Pearl Jam's latest 'Yield's many returns

Since its 1991 breakthrough album Ten launched Pearl Jam into rock superstardom, the band has been searching. The band that made the flannel-clad, ultra-depressed, post-punk ethos of grunge cool for teens everywhere wanted to be more than just another Seattle band.

The explosion set off by Ten spurred the band's seven-year search for its true sound. Pearl Jam's new album indicates that the search is over, and it was not made in vain.

Ten was a commercial phenomenon, a critical success and one of the defining albums of the '90s, but follow-up efforts seemed to indicate the band's desire to break free from the sound that characterized it.

On Yield, however, the band's fifth studio album, Pearl Jam may be finally settling into a comfort zone, and the music found on Yield may be the band's best yet.

The album is dominated by several themes -- a de-emphasis on the guitar heroics of yore, a re-emphasis on thoughtful, understated songs and lyrics, Vedder tackling new issues (and tackling those issues more effectively), the emergence of Gossard and Ament as songwriters and a general feeling of cohesiveness. Instead of sounding like a random selection of songs -- something that Vs. suffered from -- Yield sounds instead like a complete work.

Pearl Jam runs the gamut of rock sounds while avoiding the mundane clichés used by the band's many impersonators. Neither Matchbox 20 nor Stone Temple Pilots could ever achieve an equal depth of sincerity.

Yield showcases the band in pure rock form. The rollicking "Brain of J." may be their rawest song in some time. Opening with a characteristic Gossard riff, the song maintains a sense of restraint heretofore unseen in their work -- the guitars are there, but they aren't overpowering.

One of the most pleasant surprises of Yield is how the band handles its gentler ballads.

Songs such as "Wishlist" and Ament's "Low Light" immediately stand out as some of the album's best, even though each moves along at an uncharacteristically laid-back pace. The simple, stripped-bare, true-to-life lyrics of "Wishlist" are among Vedder's best. Singing about the realizations of his vast imperfections and inability to attain some dreams no matter what, Vedder groans, "I wish I was a sacrifice . . . that somehow still lived on." It's a love song, it's real and it's probably among the band's best five ever.

The album is not without its weaknesses. The gorilla-riffing of "MFC" sounds dated, and Vedder's Jim Morrison spoken-word impersonation on "Push Me, Pull Me" seems pointless. Still, those small imperfections aren't enough to counteract 11 other songs ranging from good to classic.

With Yield affirming the band as stable and legitimate as ever, Pearl Jam has proven they're going to be around for some time. Yield also suggests that Vedder and company will continue their unending search for self-discovery, and music fans everywhere will be the beneficiaries for years to come.