Pearls of wisdom blast back
SCOTT PODMORE

30 April 2006
Sunday Herald Sun
1 - FIRST
E14
English

ROCK

Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam

(Sony BMG)

****

In short: Balanced, solid and timely return to form.

SOMETIMES it takes a veteran rock band to kick you in the guts with a belter of an album to highlight the mediocrity doing the rounds.

With its eighth studio album, Pearl Jam has donned the steel-caps and made a resounding, stompin' return to form -- and about time, too.

Not since the days of Ten (1991), Vs ('93) and Vitalogy ('94), when PJ was being hailed as the rock 'n' roll band of the decade, has the Seattle outfit sounded so good.

The past eight years have been downright ordinary, save for a giant bootleg series of live CDs, a best-of and B-sides to hold things together.

Aimless studio efforts almost spelled the death of the band.

But here it is, with everything falling into place -- a solid album that slams you in the chest with fierce rock, political messages and chest-beating for the everyday-man before gentle, sublime balladry provides some balance.

Life Wasted, World Wide Suicide and Comatose kick things off with almost punk-metal aggression and addictive choruses.

But for something special, knead together servings of Guns N' Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Soundgarden and the tasty result is Severed Hand, containing a mighty guitar riff in what is the song of the year. Then surf junkie/frontman Eddie Vedder gives all barefooted singer-songwriters a lesson in how to write a real, rockin' surfing song with Big Wave as he screams in celebration: "Got me a big wave."

For sheer lyrical class and a show of support for the working man, Unemployable hits the mark -- "Gets up, lights a cigarette he's grown to hate/Thinking if he can't sleep, how will he ever dream?".

Vedder and company nail the balladry with the Beatlesque feel of Parachutes, the heart-wrenching Come Back and charming melancholy of Gone.

This album blasts Pearl Jam back to the forefront of quality rock.

another great review...

thanks for the info turned2black....

thanks turned2black. you're the hero of the album review compilation