Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thank god for that..., 22 Sep 2009
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....
|
|
|
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brief but I don't feel short changed!, 16 Sep 2009
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.
|
|
|
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pearl Jam deliver again on their 9th studio album, 13 Sep 2009
For the first time since 1998, Pearl Jam returned to producer Brendan O'Brien for their 9th album. "We wanted someone to cut the songs up a bit" said Vedder, and cut them up he certainly has.
For the most part, "Backspacer" is uptempo alternative rock, not the heaviest music Pearl Jam has ever made, but equally entertaining and musically very relevant.
Lead single "The Fixer" didn't have an instant appeal to me, but give it a few listens and you really start to appreciate what Pearl Jam have done here. One interesting point to note is the song's length, clocking in at just 2:57, theres no complicated drum of guitar solos, just pure rock fun, a classic example of how O'Brien's input has influnced this record.
Elsewhere, "Gonna See My Friend" and "Got Some" are similar to "The Fixer," the latter being the better song which I expect will make a single release later on.
It takes until "Just Breathe" for the album to slow down its tone, a beautiful melody accompanying some heartfelt lyrics from Vedder make this a standout track.
From here onwards the album takes a different tone again, uptempo rock numbers from the early tracks are replaced by a more mainstream rock songs, the best of which is "Amongst The Waves" which features probably the albums best guitar solo.
Worth mentioning also is the sublime album closer "The End," a song with sad, meaningful lyrics which is beautiful in its delivery and a excellent way to bring "Backspacer" to a close.
Overall, "Backspacer" is an immense album. I would expect top 10 debuts from this in both the US and UK, plus a world tour in support.
Interestingly enough though, Pearl Jam did not renew their contract in the US with J Records, instead deciding to self release it, although internationally it will be released via Universal.
Either way it doesn't really matter, "Backspacer" is a album Pearl Jam can be really proud of, it sits up there alongside the bands best work.
Best Tracks: "Got Some," "Amongst The Waves," "Just Breathe"
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
