I've been wanting to mention Eddie Vedder's new solo record for some time now. "Earthling" is an incredibly melodic, radio friendly collection of songs that wears the artist's influences on its sleeve. That is not a bad thing.
Pearl Jam has always been hit or miss for me and the problem usually begins with the songs. If you look at the tracklist of their two volume "Greatest Hits" LPs, you will see what I think is all you need by the band---all the right songs with all the right hooks. Pearl Jam are great players, and I really do believe they are an elite band. But I start to grow impatient the deeper I dive into Pearl Jam's catalogue. I mostly prefer the singles. And as unpopular as this opinion may be, I think "Backspacer" is the best record Pearl Jam has ever made. It feels like an Eddie Vedder solo project. It's more focused than most PJ records. It's shorter than most PJ records. And it feels like a lot more fun than most PJ records.
Maybe that is why I love "Earthling."
"Earthling" plays like a greatest hits of classic radio, with songs that have obvious nods to Tom Petty, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen and Lennon & McCartney.
This record got better with each spin. I'm glad it took so long to write about it. Now I feel sure it will end up on my Top 10 of 2022.
5 comments:
I really dig Backspacer too. This proves we're not hardcore Pearl Jam fan, though I too admire them.
P.S. I'm in London!
Eddie Vedder is someone I barely know, but I like.
I was in Seattle about a month after Kurt's suicide. I went to a local watering hole and saw a terrible band play on a stage once inhabited by all the ones that mattered.
Graffiti in the bathroom:
"It sure hurt about Kurt,
It would have been better,
if it had been Vedder"
Eddie didn't, and doesn't, deserve that.
These songs do sound good. I was never a fan, but I will check out the album now. I wondered if it was a cover of the entire Bowie album when I first heard of its release.
I agree that Pearl Jam have some excellent songs. I find their acoustic stuff better than the electric; the acoustic songs have better hooks. On these new solo efforts, the vocals remind me of Cat Stevens (Mrs Mills) and Tom Petty (the chorus of Long Way).
For me, Eddie Vedder's best work was with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (with help from Ry and Joachim Cooder, among others) with songs for the film Dead Man Walking. I'd love to hear more in this direction from Eddie. Sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEyYSmjOFXM
- Paul in DK
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