http://www.lowellsun.com/ci_3766515

Nice shout out to the Internet Fan sites. Good Review

I still haven't heard the album.
And now I worry it'll disappoint me, because all these magnificent reviews makes me believe it's even better than Yield and Vitalogy. And that's close to impossible!

But all these great reviews makes me happy!

I can't wait 'til tuesday!

i was just going to post this

amazing review! he actually says pj is the best band in the world

i like it.

"Make no mistake: The best band on the planet is not U2, it's Pearl Jam."

nice

Reviewers are saying some pretty strong stuff about the band. Here they're called the best band in the world. I believe it was the Rolling Stone reviewer who apologised for not including Mike and Stone in his top 50 best guitarists and another reviewer named Matt and Jeff the best rythm-section in rock today.

You've read or are probably going to read a lot of reviews about the new Pearl Jam album that assert the latest self-titled effort is the band's best record in 12 years.

It's evolution, baby!

CD Review

Pearl Jam is by far the band's best work since 1994's Vitalogy, which featured classic hits "Betterman" and the Grammy Award-winning single "Spin the Black Circle."

Note to Pearl Jam: Make sure you clear February 2007 on the calendar, because you are returning to the Grammys.

Lead singer Eddie Vedder's long locks are also back and so are the intensity, grit and energy that poured out of the band's first record, Ten, which sold nearly 10 million copies in 1991.

The new 13-track album, the band's eighth and first with J Records, gets off to a rocking start with the tightly constructed "Life Wasted," a classic PJ song in the mold of Yield's "Brain of JFK."

"World Wide Suicide," the album's first single, follows and you can bet the song doesn't get many plays on President Bush's iPod. Vedder gnarls about the war in Iraq and even calls out the president for taking soldiers' lives for granted. "Writing checks that others pay," he says of Bush.

Most of Pearl Jam, the band's first album since 2002's Riot Act, is aggressive, loud, punky and full of politics. Vedder hits on the plight of the working class in the groovy "Unemployable," speaks about the war again in "Army Reserve," and love/redemption in the soft "Come Back."

Another kinder, gentler offering is "Parachutes," which is basically band mates Mike McCready and Stone Gossard strumming their guitars to Vedder's beautiful vocals. Internet fan sites have aptly nicknamed the tune "Pearl Jam Covers the Beatles," because it echoes the legendary band's sound to perfection.

It's also great to see the band effectively harmonizing again. "Marker in the Sand," arguably the best song on the record, sports the catchiest chorus since Vedder bellowed, "Can't find a betterman."

Songs from the record already get considerable play on radio and Gossard even admitted in one interview that he thought the sharp tunes would do better commercially. Not that Pearl Jam needs the money. They want to matter again and they have something to say, whether it's about the government, the environment or the economy.

Make no mistake: The best band on the planet is not U2, it's Pearl Jam.

After purposely straying so far from the mainstream, the Seattle rockers have done the unthinkable: created an album with mainstream appeal without compromising their trademark sound.

A great example here is "Severed Hand," a tune Vedder says he's had in his head for the last two or three years. "Hand" starts off slow and then slams into a riff reminiscent of Ten's mosh masterpiece "Porch." It's relentless, pure rock-and-roll at its best. So is "Comatose," a punk-riddled anthem where Vedder literally strangles his voice to get out the angry lyrics. Your car stereo speakers will beg for mercy.

Pearl Jam closes with the 7-minute-long "Inside Job," the first PJ for which song McCready has ever contributed lyrics. Take a bow, Mr. McCready. "Job" is a beautiful number that begins slowly and picks up with an explosive middle your co-workers will hum for months.

Mine have already gotten an earful.

Pearl Jam hits store shelves May 2 and is available for pre-order at http://www.PearlJam.com.

SRC: http://www.lowellsun.com/ci_3766515

I like Riot Act.

I don't think the Grammys want Pearl Jam after what they said, and I doubt Pearl Jam wants the Grammys, but I don't know, Pearl Jam has changed.. A LOT.

In no way does Life Wasted sound like or resemble Brain of J. I haven't had that many listens yet but what does he hear that I don't? Anyone else see a connection? I'd like to mention that Life Wasted is probably my least favorite song on the album.

Did I miss something? First, I don't think it sounds like The Bealtes (but I've never been a fan of them, so what do I know?). Second, where did this "nickname" come from? I've never heard it before.

Nice review, though. Kind of sets people up for disappointment, though, doesn't it?

I think it totally echoes the beatles.

They should do a beatles-esque section in their setlist which includes Parachutes and All Those Yesterdays

i think the reviewer is a fan

Cool. That's my hometown paper. In fact I had a paper route for them when I was a kid.

If you haven't heard about PJ covers the beatles nickname for Parachutes you probably won't know about navy bean, the interweb, the embarrasment we have and the I got shit hate.

You are so not cool.

I used to help my uncle deliver it through the streets of Billerica. Good times.

how many copies of navy bean do u have??

Not many as this new thing interweb is available now and you can get it for free.

My sister lives in Westford.

They are Spinners fans.

I can't get the link to work.

Let's see. I know about Navy Bean, I'm vaguely aware of this so-called interweb (someone want to tell the back story on this little inside joke?) and I'm well aware of the I Got Shit hate although I can't understand the reason for it.

Have I redeemed myself somewhat?