I am not the most enthusiastic or the most knowledgeable fan of Pearl Jam, a band that basically aspired to be Nirvana. And maybe they could have been if they actually invested in a music video or two and didn't blow off interviews and press appearances. Pearl Jam is certainly difficult to categorize. Some songs are mellow, '70s style rockers, an annoying amount feature Eddie Vedder scream-singing, and most are grungy, forgettable '90s rejects. Plus, I'll never forgive Vedder for wasting an entire solo album on ukelele songs (I mean, the songs were decent, but the ukelele simply cannot be taken seriously). Obviously, I prefer the subdued vocals of "Better Man" and anything from the stunning and sparse Into the Wild soundtrack to the growl of "Why Go", but it's pretty amazing that one band (and one singer) can pull off songs on both sides of the spectrum.
Personal prejudices aside, I respect Vedder's extreme versatility as a vocalist and a lyricist. I understand that a person cannot choose his or her natural vocal range, but if I were a man, I'd certainly want Vedder's smooth baritone so I could cut through all of the whiny Vampire Weekend and Mumford & Sons crap clogging radio air time. Because Vedder and Co. is capable of writing songs that fall under so many different sub genres of rock, I am curious to see which direction the band has chosen to lean towards on Lightning Bolt.
image: stereogum.com
The first single, "Mind Your Manners" is less than promising and alarmingly Green Day-esque, although it does have some redeeming moments, including the introductory riff and the chorus at 1:10. But after reading on Spin that at least one of Vedder's unreleased solo songs is on the album, I'm hopeful that with Lightning Bolt a compromise will be momentarily reached among the band's many facets.
No comments:
Post a Comment