rone | oysters stuck in traffic

Pearl Jam is a band that people like to dis because they came along during the rise of grunge and 'alternative' rock, because they got political early, because they shunned the spotlight, because they've supposedly never come close to the Rightness of their first album, Ten. I've purchased each of their albums (and many of their singles), and i recall how disappointed i was with Vs., and frustrated by Vitalogy, but every successive album has gotten better.

Riot Act is a really good album. The songs roll; the Ament-Cameron groove delineated perfectly, marvelous and precise guitars from Gossard and McCready, and above them Vedder's vocals lay on the final touch. The lyrics are sharp, funny, touching -- as good as ever. It is most similar in feel and structure to No Code: the first track isn't a rocker, but rather sets the tone for the whole album; the second track then becomes the bang that gets us going; the non-traditional tracks, a common Pearl Jam gamble, all succeed in my opinion; and the albums both end in a quiet song which wraps up the album, with no hidden track. The songs support each other, lending each other energy wherever it's needed. Of special note is "You Are", which features synthesized guitar from McCready (i read that it was piped through a drum machine), plus rhythm guitars from Cameron (!).

Don't expect Pearl Jam to put out another Ten. But recognize that this is the sort of music that will be called "classic rock" in another 20 years, because it is classic, and it rocks. So, pretend it's some other band you've never heard of, if you must, but give it a listen.