With Nirvana's lost single "You Know You're Right" getting massive airplay and Soundgarden's Chris Cornell collaborating with the former members of Rage Against The Machine in Audioslave, rock listeners seem nostalgic for the early '90s and the Seattle grunge scene. What better time for Pearl Jam, the only major band still intact from the days of flannel, to release their new album?
Alas, listeners hoping to hear the sonic fury featured on classic albums like "Ten" and "Vitalogy" will be disappointed with "Riot Act." While Pearl Jam is still talented from a musical and songwriting standpoint, the album lacks that fire that made the band great to begin with.
The album's main faults lie not in the songs, but in the way those songs are performed. A case in point is the fifth track, "Ghost." While it features a driving rhythm section and decent guitar work from Stone Gossard and Mike McCready, there's something missing. Eddie Vedder has the opportunity to really growl, but doesn't. Gossard and McCready's guitar solos don't scream the way they could. The result is that "Ghost" has great potential but is only a slightly-better-than-average song.
There are several other points on the album where the band sounds restrained. Many songs on the album fall just short of exploding into powerful rock recordings. The band sounds like it is holding something back and isn't letting loose like it is capable of doing. Eddie Vedder is one of the most passionate vocalists in the history of rock, and yet there are only two truly impassioned moments on the album. Perhaps these songs would sound better live, where the band has an audience whose energy they can feed off of. But sitting down and listening to them on the stereo, the songs just seem to lack that raw, unbridled force.
There are other songs that just don't work for Pearl Jam. While the band has always been inspired by the likes of The Ramones and Minor Threat, songs like "Get Right" and "Green Disease" sound closer to straight-up punk than the blend of styles Pearl Jam does so well. Consequently, odd as it may sound, the group is too talented to pull off this kind of fodder.
However, "Riot Act" does have its good moments. If there's an emotion that Pearl Jam still conveys well, it's desperation, and all of the songs that take on that tone are strong. The second track, "Save You," features a great guitar riff, solid drumming from Matt Cameron, and a passionate vocal delivery from Vedder that includes the both of the aforementioned screams.
The dreary "Love Boat Captain" is musically haunting and foreboding, matching its lyrical commentary on love and loss. Yet there is hope in the lyrics, as Vedder alludes to another famous song about love: "Love boat captain/Take the reigns and steer us towards the clear, here/It's already been sung but it can't be said enough/All you need is love."
The hypnotic "Help Help" is reminiscent of the early days of Radiohead, with its creative mixture of acoustic guitars, Hammond organ and quirky computerized noises. Over all this, Vedder begs for somebody to help him fight against "the man they call my enemy/I've seen his eyes/He looks like me." It's a showing of unfettered emotion that isn't evident on much of the rest of the album.
Oddly enough, the strongest track on the album sounds the least like the Pearl Jam of old. "Thumbing My Way" is a surprisingly tender acoustic country ballad written solely by Vedder. It's a sad song of regret and redemption featuring heartfelt lyrics like, "All the rusted signs we ignore throughout our lives/Choosing the shiny ones instead/I turned my back/Now there's no turning back." Yet at the same time there is a hopeful refrain of "No matter how cold the winter/There's a springtime ahead." It's not necessarily what you'd expect from Pearl Jam, but it's a great song that seems ripe for covering by an elder statesman of country like Johnny Cash or Willie Nelson.
Unfortunately, the standout songs are few and far between on "Riot Act." The elements for a great rock record are there, but they never create sparks. While the title promises the full-throttle powerhouse music that put Pearl Jam and the rest of the Seattle scene on the map 10 years ago, this album can't be judged by its cover.
