• Share

Now that George Bush is no longer in office, Pearl Jam can do what they do best: rock.  Their previous albums, Riot Act and Pearl Jam, were laced with political agenda and made for some bad listening.  With Backspacer the band sounds like they have grown up a bit but want to get out there and have a good time.

The first three tracks, “Gonna See My Friend”, “Got Some” and lead single “The Fixer”, grab you better than anything else they’ve put out in a decade.  “Johnny Guitar” and “Supersonic” also have some great riffs that will appease skeptics.  There are a few slower mid-tempo songs, “Just Breathe” and  “Force of Nature”, but that is to be expected by a band that has aged.

Two things of note: the album is under 37 minutes long, which makes it a fast listen, and this is the first album on their own label.  The band made a deal with Target to release their album along with other independent stores across the country.  Target seemed to hit the market they wanted and have the right specifications the band wanted to work with.

Aside from all of that, this album is a much more mature release for Pearl Jam.  There are songs that want to have fun but also remind you that these guys do have families and need to keep that in mind.  I know, I want them to make angry long songs too, however, these songs are much better to listen to and have that urgency of their earlier work.  This is the closest Pearl Jam has come to putting out a punk record, and they do a great job.  Every band hits roadblocks, some recover, some never see the light again, Pearl Jam still is barreling ahead.