Let there be no doubt: Backspacer is a great Pearl Jam album. Everything the fans have come to expect over the years is here, from frontman Eddie Vedder’s trademark growl to Mike McCready’s expert lead guitar work.
Things are kicked off by the driving, in your face “Gonna See my Friend,” opening with an explosive riff that sets the stage for Vedder’s vocals. There is a range, though, demonstrated by the vulnerable “Just Breathe.” The ballad stands out as the record’s best track, but it doesn’t stray far from the softer fare Pearl Jam has attempted in the past.
Lyrically, Backspacer is an oddball compared to the band’s older material. Gone is the angst-filled subject matter of Pearl Jam’s early days, when Vedder used to sing about his daddy issues. Instead, the songs are full of optimism: for example, Vedder proudly declares on “Amongst the Waves,” “Up riding high amongst the waves/I can feel like I/Have a soul that has been saved,” and it only gets cheerier from there. It’s a relief that he’s not whining anymore, but the transition to sappiness is sudden and unnatural.
Backspacer also has a killer flow. It kicks off with four upbeat, hard-rocking songs, and then abruptly changes to a more subtle, introspective atmosphere for the next four or so tracks, with the last three ending up somewhere in between. As jarring as the transitions were, the pacing serves to keep the album from getting stale.
Despite all this, Backspacer is not perfect. Although the songs are effective, they aren’t distinctive; it’s hard to recall particular examples beyond the overall feel of the album. The record doesn’t push the envelope, but it’s still a satisfying rendition of the tried and true Pearl Jam formula.
—Jose Lamazares
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