IN REVIEW: Pearl Jam - "Lightning Bolt"

It wouldn't have surprised anyone, myself included, if Pearl Jam had gone through the motions for the rest of their career; between three perfectly fine studio albums that nonetheless lacked in sense of adventure and staying power and the nostalgia trip that came with the band's twentieth anniversary, Pearl Jam haven't given all that much in the way of surprises in the last decade and change.

Lightning Bolt, their tenth album, is full of them.

The four years since Backspacer have provided ample time for the band to deliver this album, and though it hasn't been easy for fans to wait so long it's certainly beneficial to the record as a final product. Most satisfying is the adventurousness, which returns in spades; nearly every one of the dozen tracks sees them trying something they haven't before.

It's pointless to list all of the detours they take on Lightning Bolt; suffice to say, there are plenty of moments to make even the most seasoned fan say in disbelief, "this is Pearl Jam?" Let's just say you likely won't be accusing them of rehashing past hits very often and leave it at that.

What's perhaps more surprising is the cohesion of Lightning Bolt, considering its genre-hopping nature and the fact that it was basically recorded during two separate sessions two years apart. That they pull it all together to create a whole that makes sense of its parts is a testament to their professionalism.

I need to spend a lot more time with this record before passing final verdict, but as of this moment I'm inclined to heartily welcome back Pearl Jam and congratulate them on stretching their sound out at a time when it would have been far easier to fall back on past glories. But, then, they've never taken the easy way, have they?

October 15, 2013 • Monkeywrench/Republic

Highlights Mind Your Manners • Sirens • Pendulum

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