach an initial listening of the new work, heralded as a “return to high-volume rock.” And the first listen is deceitful.

The album is well crafted, alternating moments when the band seems to be recorded live, with others where there is a pronounced and perhaps antithetical professionalism underlying the performances of the musicians, at times even reminiscent of U2. There's no glaring revolution, just better production compared to the already mentioned Riot Act. Vedder's voice, often showing signs of strain, is mixed to be particularly loud compared to the other instruments, a solution almost opposite to what was proposed during Binaural by Tchad Blake, where vocal parts were modulated at the same intensity as guitars and percussion. Some forgotten melodic openings draw some nods of approval from us, despite the impression at the end of the album that we've not heard any memorable track, just a handful of reasonably good songs crafted with wisdom, that could satisfy (or dissatisfy?) a bit of everyone, amid punk rock outbursts – actually rather unremarkable – ballads in the Lennon/McCartney style (“Parachutes,” which indeed replicates the already known “Fatal”) and a substantial abandonment of the oddities that since Vitalogy had always popped up here and there within Pearl Jam's albums.
It is probably incorrect to use the band's early albums as a benchmark, but if we don't get excited over “Comatose” or “Big Wave,” it's because they do not shine in their own light: Matt Cameron has become an inaccurate stand-in for the imaginative drummer who once composed the time signatures and structures for Soundgarden, Stone Gossard is no longer the master composer of times past, and Vedder struggles mightily to hit the higher notes, taking refuge in hoarse screams he would otherwise avoid. Listen to “Army Reverse,” and ask yourself whether that chorus, where a pleasant second voice enters in the background, needs to be so ravaged by Vedder's performance.

It's a mannerist album, and it's primarily the group's leader who disappoints. McCready has finally gained more space as a composer (thanks largely to the lack of motivation of a Gossard who is now ready for retirement), and notably pens the decent “Marker in the Sand,” a track that still vaguely recalls U2's “Mysterious Ways,” where he unveils a sharp riff and the conclusion “Inside Job,” where the guitarist revives the spirit of one of the most underrated tracks in the group's discography, “Present Tense,” from No Code. Citationism is always around the corner: “Severed Hand” too, which presents a sober funky rhythmic section, introduced by yet another homage to The Edge, brings to mind the chorus of “Insignificance.”
And despite everything, you can feel that there's at least the goodwill to try, to play as energetically as possible, and to release the remaining energy, which we hope they at least maintain live (by the way, it seems they will also participate in some festivals next season: the statements and intents after Rockslide are already on the shelf), where Pearl Jam rarely disappoint, often giving generous and rewarding concerts.
Uncle Neil Young is honored with “Wasted Reprise,” a short - frankly unnecessary - fragment of just voice accompanied by a pump organ where Eddie softly recites the chorus of the album's opening track, “Life Wasted,” recalling the times of Mirrorball.
The single “Worldwide Suicide” sounds fresh but doesn't strike a chord, having been too smoothed out in post-production: you can bet that live it could become a good number, just as “Gone” is set to worthily alternate with the very famous mainstay “Better Man.”

In conclusion, Pearl Jam's self-titled album is a return that doesn't leave a mark. These Pearl Jam are harmless, they don't give us any memorable track, but rather a carefully crafted aurea mediocritas, entirely predictable considering, from the eyes of a disillusioned fan, their undeniable artistic decline. Pearl Jam is an album that in a hypothetical ranking of the group's albums would nestle on the penultimate step downwards, just above the previous Riot Act. Or maybe not even that.

. . . fig. . . : Damn, it doesn't seem like a great purchase.
. . . caz. . . : Neither to me, in fact, I won't buy it.
. . . fig. . . : Maybe we could go see them live, right?
. . . caz. . . : At the convenient price of sixty euros, how can you say no. Also call Piersilvio, Bill, Marco, Rupert and Elizabeth. At least we'll make a group ruckus.

Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos

01 Hunger Strike ()

Well I don't mind stealing bread
From the mouths of decadence
But I can't feed on the powerless
When my cup's already overfilled

Yeah
But it's on the table
The fire's cooking
And they're farming babies
The slaves are all working

Blood is on the table
The mouths are all choking
But I'm goin' hungry
Yeah

I don't mind stealing bread
From the mouths of decadence
But I can't feed on the powerless
When my cup's already overfilled

But it's on the table
The fire is cooking
And they're farming babies
The slaves are all working

And it's on the table
Their mouths are all choking
But I'm going hungry (Going hungry)
I'm going hungry (Going hungry)
I'm going hungry (Going hungry)

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Pearl Jam Pearl Jam

puntiniCAZpuntini

Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos

01 Hunger Strike ()

02 I've Got a Feeling ()

03 Masters of War ()

04 My Generation ()

05 The Kids are Alright ()

06 Baba O'Riley ()

07 Crazy Mary ()

08 Rockin' in the Free World ()

09 Beast of Burden ()

10 Sonic Reducer ()

11 Roadhouse Blues ()

12 Break on Through ()

13 Light My Fire ()

14 Dock of the Bay ()

15 I Won't Back Down ()

16 Going Down ()

17 Better Man ()

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