Review Summary: Pearl Jam decide to release an album where the entertainment value is all the way up to 11.
Ten is one of the best albums of all-time. It's a poetic, thought-provoking, grunge classic that will age like the finest of wines... and with that comes Backspacer which isn't poetic, rarely thought-provoking, and definitely not of any classic-status. But, this is the "Fun Time With PJ" record we've all been invited to, and the album thankfully entertains with a big-toothed grin.
Starting off with a party-rocking track like "Gonna See My Friend" was a good idea, but it may leave some confused about the album's overall quality because of its complete lack of sense. All you need to know is that they clearly want to see their friend then go away and make a cheesy, but humorous, "Black"-reference while doing so ("Hot as a statue / Black as a tattoo" ROTFLMAO). There's no real reason or purpose in seeing this friend, but the audience can follow because they are obviously motivated.... Luckily, the next track is so much better.
"Got Some" is actually the best track on the CD with it's jet-fast, drum-kickin' intro leading into Vedder's bouncy and rising vocal performance. The lyrics are hardly up to par with even "Just Breathe"s, but it's the songs absolute straight-forwardness that pushes it over the edge. It's not a song that's trying to be artsy, melodramatic, or anything much for that matter. Plainly, the song has "got some if you need it" and maybe that's what makes it so fetching. It's a track that is constantly building and it reaches one of the best musical climaxes ever when the lyrics become completely impossible to interpret because of the intensity of Vedder's delivery and then it leaves you 100% satisfied with it's powerhouse energy. Somehow, the album is able to keep up with "Got Some"s energy by leading into songs like "The Fixer" and "Supersonic", but it's Eddie who keeps the train chugging away.
Eddie Vedder is one of the best vocalists of all-time with his blustering-deep voice. The lyrics pushed in Backspacer aren't the finest we've seen from the band (especially coming off of songs like "Gonna See My Friend" and "Got Some"), but there are some exceptions. For instance, "Just Breathe" sounds like a track pulled right from the Into The Wild soundtrack, in which Vedder went solo for, with it's delicate country-feel and heartfelt lyrics: "Did I say that want you / Did I say that I need you / What if I did and I'm a fool you see / No one knows this more than me / As I come clean / Ah-ah". While the lyrics aren't up to par with Pearl Jam's past efforts, they do allow the band to kick back and simply make the finest, catchiest rock possible.
"Supersonic" is a second-tier version of "Got Some", but it's a solid track where loudness makes up for some of the lighter tracks before it like "Amongst The Waves" which is note-worthy because of its crafty lyrics: "What used to be a house of cards / Has turned into a reservoir / Save the tears that were water-falling / Let's go swim tonight, darling". After listening to a song like "Amongst The Waves", looking at a song title like "Speed of Sound" might give you the idea of expecting it to be the fastest track on the CD. But, to some shock, it's a very straight-forward track with easy to comprehend lyrics and a simplistic musical set-up that makes it pale in comparison to a track like "Got Some" or "Supersonic" because it sounds like the "been there, done that" Pearl Jam that we hardly know. The track is a disappointment with this in mind because it isn't incredibly memorable and doesn't do much but add to the diversity of the album (think of the lazy "guy with acoustic guitar" genre but with Eddie Vedder).
Diversity is something of a detractor to this album's overall quality because it lacks the consistency of albums like Ten.
Still, even with it's flaws, Backspacer is a superb album from the classic 90s band. While tracks like "Speed of Sound" and "Force of Nature" don't quite work, tracks like "Got Some" and "Just Breathe" work to a tee. Again, the album is superb and it has a beautiful, yet haunting, bookend to boot. "I'm here / But not much longer".
