Sometimes a band does not need to shake up its style to create a magnificent listening experience deep into its career. Sometimes sticking to what got the band there is more than good enough.
After Pearl Jam's first few albums, when grunge had declined, the band still refused to change its sound to conform to current trends. Of course, Pearl Jam's album sales and notoriety has suffered because of this, but something else remarkable has happened.
Content to make the music they want to make and sell one million albums instead of 10 million albums, Pearl Jam has managed to transcend grunge and become a truly timeless rock band. And while the MTV attention might not be there anymore, the music has benefited exponentially.
No single Pearl Jam album is a product of its time as much as it is a great rock record, and the band's newest release, Riot Act, is no exception. From the opening moments of the first track, "Can't Keep," Riot Act is an intensely engrossing experience.
Throughout the 15 tracks, Eddie Vedder and company succeed at every turn. Whether playing blistering all-out rockers like "Save You" and "Get Right," or slowing it down with acoustic gems that showcase Vedder's haunting vocals like "Thumbing My Way" and "All or None," the grunge holdovers prove themselves more than capable of making great rock music.
On Riot Act, Pearl Jam doesn't move forward as much as it moves everywhere. This is an album that would have been as great 30 years ago as it is today.
The only song on the CD that speaks clearly to right now is the politically themed "Bushleaguer," a very obvious attack on the man probably napping at his desk in the Oval Office right now, who Vedder says was "born on third" but "thinks he got a triple." The song is not one of the highlights on the album, but it does make a very compelling political argument. Vedder's spoken-word verses key the listener in to the message of the song, and the chorus rocks just like the rest of the album.
Every song is good, and highlights abound. It's essentially a cohesive work that flows like a great album should.
The first single, "I Am Mine," sounds like a stilted Irish jig, presenting an entirely intriguing sound that envelops the listener and gets better with each listen.
On "Love Boat Captain," Vedder slowly mumbles, "It's already been sung, but it can't be said enough, all you need is love." As the song goes along, it becomes faster and more and more absorbing.
The mid-tempo "Cropduster" presents nearly a sing-along feel in classic Pearl Jam style.
Every aspect of production is outstanding -- from Vedder's fascinating and nuanced vocals to Mike McCready's blasting, surging electric guitar to Matt Cameron's competent, skilled drumwork.
It's an impressive statement that, more than 10 years after Ten, Pearl Jam remains fresh, energetic and relevant.
With Riot Act, Pearl Jam sends a defiant message to the huddled alt-rock masses that it's pointless and stupid to try to copy a band that is this far ahead of all of its competition.
Grade: A
