Review Summary: Seattle grungers grudgingly update back catalogue with “Riot Act”, which was their first record since 2000's "Binaural" (thanks for helping me correct that one).
We’re introduced to this album with a military-styled drum roll from former Soundgarden sticksman Matt Cameron into the slow building opener “Can’t Keep”. On the track, guitarist, vocalist and frontman Eddie Vedder preaches and promises emancipation in that all-too-recognisable voice- “I wanna shake! I wanna wind out! I wanna leave this mind and shout!…You can’t keep me here!”.
Lyrically, at least early in the record, Vedder seems to be lost, or in need of help. “To the universe I don’t mean a thing”, he announces on “Love Boat Captain”, a 70s styled rocker with a distinctive Pearl Jam twist that starts with setting a scene of dismay and ends referencing The Beatles. There’s so much anguish and loss of state of mind in the lyrics, on tracks like the pessimistic “Cropduster” and the heartbroken “Thumbing My Way”. He even desperately chants “Help me!” and “Tell me lies!” on the track “Help Help”. You can only imagine what was going on in his life when this was written and recorded.
Another interesting (and slightly disappointing) thing about this record is that there’s nothing that truly stands out. There’s nothing that you would put in the league of “Vs.” or “Yield” (“Ten” is excluded from this point because nothing can come close to that record). One would think, as the guys are getting older, they might be going soft.
This doesn’t seem to shake the band, however, as Vedder can still tap nerves with that voice of his, especially on the spooky “Arc”. The track is primarily a capella tribal humming and singing, and despite being less than two minutes, is a real standout on this album. “Arc” also shows the album’s diversity, similar to the Nine Inch Nails styled take “You Are” with its great guitar effects and the best production heard on the record, especially on the drums. They show they can also, in turn, still rock out like they did in the nineties with cuts like “Save You” and “Wanted To Get Right”; and can still get political with tracks like “Bushleager” (easily the best track on this record, where Vedder accuses the president of “making the job simple”) and “Green Disease” (a great metaphorical take on business).
Despite a good selection of quality tracks, there’s still something about this record that’s so…unsurprising. It’s almost like you could have seen a good bulk of this record coming. Your view on this record will entirely depend on what kind of Pearl Jam fan you are. If you’re the kind that buys anything they release the day it comes out, then you’ll probably love it (let’s face it, Vedder could read “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” with Stone Gossard playing guitar in the background and then release it and the diehards would still love it). If you’re a standard Pearl Jam fan (got a couple of albums, maybe seen them live), then by all means give it a listen, but don’t be expecting greatness. If you’re selective in your taste for Pearl Jam (maybe you only listen to Alive every now and then), then perhaps you should skip this one and grab the greatest hits collection.
