Pearl Jam: “Backspacer” on Monkeywrench/Universal Records

4 out of 5 stars

Pearl Jam was possibly the biggest American rock band of the 90’s, and the band’s previous album, Pearl Jam, saw them fittingly returning to form.  Follow-up Backspacer takes the band to similarly strong levels, but with the fun of new wave and pop influences.  Most of the music swings with flavor, groove, and the strength Pearl will always present, but in 2009, the people removed from the days of grunge music won’t necessarily care for singer Eddie Vedder’s legendary but grating voice.  Single “The Fixer” sees Vedder producing some catchy lines, but he also hums some typical melodies, all over sounds that have trouble finding their rightful spot in the musical spectrum.  The lyrics, however, are always spot on.  “I’m a lucky man to count the ones I love on both hands,” one of the most potent lines on the album, shows Vedder’s capabilities for filling both the slow songs and the party songs with philosophical yearnings.  But even when the vocals become too hard to swallow, the music always shines as the album’s silver lining, melding Pearl Jam’s most fun album ever.