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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Classic rock sound returns with Pearl Jam's latest release..., 13 May 2006
Away from the rock scene for 4 years, Pearl Jam wastes absolutely no time in announcing their return to rock with their self-titled new album, also known as the Avocado album. From the first notes of Life Wasted and World Wide Suicide it's clear that a Pearl Jam that sounds more of the VS and Vitology era than the Yield and Riot Act era has returned. This album has more of the classic Pearl Jam sound and less of the chaotic experimentation that marred more recent albums.
The new album features a stripped down, tighter, and more pure rock sound. Strong lead and rhythm guitar work by Gossard and Stone populate the songs, while Vedder alternates his tightly wound growling vocals with tenderness. Guitar solos, unheard for years, have returned with a vengeance and Jeff Ament's bass lines fit perfectly in the mix. This album is free of the overproduction and samples that passes as rock today, and shows us just how good a band together 15 years can sound.
Standout rockers include World Wide Suicide, Comatose, Severed Hand, and Big Wave. More melodic tracks like Markers in the Sand and Army Reserve fit in nicely without going too soft. Unemployed, Come Back, and Inside Job are more of the Daughter type PJ songs. The only discordant note on this album is the track Parachutes, with its Beatles or Queen like melodies and odd chord changes. Although a good song on its own, it basically stops the flow of the album dead in its tracks and would have been better suited as a hidden track or a B-side. This is an album more geared towards long time fans of rock in general and PJ in particular. It may not have a lot of commercial viability, which to Pearl Jam is a source of pride, but does satisfy a void in rock and roll which has existed for too long. Recommended.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Welcome Back..., 14 Sep 2006
A real return to form that shows that Pearl Jam's first two albums "Ten" and "Vs." were not a fluke as this sees them returning to the heights that those albums scaled. Right from the start with the opening salvo of "Life Wasted" and "World Wide Suicide" it is clear that the band is reinvigorated and playing at something like their masterful peak. A newly barefaced political conscience supplements rather than replaces their more traditional emotional songs about the everyday and adds another layer to this record.
Later highlights include "Severed Hand", "Unemployable" and the hymnal reprise of "Life Wasted" which is simply gorgeous.
All in all the quality control issues which have blighted their output between "Vitalogy" and "Riot Act" have been done away with and this album is far from the patchy disappointment that some of those albums have represented. The sound is still distinclty late-era Pearl Jam, so fans hoping for a return the lusher, stadium-friendly production of their debut or the sharp focused raw energy of "Vs." may initially be disappointed, but give this record a few spins and you'll quickly realise that this is their best collection of new songs for over a decade and an album worthy of mentioning in the same breath as the previous highlights of their career.
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15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Renaissance Rock, 22 May 2006
I wasn't at all familiar with this band before they made a recent comeback.My first comparison when I heard the powerful opening track"Life Wasted",was with Free's Paul Rodgers, and that band's playing style.
Am I the first person to have noticed this?
The driving rock guitars and stirring drums evoke fond memories of Free in the 1970s when they were at the peak of their success.
The second track and single,"World Wide Suicide" is just as powerful."I felt the earth on Monday,it moved beneath my feet
In the form of a morning paper,laid out for me to see."
Those lyrics were made for the 21st Century.
"It's a shame to awake in a world of pain
What does it mean when a war has taken over?"
Listen to ALL the words of this song when you buy the album.In fact listen very closely to the words of ALL the songs.
And then listen to them all again.
"Severed Hand" a song about taking a trip,has some excellent backing-a '70s trip in itself,which I thoroughly enjoyed listening to. However,the words are perhaps not for those of us who are sensitive about drug-taking. Be prepared for some quite disturbing lyrics.However,the fantastic driving rock and roll instrumental compiments these.
A surprising track is "Parachutes",with Vedder's touching lyrics:"And war...break the sky and tell me what it's for
I'll travel there on my own,
And love...what a different life
Had I not found this love with you" is almost a ballad and is unexpectedly emotional.
"Unemployable" is hard-hitting,describing one man's desperation and isolation at not being capable of providing for his wife and child,encased in quite a hummable tune.Eddie Vedder's voice is in great form;evoking sympathy and emotion in swathes.
There's a definite formula to this album and a message in every track.Look beneath the surface and there lie some very insightful lyrics,courtesy of Mr Vedder.
Quite a chunk of disillusionment there and impossibly hard times experienced as well.
Some people might describe Pearl Jam as heavy-going,but they have a very powerful message and substance to their songs on this album,which is one of the best and most sensitive rock albums I've heard for some time.
It's apparent that the band have experienced a reinvention and have woken up to emotions and feelings,after a long sleep.
"Wasted(Reprise)" has Eddie Vedder singing to a rather spiritual organ backing-a few minutes of decisive words which are extremely moving.........leading into "Army Reserve"- a powerful,heart-tugging song which speaks for itself and speaks volumes.
But here comes "Come Back",possibly the most moving song on the album,with a tragic sense of loss running through its lyrics,which oddly,reminded me of David Gray's song words.
A rock version of one of his songs,perhaps,with a dash of Bob Seger thrown in.
Vedder's imploring vocals at the end of the song show a vulnerable side.
The last song on the album,"Inside Job",with its beautifully timed piano and Vedder's emotional vocal delivery...
"Holding on,the light of night
on my knees to rise and fix my broken soul again"
will strike a chord with all who have had to pull themselves back from the brink.
A very powerful collection of songs indeed.Most certainly it deserves a placing in the Albums of the Year 2006 and delivered by a rock band with a frontman who passionately has concerns for the state of the world.
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