The much maligned Pearl Jam released Riot Act in 2002, to the welcome of significantly fewer waiting fans than in their early 90s heyday. What has happened to this band is that, free of the shackles of the weight of being ‘voice of a generation’ is that they have loosened up (a little) and become possibly more enjoyable.
Not that they are ever exactly a barrel of laughs. Can’t Keep builds up but never quite reaches a climax but Save You is a loose and ragged rocker, leaving bits of itself over the place as it rampages along.
Things get darker with the solemn yet awfully titled Love Boat Captain, which starts quietly before building into a classic Pearl Jam anthem, referring to the tragic death of some of their fans at a concert in Roskilde. Cropduster is a mid-paced rocker with a big chorus, and I Am Mine is a kind dark, sea-shanty which sways to and fro nicely.
Pearl Jam always find time for a sensitive Eddie Vedder moment, and here it’s no different. Thumbing My Way is a beautifully sung lament that Bruce Springsteen would kill for. On the other extreme they bring in some machine-processed guitars for You Are. Here Vedder sounds as dismal as only he can as he groans “you are a tower of strength to me.”
Green Disease sounds like they were listening to The Strokes, while Vedder’s Lion King moment Arc is best forgotten. They save the best for last as they so often do with the bleak as f**k All Or None. “It’s a hopeless situation,” Vedder croons and you really believe him. Like the best Pearl Jam album closers, there’s a sense of finality to it.
Not necessarily a starting point for Pearl Jam. There are some strong songs here on this somewhat patchy album. This Riot Act’s not for reading, but not a bad listen.
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