Binaural by Pearl Jam
Fantastic
Pearl Jam lowered its profile after becoming a worldwide musical
phenomenon in the early 90s, pulling back from the touring, radio, and
press fronts. And this diverse 13-song outing, lacking another Alive or
Better Man, isnt the album to thrust Pearl Jam back into the limelight.
Binaural kicks out the jams with a grandiosity worthy of the Who, as Pearl
Jam roars through the loose, raucous two-minute-plus opener Breakerfall
and into another brief rave-up, Gods Dice. Quickly, though, the loud MC5-
style guitar outpourings that begin PJs seventh album (and first to feature
former Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron) morph into the edgy, taut
Evacuation and the midtempo Light Years. The spare, mournful Nothing as
It Seems (with lyrics and music by bassist Jeff Ament), Thin Air, and the
lilting Parting Ways all reflect romantic introspection. Eddie Vedder s
poignant ukulele-accompanied Soon Forget is an affecting aside, and the
rollicking Insignificance and Middle Eastern-tinged Of the Girl are all
noteworthy. Thats a strong lineup, but Binaural nevertheless falls short of
the heights this talented group scaled in the past. --Katherine Turman
Binaural is a good disc, plus songs by itself, rather than their production.
Perhaps in an attempt to make an album darker and sinister, Pearl Jam
has created an album with sound weird, sometimes stuffy and not always
so pleasant. Good songs like, Insignificance, Light Years, Breakefall,
among others, are whats special in that album without the brilliance of the
past.
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