pearl jam, /backspacer/

[rone]

Backspacer is easily Pearl Jam's most disappointing album.  Unlike Vs. or Vitalogy, the problem here isn't some gems buried among unsuccessful experiments; its biggest flaw is laziness.  "The Fixer", their first single, was promising due to its somewhat different sound from previous albums; when you hear the whole album, though, what stands out is how similar it is to the most of the other tracks: it's short, structurally simple, and lacking any musical depth.  The whole album lasts less than 37 minutes.  It's not a bad album, i suppose, but it's certainly not good.  It's eminently forgettable (Results 1 - 100 of about 71,200 for "eminently forgettable"; does that qualify it as a cliché?).  "Just Breathe" sounds like it would be much more at home on an Eddie Vedder solo album.  They'd better pick up their game on the next album.