Since the DeRogatis review has us all fired up, I thought I would post Greg Kot's Tribune review from yesterday. Much more favorable, he even refers to Riot Act as underrated.

FYI, for those that don't know, Kot and DeRogatis co-host a rock talk show on Chicago Public Radio called Sound Opinions. I subscribe to the podcast through iTunes (it's free) so if they happen to review the new record on the air, I'll let you know...here is Kot's review....



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`Pearl Jam' gives fans fix of lean and nasty

By Greg Kot
Tribune music critic
Published April 30, 2006


With their self-titled eighth album, "Pearl Jam" (J Records), and first in four years, the alternative-rock veterans put some snap back in their step, some nastiness back in their guitars.

Eddie Vedder is growling, howling and mumbling about trying to keep his chin up amid an epidemic of "World Wide Suicide"; the war in Iraq hangs over several of these songs like a dark cloak. But the political specifics are kept to a minimum and the sentiments are disappointingly bland ("It's a shame to awake in a world of pain"). The rage is more explicitly articulated by the guitars of Mike McCready and Stone Gossard, who haven't sounded this ferocious since the grunge glory days of "Vs." (1993) and "Vitalogy" (1994).

They keep the blood pumping, even though the songs lack the melodic dynamics that characterized the best moments on the underrated "Riot Act" (2002). There are a couple of nods in that more spacious direction, notably the Beatles-like melancholy of "Parachutes" and the staggering ballad "Come Back"; the latter comes closest to packing the emotional punch of Vedder's best performances, from "Jeremy" to "Love Boat Captain."

But Vedder's baritone mostly provides gritty texture rather than narrative structure. On "Life Wasted," "Big Wave," "Comatose" and "Severed Hand," he's in full roar alongside the rest of the band, and what a band it still can be. For fans who love their Pearl Jam lean and tough, their storehouse of classic-rock guitar riffs pumped through a rhythm section stoked on punk caffeine, these songs will provide an instant fix.

Jim Dero will give a bad review to anything rolling stone likes because he got fired from there.

I hate everything that guy ever says, when I read his articles (invariably because I live in chicago and get the suntimes daily) it infuriates me

He is a 45 year old overweight-wannabe-hipster who thinks he is cool because he plays drums in a psuedo-punk band.

GRRRRR

anger.

Oh yeah

good review! lol

wow--LBC as one of the bands finest moments. Not sure I agree with that.

not even one of the finest moments on Riot Act

agreed

Why must every reviewer focus on the rock? This shit doesn't remind me of the so called "glory days" of vs. and vitalogy. Are they even listening to the second half of the album?

On this past Saturday's show, they reviewed PJ. It's in the last ten minutes of the show after their Springsteen review.

Dero's reviews of PJ have been tired, phoned-in and extremely lazy for a decade now. It's always the same rehash of negativity b/c in his heart of hearts, he wants to be Eddie Vedder and have his life.

I found Kot to be more positive on the page than he was on the radio. Dero's in-house half-empty attitude must have rubbed off.

Kot's a hack, but seems like a nice enough guy. His Wilco book is terrible, considering the access he had to the band.

Anyway, this is a weird review. It pretty much says nothing.

t

Ah, I'm still 2 episodes behind.... I'll have to look into that.