A record of purposeful, crisp, and enjoyable rock tunes, Pearl Jam’s Backspacer is the band’s shortest album and one of their best. It takes off right out of the gate with a trio of punk-tinged numbers and flows charmingly into a chain of divine ballads and groovy rock cuts.
Part of the reason for the pure fun of the album may lie with the quintet’s decision to tap Brendan O’Brien for production duties. For the first time since 1998’s Yield, O’Brien’s bag of tricks is unleashed on a Pearl Jam album and it shows.
There is a wonderful sparkle to the music and lyrics, making it easy to forget that theirs is a legacy few other rock outfits will be able to match. With every stroke of guitar and every deep corner of Eddie Vedder’s voice, there’s a transcendent sense of character and of joyful suffering, but there’s also a sense of newness to the habit.
Backspacer, released on the band’s own Monkey Wrench label, can barely contain Vedder’s fortified hopefulness. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t have to sing about that motherf***er anymore, but it’s quite refreshing to catch him smiling through the cavernous tones. “Love ain’t love until you give it up,” he sings on the heartbreakingly beautiful “Amongst the Waves.”
Along with the fitting optimistic streak, the record fires out some of the most compact work from bassist Jeff Ament, guitarists Stone Gossard and Mike McCready, and drummer Matt Cameron in several albums. There are gut-wrenching solos, killer drum fills, and, yes, some rather magical strings arranged by Eddie Horst.
Backspacer features some musical moments so extraordinary that they’re somewhat hard to take. The gorgeous “Unthought Known” is one of their best songs ever, making use out of swelling tension to float Eddie’s terrific lyrics to the stars. “Fill the air up with love,” he sings.
Article comments
1 - Tom Johnson
I'm with you, this is a killer album. I don't think they've really put out anything bad, just slightly lesser albums, but this one is stellar.
I keep mentioning this and getting no response, am I the only one that gets a serious Aerosmith Rocks vibe from this one (this is a very good thing, by the way)? I can't get it out of my head. I've even listened to the two back to back and they compliment each other perfectly.
2 - Mark Saleski
nice review jordan. i gotta get this this weekend.
and a Rocks vibe? that is indeed a good thing.
3 - Glen Boyd
Maybe it’s because he doesn’t have to sing about that motherf***er anymore...
Gotta agree there. Now Vedder can relax a bit and get back to the task at hand...making kick ass music. Something PJ were always very good at, but do even better without the distractions involved in righting the worlds wrongs. Great album, Great review.
-Glen