IN REVIEW: Eddie Vedder - "Earthling"

 

Listening to Eddie Vedder's third solo album planted a seed of wonder into my crazed Pearl Jam fan brain as it pertains to Gigaton, their 2020 album, something that hadn't clicked until I heard Earthling; I have to wonder if this whole Pearl Jam thing is any fun for Vedder anymore. Thinking back to the heavy-hearted, mostly solemn and super serious tracks on that album and comparing it to Earthling's wide-eyed, playful and exploratory energy, the latter record is starkly different not just from recent Pearl Jam records, but Vedder's other solo records as well.

Having previously only ventured outside his main gig for the folky, mostly acoustic Into the Wild soundtrack in 2007 and the gimmicky but sweet Ukulele Songs in 2011 (plus a handful of one-off singles), this time out Vedder's supported by an entirely new band of co-creators. Aided by producer Andrew Watt and Red Hot Chili Peppers alumni Josh Klinghoffer and Chad Smith (and a few notable guests, which we'll get to), Earthling is only a solo album in name; his bandmates share songwriting credits throughout the album, and that shows. Only The Haves, the tender acoustic ballad that comes at the album's mid-point, truly feels like a signature Eddie Vedder song, the rest of the album covering a wide range of styles and pulling influence from their players.

For the proof, listen to the way lead single Long Way, simply by featuring former Heartbreaker Benmont Tench, is transformed into a Tom Petty tribute, or how Ringo Starr's appearance on Mrs. Mills coincides with the most Beatles-sounding song Eddie Vedder has ever recorded (and he's released a faithful cover of You've Got To Hide Your Love Away, for Paul's sake). Picture, a duet featuring undisputed legend Elton John (and mercifully not a Kid Rock/Sheryl Crow cover), is unlike anything Vedder's ever attempted, a rollicking piano-mashing number that makes me wonder how Eddie would look in a feather boa. Even Try, the punkiest, fastest song on the record, is transported out of Vedder's realm by an absolutely smoking set of harmonica solos by Stevie Wonder.

That guest list is a trip, but what perhaps surprised me most about Earthling upon first listen was just how many upbeat numbers it offers; after Gigaton's glut of slow songs (and considering the sparseness of Vedder's past solo material), I was prepared for a slog. Hearing riffy, hard charging songs pepper the tracklist (such as the fist-pumping Power of Right, the righteous anger in Good and Evil and the shit-kicking new wave banger Rose of Jericho, in addition to the aforementioned Try) was a welcome surprise, and Vedder sounds like he's having a blast on them. Ditto the full-bodied excursion into arena pop Invincible, which floats in with synths and lightly plucked guitars as Eddie riffs a vibrant, possibly ad-libbed spoken word intro before opening up into a sky-reaching, life-affirming chorus.

Brother the Cloud, one of my favourites here, features an elastic lead and a fiery chorus. It packs emotional weight as well; a tribute to his half-brother, who tragically passed in a climbing accident in 2016, some fans have chosen to also interpret it as a tribute to Chris Cornell. Whatever the song's subject, it's a raw and emotional song that soars like nothing else on the record. It's followed by a pair of almost-as-solid tracks in the laid-back strummer Fallout Today and the summery, hard driving The Dark, the latter of which offers a glimpse of what Pearl Jam might have sounded like had they come around fifteen years later and been influenced by The Killers instead of The Who.

If it sounds like there's a lot happening here, it's because there is; I'm not sure I've ever heard a Vedder project cover so much ground. The thing is, as much as there is to grab hold of on Earthling, there wasn't really all that much that grabbed me; it's not a failure or a bad record, and I'm overall quite pleased with it, it's just feels more notable for its sonic shape shifting and its guests than the songs themselves. It's really great that Vedder gets to record with some of his musical heroes, but the songs that result from these collaborations aren't exactly high water marks for anyone involved.

I'm not sure how this stacks up with the rest of Vedder's discography, nor am I sure that I should even try to do so; it's such an outlier in terms of not just musical elements but overall mood, it's probably not fair to think about it in the context of anything else he's done. On its face, it's got some interesting ideas and cool moments that aren't essential to anyone's appreciation of the artists who made them, but I admire the looseness and fun factor of the album. It's genuinely heartwarming to hear Eddie having fun with this project, and I'd love to hear him take some of this mojo into a Pearl Jam album.

February 11, 2022 • Seattle Surf/Republic

Highlights Brother the Cloud • The Dark • Rose of Jericho