Album Review: Lightning Bolt by Pearl Jam

In the very first track on Lightning Bolt, entitled Getaway, vocalist Eddie Vedder says "Sometimes you find yourself being told to change your ways". Ironic coming from the frontman for Pearl Jam, a band which hasn't had to worry about pleasing people since, well, when was Ten released? Pearl Jam have long held a dominant place in the music industry, a place that has left them one of the few rock acts capable of selling records by the hundreds of thousands. They're perfectly capable of calling the shots, and yet evidentally there's some kind of pressure on the band, enough so at least that Vedder felt the need to sing about it. Well, as ridiculous as that concept might seem, Eddie Vedder could sing pages of the phonebook and make them seem like Biblical texts being sung by angels, so a few ridiculous sentiments won't hurt anyone, and judging by the content of Lightning Bolt the band hasn't caved to anyone. This tenth studio album fits right into the niche carved out by the stalwart Seattle songwriters, to the delight of their fans and to the irritation of whatever detractors they have left.

As someone who can fit into either camp depending on the specific album, I'm left torn in this specific case.

There's nothing really wrong with Lightning Bolt, but unfortunately there's not much that stands out about it either. The best song on the album, an early rocker entitled My Father's Son, feels like it would've ended up a B-side on just about any of the band's earlier albums. Eddie's voice shines on the usual ballads like Sirens and Yellow Moon, but none of the lyrics leave much of a lasting impression. What's worse about the ballads is, in a horrible decision in terms of the album's pacing, three of them are saved for a back to back to back closing of the album. Pearl Jam hasn't really rested on its laurels yet, although Lord knows it could've been. Their last album, 2009's Backspacer, was a somewhat unusually frenetic and energetic affair, so to find so much of this album leaving a general impression of lethargy is that much more disappointing. Undoubtedly, fans will rush out to buy this and cause a sensational opening number that will suggest a successful disc, but I really wonder what lasting effect any of these songs will have on the fanbase. Will people be clamoring to Let the Records Play in a few years, or will they let the majority of these tracks fall by the wayside in favor of more vintage numbers? While I can't say I would be offended to see any of these songs pop up on a setlist, it saddens me to ultimately come to a point where their inclusion would mean nothing to me, a sentiment that is rare for this band.