Backspacer (Limited Edition Gatefold Sleeve)

You know what? Ten was made a long time ago, these guys are fast approaching 50 and to expect them to make a shoegazing plaid clad 90s anthem album is a something of a joke.

Take this album for what it is. A collection of great, melodic, intelligent tracks. The thing that hooked all of us fans in the first place was the big melodies, the "singalongability", for all their punk posturing, at heart PJ are a no nonsense melodic rock band, so why is everyone so upset when they release an album of great tunes?

For me "Amongst the Waves" is one of the best songs they've ever written, the Fixer gets better with every listen. Unknown Thought sounds incredible up loud on a decent system and The End is beautiful...yes, it's got strings on it...who cares it sounds fantastic. Just breathe is beautiful, in fact they're all good tracks, even the throwaway pop punky ones. They got my toes tapping anyway.

Look, I used to be an ardent PJ fan and lost interest in their angsty sound in recent years as I got older , but the positive vibe on this record is something that really suits them.

Huge Choruses, no widdly solos, just good old fashioned songwriting. They actually sound like they're having a great time recording this.

Love it. More Please guys....

Oh my god I could never have dreamed it would be this good, Just Breathe, Amongst The Waves & Unthought Known are just 3 of the best songs to follow each other on any album they've done before.

It's getting a bit of a cliché now with PJ fans but yes this is the most accessible album they've done in ages, as well as these 3 tracks the album kicks off with 4 great rockers, Gonna See my Friend, great opener followed by the brilliant Got Some, then the poptastic but fan based controversial The Fixer. Johnny Guitar sounds different to anything they've done before and gets a great funky Mike McCready guitar work out half way through

The 3 stand outs mentioned are stunning, Just Breathe evokes Vedder's work on the Into the Wild soundtrack and is just heart breaking. Amongst & Thought are like Given to Fly & In Hiding off Yield and just soar and soar like only Pearl Jam can.

It's also the most fun album they've done, they are in good spirits and Vedder laying off the politics for once has done the record the world of good, The optimism in the lyrics is also balanced with some dark stuff as well but unlike the angry young man flavour of their previous self titled 2006 album it doesn't seem heavy and flows so much better plus we don't get anything as dire as Come Back.

The just over 36 minutes is brief but you feel anything but short changed and just feel compelled to to stick right back on. I've only listened to it on MP3 so far but have my vinyl now an intend on savouring this afternoon.

A happier PJ is a nice change and where it doesn't quite touch the brilliance of Vs, Vitalogy and Yield it bests the last 3 studio albums without a doubt. The choice to enlist Brendan O'Brien cannot be underestimated his touch is essential to the overall feel of the album and decision to utilise strings for the first time adds an angle to their music never heard before, for a band who are approaching 20 years old it is an achievement they could release an album this good.

Some may tire at the optimism included in this record and the positive energy and hope Eddie returns to the darkness of Vitalogy but this is a great mix of the freshness that we heard back when Ten was first released alongside the consistency that hasn't been heard since 1998's Yield.

After reconquer their fans and critics in 2006, with the straighforward hard-rock on "The Avocado Album", Pearl jam are back in 2009 with their 9th album, "Backspacer".
For a bunch of guys in their mid-forties, Backspacer is, quite frankly, a good record, mostly of the rock songs are up-beat with a positive vibe, and even the melodic and gentle tunes have a message of hope, hidden under sad instrumentation.

Gonna see my friend, Got some, The Fixer, Johnny Guitar and Supersonic are all short punk-rockers with some bits of pop. Got Some is particular interesting, from the new-wave intro, to the speedy chorus, the rhythm section is on fire here. Jeff Ament and Matt Cameron both shine on this one. Great song, a better choice for 1st single, in my opinion.

Amongst the Waves, Unthought Known and Force of Nature sound epic as uplifting mid-tempo songs, perfect for singalongs in concerts. Amongst the Waves is my favourite from the record, its sounds like the result of a crazy mix between "Given to fly" and "I am mine" trying to re-create "Alive"! Great chorus and guitar solo by Mccready. An instant classic.
Just a step below, are Unthought known and Force of Nature, both good tracks, with epic structures, amazing guitar work and vocals by Vedder.

Finally, the moody/laid-back moments of Backspacer appears on Just Breathe, Speed of Sound and The End. Just Breathe is one of the best love song ever written and sung by Eddie Vedder. Its very simple but beautiful. Another highlight.
Speed of Sound is a sad song about loneliness and aging. Good arrangements by the producer Brendan O'brien. The End is a very intimist, touching acoustic piece, with some shy orquestration on the background. Eddie really shines on this one.

The musicianship between band its right on top, but Eddie Vedder is particulary inspired, writing emotional lyrics, and singing like in 1993. But there's an evident lack of guitar solos by Mike Mccready, and clocking at 36minutes, there was enough space for one, or two, maybe three, others songs.

Overall, Backspacer is a good record, with cool packaging, full of catchy songs, and even if its shorter than others Pearl Jam albums, is definitely one of their most acessible, alongside "Ten" and "Vs".

My Backspacer Playlist:

1-Gonna See My Friend
2-Got Some
3-Force of Nature
4-Johhny guitar
5-Just Breathe
6-Amongst the Waves
7-Unthought Known
8-The Fixer
9-Speed of Sound
10-SuperSonic
11-The End

My Backspacer rating: 7/10