Pearl Jam [Digipak] - Pearl Jam (CD 2006)

I'm not sure why I never got into Pearl Jam until now. They're practically legendary within the world of alternative rock, and there are several songs by the band that I'd recognize if I were to hear them today, and I wouldn't be likely to think, "Oh no, it's that song... somebody turn it off!" What little I knew about the band, I generally had a healthy respect for. They were just on that list of highly respected bands that I never got around to checking out, in terms of sitting down with one of their albums and thoroughly digesting it. R.E.M. was on that list until a few years ago, and now I'm thinking they have a history that I should really dig into. I guess U2 was even on that list about six years ago, and now they're one of my favorite bands. My personal discovery of Radiohead wasn't far behind that one, either. So, with a new album that came out this year, it seemed like the time was ripe to give Pearl Jam a shot. Their performances of "Worldwide Suicide" and "Severed Hand" on Saturday Night Live may have helped spark my interest, and hey, I really like avocados. Seems as good enough a reason as any.

As it turns out, I may not be the only one seeing Pearl Jam with new eyes as I listen to this album. It's being heralded as a return to their rocking glory days - apparently most of their work between their early albums and now has been a bit experimental, and their fan base has taken a hit. That's nothing that hasn't been true for U2 and Radiohead - for all I know, some of that interim weirdness might have intrigued me. But perhaps it's best to start (or restart, in the case of some fans) at a more accessible point. This album is it. Once you get past the urgent, gravelly vocals of Eddie Vedder, this is a pretty solid, rockin' CD that knows how to make its songs stand out and how to slow down and be introspective when appropriate. There are guitar heroics, and eerie moments in the slower songs, and all in all, it's quite memorable without feeling like it's been spit-shined for the sake of radio. Still a lot of catchy songs here, which I think is a good way to get you thinking about what the heck's got Vedder so irate. But the band isn't afraid to let the tattered edges hang loose, and when a band can do that without losing a sense of structure, I generally appreciate the flavor and sense of adventure that it lends to a set of solid rock songs.

Given that this is Pearl Jam, it probably won't be surprising that a number of songs here appear to have a political bent. There was a time when I shied away from records that got political, not because I was a huge fan of any particular President, but because I didn't want a record to tell me what to think. (Then I realized I was listening to a ton of Christian rock bands who were doing exactly that - whatever the belief being stated, if I already believe it, it doesn't do me much good to just hear it stated without compelling reasons or anecdotes being given, and if I disagree, a blatant "you're wrong" in my face won't do much to change my mind. But that's another story.) I guess times have changed - after all, I listen to the Dixie Chicks. And let's be honest, politics makes for a nice break from the norm, which is whining about girls. There are some great rock songs that whine about girls, but the market is a bit over-saturated. So Pearl Jam's rants against war and bigotry and all that (not every track is so clear about its subject matter) sit snugly enough beside songs that grapple with inner demons or estranged relationships. The key here is that the need to put a message across never supercedes the need for the song to play well as an enjoyable piece of music. If you're a hardcore political conservative, you might still have a tough time here, but other than that, I'd be hard pressed to think of a modern rock fan who would have serious problems getting into this album. Aside from the issue with Vedder's voice - and honestly, that issue went away for me after my third or fourth trip through the album.

With that, let's examine this curious and compelling block of songs a little more closely.

Life Wasted
You're warm with negativity
Yes, comfort is an energy
But why let the sad song play?
This record wastes no time getting started with a four-on-the-floor rocker - there's only a brief intro of guitar and drums before Eddie Vedder starts wailing away. I've always felt that if you're going to yelp passionately about something, it should warrant said yelping, and the reason it works for me here is because the subject matter calls for it. The song is basically a rallying cry against negativity, an observation that "I've faced it, a life wasted", and that now he knows it's not worthwhile to just waste his time moping about all that is hopeless. This creed immediately sets Pearl Jam apart from a lot of the alternative/grunge pack that popped up in their wake, at least in my mind - they want to sing in order to affect change, not just to mope around about how depressing everything is. They'll face the depressing stuff, but they won't admit defeat to it. Some searing guitar work from Mike McCready helps to punctuate this urgent track, which has its more easygoing passages and sections where the rhythm gets a bit tricky, just to keep us on our toes.

Worldwide Suicide
Medals on a wooden mantle, next to a handsome face
That the president took for granted, writing checks that others pay...
Call me clich , but the first track from this album that I really got hooked on was the single. It's a lot bouncier than your average Pearl Jam track (at least, the ones I've heard, which I can only assume are more commercial than the ones I haven't heard), with Matt Cameron's solid drum beat running relentlessly through the entire thing, and Stone Gossard striking gold with a riff that sticks to the brain like glue. This all contributes to what is essentially a snappy tune about the world blowing itself to smithereens. Vedder lets us feel this loss one soldier as a time, as he works in small details to humanize the brutality of war. It can be taken as a criticism of the current administration if you like, or it can be taken as a general observation that the big guys send the little guys to be trampled, and that's how their honor is won or lost in the history books.

Comatose
High above, I'll break the law
If it's illegal to be in love
Leave the hatred on the cross...
This song is like a musical Chihuahua. It's short, but it's a snippy little upstart. The guitars grumble underneath a runaway drum beat as Vedder growls and snarls, sounding like he's got gravel in his throat. It can be one of the most off-putting tracks if you're new to pearl Jam, but I've actually come to enjoy it quite a bit, largely for the all-too-brief, but killer guitar solo in the bridge. McCready just rips through it like there's no tomorrow. It's tough to tell what Vedder is going on about, since his lyrics tend toward the cryptic side on most of his songs, but if I had to guess, I'd say it's a shot at the religious right for their various forms of bigotry. There's a time when that might have offended me, but I've seen enough difference between what the hateful things that some Christians in the spotlight say, and what the Bible actually teaches, to feel that this is a spot-on observation. It stings because it's supposed to.

Severed Hand
Like a tear in all we know
Once dissolved, we are free to grow
What is human? What is more?
I'll answer this when I get home...
This song gets more of a muted, studio-tweaked, extended intro, but it feels quite triumphant as it eventually morphs into a wonderfully jittery riff that drives most of the song. There's some sort of a dialogue going on in the lyrics, which at several points seem to be sung by two or more band members at once - it gives the interesting impression of a group persuading a single person to follow blindly. The "severed hand" mentioned in the title bears a ring, so this may be a song about the dissolution of a marriage... it's hard to say. Vedder seems to be jumping about subject-wise, so I'll just allow the rolling drums and various alarm-like sounds from the guitars to distract me temporarily. There's some sort of deeper question about humanity being asked here, but the protagonist seems content to not worry about it while he's out and about doing whatever business that his wife (or ex-wife?) has no knowledge of. Whatever the meaning, one thing I'm sure of is that the song kicks tail. I love the feisty ending, which has the guitars spinning out and then the band crashing into a final note, which is purposefully in the wrong key.

Marker in the Sand
There is a sickness, a sickness coming over me
Like watching freedom, being sucked straight out to sea
And the solution? Well, from me far would it be
But the delusion is feeling dangerous to me...
This song pulls off an uneasy balance between jangly, grungy verses, and a surprisingly straightforward, easygoing chorus. In doing so, it manages to be one of the record's most tuneful and memorable tracks. More questions of morality and spirituality are asked here, and again it's a bit of a slap on the hand to those who think they have all the answers - they get chastised for being "So unforgiving, yet needing forgiveness first." It's chilling, because the song seems to indicate long-dormant messages of love and peace that have been covered over by those who have adapted religion to their own agendas. Sometimes it takes someone from outside to recognize where people who practice a religion have gone against their own supposed principles... that's what Vedder seems to be going for here. I love how the relaxed chorus eventually jumps forth and becomes an upbeat version of itself just by changing the drumbeat to doubletime. In the hands of a lesser band, this might sound like an unsuccessful attempt to merge two completely different song ideas.

Parachutes
Heaven knows if there's a ceiling
Come so low with the kneeling
Please know that I got all the feelings I'm needing...
I think that this is the first point where the album falters. I don't mind there being an easygoing, acoustic track here - from what I've heard about past Pearl Jam experiments, I guess we should be glad it's not Eddie with a ukulele and nothing else. They work some Beatles influence into the melody, which finds Eddie frequently jumping up to unexpected high notes, giving it a feeling of floating in the sky and being too tense to come back down. Fits the title, I guess. I have a difficult time with the way that the rhythm trips on itself, but as songs called "Parachutes" go, it beats Coldplay's 45-second excuse for a song. It's an excellent, unexpected vocal performance for Eddie, but the rest of the band seems a bit limp here.

Unemployable
Well, his wife and kid are sleeping but he's still awake
On his brain weighs the curse of thirty bills unpaid
Gets up, lights a cigarette he's grown to hate
Thinking if he can't sleep, how will he ever dream?
I like the intro to this song - Matt Cameron does some sort of funky clanging around on the cymbals or the bars of his drum kit that always tickles my ears. This is one of those songs that picks a random character suffering from economic recession - ironically despite his ring that says "Jesus Saves", he doesn't appear to be a particularly peaceful fellow, working long hours at a job he hates and ignoring his wife and kids. It kind of mirrors the plights of the common Midwestern man that were explored on The Elms' latest album (which, incidentally, came out the same day as this one), though because it's Pearl Jam, you can bet some of their frustration is directed at the government for this slump in the availability of good jobs. Political analysis aside, this song seems to mirror "Life Wasted" when it states that the guy is "Here to die, scared alive", as if something has happened, or is going to happen, to shock him out of his habit of just going through the motions.

Big Wave
I scream in affirmation of connecting dislocations
And exceeding limitations by achieving levitation...
This track appears to mostly just be here for fun - it quickly brings the album's pace back to a boil with a gritty guitar riff and more fast-paced growling by Eddie. Apparently he's singing from the point of view of a crustacean who catches a tidal wave and gets washed ashore... and apparently this is a step forward in his evolution or something. At least it doesn't appear to be a surfing anthem, which is what I thought at first (though due to the frenetic pace, it might work well when set to a montage of surfers skillfully darting in and out of big waves). The band has more fun with the rhythm here, as Jeff Ament and Matt Cameron do a fun little jam in the middle where they see if they can trick each other, while the guitars make all sorts of funky squealing sounds. This actually ends the song, but it follows another rip-roaring guitar solo that is probably the best reason to pay attention to the track before it slips on by.

Gone
When the gas in my tank
Feels like money in the bank
Gonna blow it all this time
Take me one last ride...
This is the first of a few power ballad-type songs on the album that really manage to catch my attention, at a point where most bands would give up and just start tossing nondescript midtempo songs our way. Vedder is sure to easily identify with a lot of Americans here, as part of his lament in the first verse has to do with gas prices. He just wants to say "screw it all", hop in the car, and drive some place far away despite the fact that he's gonna break the bank by doing it. Man, I know how that feels. The band has constructed a deliciously ominous melody here, with just the right guitar textures to set the mood, before launching forth into a simple but effective chorus that simply states, "I'm gone, long gone!" It's the way Vedder twists the words around and draws them out that really sells it. "If nothing is everything, I'll have it all", he declares in the song's waning moments - how compellingly existential of him.

Wasted Reprise
This might be the only point on the album where Pearl Jam "gets weird" - there's some sort of a circus organ or accordion or whatever squeezing out mournful chords, over which Eddie reprises a much mellower version of the chorus from "Life Wasted". It serves as a sort of chapter break before the final three songs on the album, which I guess is helpful, but the track itself isn't all that interesting.

Army Reserve
Her son's slanted, always giving her the sideways eye
An empty chair where Dad sits, how loud can silence get?
And the rhythmic trickiness abounds! The band uneasily wobbles forth with a verse in 4/4 that seems to identify with a lonesome wife whose husband has been called off to war. "She tells herself and everyone else, Father's risking his life for our freedoms." Just that statement, without any explicit reason stated as to why it isn't actually true, hits pretty hard, because it makes us ask whether it's true. The point being made here, as the band shifts back and forth between the verses and a flowing chorus in 3/4 over which Eddie sounds particularly pained and agitated (this adds to the drama in a positive way), is that there's a difference between choosing to lay down one's life and being ordered to do so. It's a complicated issue, but I think it's fair to say that not everyone was aware of what they were signing up for.

Come Back
Please say that if you hadn't have gone now
I wouldn't have lost you another way...
The album reaches its emotional climax here, with a ballad that seems to borrow its swaying 3/4 rhythm and melodic structure from about 50 years ago. Yes, it's hard to imagine Eddie being a smooth crooner like some of the guys from rock & roll's "Golden Age", but this ode to a lost love, or relative, or whoever it is, can't help but remind me of the nostalgic warmth of "Last Kiss" (reviled as that hit cover song may be among the Pearl Jam faithful, it proved to be an interesting juxtaposition of the 50's and the 90's, and I'm glad they decided to explore it a little more on an original song), which is a song of painful loss in its own right. We don't get much in terms of hints about what happened to this person - either she died, or just took off in a fit of anger, or maybe he let her go. But there's that feeling, as the guitars float about before eventually getting amped up and providing a lengthy section of lovely soling and powerful vocal expression, that she is a ghost, still haunting the house in which he lives. In that sense, it has a sad, weighty feel to it, as if an aura is hanging around that just won't let you go, not unlike Kevin Max's "Golden". Its extended outro sticks with you rather uneasily after the music has peaked and then fallen silent.

Inside Job
I used to try and kill love, it was the highest sin
Breathing insecurity out and in...
The last track on the album is similarly haunting, opening with faint acoustic guitar, some electric noodling, and a little bit of piano for color. Eddie once again has complete mastery of an eerie melody - the more urgent growling on the fast songs disguised his ability to emote in his own weird way, but we're hearing a good amount of it here. This is definitely a dark song about personal demons - Mike McCready reportedly wrote it about his battle with alcoholism. Still, there will be no sinking to the depths, never to be heard from again - not from a band who has started off the record by declaring that life won't be defeated. The long, ominous intro takes its time before the lyrics are finally heard, but when they do, you really get that sense of a struggle to keep the faith - believing one day that you can overcome, and then acting self-destructively the next, pushing away the ones who love you and running back to the thing that gives temporary comfort. It's part brave proclamation - "I'll not lose my faith" - and it's part admission - "I choose to feel as I am" is stated as the music finally kicks into high gear. The song goes through a variety of moods as it, too, hits an emotional climax during another guitar solo. Ultimately, the choice is being made here to fight the addiction by way of human contact - it's easier to kill what is brought out into the light, and more difficult to slip into the darkness when a fellow human being is watching over you. As much as I've enjoyed Dream Theater's continuing saga on alcoholism, this track affects me a lot more profoundly than any of theirs on the subject do, simply because it feels more like a statement of personal lessons learned and less like a re-hashing of a 12-step program.

Not long after the final notes of "Inside Job", there's a little bit of silence, and then some chimey keyboards or synthesizer notes or whatever they are glimmer for a few seconds, like light shining through a window. It reminds of the short hidden track from Radiohead's Kid A, only less creepy.

Man, I really enjoyed this album more than I expected to. I went it to it figuring it might not be my thing, but at least I'd have some perspective on a band that it seemed everyone was talking about due to the comeback they had made. I came out with a record that just registered in my personal Top 10 for the year, and will likely fight its way further up the list as the year goes on.

So, now all I have to do is find time for the Pearl Jam back catalogue. (Yeah, give me a few years for that one. Should I start from Ten, or work backwards from here?)

ALBUM WORTH:
Life Wasted $1
Worldwide Suicide $2
Comatose $1.50
Severed Hand $1.50
Marker in the Sand $1.50
Parachutes $.50
Unemployable $1
Big Wave $1
Gone $1.50
Wasted Reprise $0
Army Reserve $1
Come Back $2
Inside Job $2
TOTAL: $16.50

Band Members:
Eddie Vedder: Lead vocals
Mike McCready: Lead guitar
Stone Gossard: Rhythm guitar
Jeff Ament: Bass
Matt Cameron: Drums

Website: http://www.pearljam.com

Great Music to Play While: Finding a more productive way to express your frustration than standing on the corner holding a posterboard and looking like a buffoon.