Review Summary: A more mainstream album from the alternative kings...
Pearl Jam
Yield
Epic Records, 1998
Pearl Jam is...
Eddie Vedder: Vocals
Mike McCready: Guitar
Stone Gossard: Guitar
Jeff Ament: Bass
Jack Irons: Drums
Following the heavy experimentation and varying genres of Vitalogy and No Code, it came as a surprise to some that Yield had taken a far more mainstream rock approach. While this may sound like it could lead to disaster, the ending result is far from the Nickelback-Creed mess that people were expecting. Indeed, many were surprised to find that, even without much of their experimentation and strange musical structures, that Pearl Jam could still write good, straightforward rock music.
Well, mostly straightforward. The trend of a more mainstream sound is broken right away with album opener 'Brain Of J'. Punkish guitars, some great drumming, and one of Eddie Vedder's best performances since Ten make this punk rocker stand out instantly. The spectacular 'Do The Evolution', which deals with all the troubles of man, follows in the same style, with brutal guitars, furious drumming, and animalistic shrieks and howls. Finally 'Push Me, Pull Me' and 'Red Bar' the only real experimental songs break out of the 'rock' genre altogether with some heavy distorted bass and strange instrumentation. Like many filler songs, however, they are not of particular interest after one listen.
While previous Pearl Jam albums made boundaries between what could be defined as a ballad and what could be defined as a rocker, with Yield, it would appear that these boundaries have fallen apart. Many songs, such as the epic 'Given To Fly' or the strange, mocking, 'Faithful' have soft verses that explode into powerful, loud choruses. While on some songs, such as 'Pilate' this may just come off as annoying or strange, with others, the general formula works to it's advantage.
It is quite clear that Eddie Vedder's vocals have changed greatly since the early days of Ten and Vs. His shrieks come out as far more animalistic, and his general singing voice is less deep and engaging. Without some of his vocal skills of old, some songs seem to have less impact, and even seem as if he is straining himself to keep up with the rest of the band. An example of this can be found on 'No Way' where his vocals become almost whiny. This may prove to distract from the rest of the music for some. His songwriting also seems to have changed here. Many of the lyrics seem to deal with religion or sadness. 'Given To Fly' seems to be able to relate to bible stories, while 'In Hiding' speaks of a fear of society. This is certainly not the strongest Pearl Jam album lyrically, but many of the songs, especially 'Wishlist' pull through despite having rather weak songwriting behind them.
In my humble opinion, the two songs that easily sum up the album are the epic 'In Hiding' and the dark 'Do The Evolution'. While the former is a gentle ballad with a powerful, heartfelt chorus, the latter is the definition of fury and angst. Together, they show both sides of the album, and stand as some of Pearl Jam's best work to date.
Overall, Yield shows Pearl Jam straying away from their experimental side in favour of a more mainstream approach, one that they had attempted with Ten. Most of the songs stand out on their own, and the band members seem to work together very well. The two hard rock songs stand out as some of the best the band has ever done, while the songs that meld ballads and hard rock also stand out as a new approach by Vedder and co.
Recommended Tracks:
-Brain Of J
-Given To Fly
-Do The Evolution
-In Hiding
-MFC
-Low Light
