I don't listen to much of anything on this shelf anymore, but that doesn't mean I'm here to intentionally rip on bands I'm no longer into or never liked. Nope nope. This journal is operating under the Fair Shake Doctrine: insert the CD...listen...take it in...blah blah blah...
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Pearl Jam -
Backspacer (2009)
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The Skinny (aka First Impressions): This is my first time listening to
Backspacer, and just by holding it in my hands it feels more "rocky" than
Lightning Bolt. The album art is essentially psychedelic and pop art mixed together. Similar format, in book style. I notice that the bottom right pic on the album front is an artist's rendition of Evelyn McHale, which I only recognize due to people talking about it on MB, actually. And each of those cover pics get their own foldout inside.
CD Insertion Time: Holy cow I forgot all about interactive CDs. On the menu pop-up are links to concert downloads, Pearl Jam news, wallpaper downloads, band pics and more. I tried hitting the "Play CD" option only to receive an error message. No wonder I have always thought enhanced CDs were gimmicky and clunky as ****. Anyway, I kicked out of that and opened it in Media Player instead.
Album Time: Hmmm. This sounds a lot less listless than
Lightning Bolt was. Much more put-together as a "rock" album. I am just going to call it rock and not get super into what's the subgenre of a subgenre's genre. I was never good at breaking down rock music, anyway, especially when it comes to layers of guitar-work. Heavy on music sheet analysis, my reviews will not be. The mastering sounds better to me as well, but I might like it because "it sounds louder, bro."
I actually think this album could grow on me in a way I knew
Lightning Bolt was never, ever going to do. "Gonna See My Friend" and "The Fixer" have catchy parts that you can sing. Song #5 ("Just Breathe") cues your standard sad, slow ballad radio song which tends to put me to sleep. Like a lot of albums, additional slow- to mid-tempo songs were added to give things some balance, even if they end up sounding like filler in the end. Lyrically, I'm OK with things...some pain in the far-off distance, that's not touchable + feelings of emptiness and that kind of thing, but it's not overcooked. I mean, it's not like you come to Pearl Jam expecting to get Celine Dion. Ultimately, there are no bangers here, but that wasn't my expectation -- and isn't -- for any of Pearl Jam's later material.
Final Tally: Pearl Jam is still having fun here; they don't sound like a band in decline. Although it's a bit too jammy and slowey for me, I can give
Backspacer some respect for what it is.
Backspacer gets 2.75 Eddie Vedders out of 5.
