Can always count on McP to write something awesome.
I too was pleasantly surprised at how quickly Invincible grabbed me. I was instantly into it.
I'll reiterate what others have said too, the timing of this album is excellent. Gigaton came at a perfect time, and the message and mood it conveyed was perfect for that period. This Ed solo effort is exactly what I feel like I want and need right now. I've always felt that Vitalogy-No Code-Yield are my favorite PJ albums, and I'm generally most into the more introspective and moody PJ albums. But at this point in my life I find myself wanting that less. I don't know if it's mostly a matter of getting older and finding peace amidst the noise and tumult of life, craving joy and simplicity after a few years of repressive pain, or both. Regardless, an album this joyful and fun feels right, right about now.
McParadigm wrote:Eddie Vedder is 57.
At 57, both sides of the Pink Floyd camp were basically done. The Who were two geezers, two ghosts, and some harmless sonic shadow puppets on the wall…the survivors made timid records that echoed of a once tremendous idea. Zeppelin was almost a legend at 57…you heard the stories, but they were hazy and esoteric.
Joey Ramone and Joe Strummer had both died at 50. Bruce Springsteen at 57 was reaching the beginning of the end of his time as songwriting craft master. Dylan was moments away from sounding like the passage of time itself on Love and Theft, and Tom Waits was writing his (I assume) final, spottiest post-New York record.
For god’s sake, 57 is so old that U2 have not yet released an album since reaching that age. When they shuffled blockily onto that stage next to Tim Cooke and announced that their latest approach to clinging to relevance was a force-of-will mooshing of their new record onto everyone’s phones, they were younger than.
So when I say I had low expectations for this solo record, in spite of thinking that the last Pearl Jam album was the first essential addition to their catalog in 18 years, I feel like I’m describing a reasonable position. I haven’t bothered with Flag Day, I find the uke record to be a less “felt” recreation of old, beautiful demos, and nothing else he’s done alone since Wild has moved me.
I fully expected to listen to this newest entry twice or less.
The early singles only reenforced this perception. Long Way is a perfectly fine production of my least favorite side of Eddie Vedder: keeper of the rock and roll flame by way of cover and mimicry. Guy who hears the vaguest hint of a band he likes in a chord he just played, so he just goes ahead and writes one of their songs for himself.
Haves is also fine, but it sounds a bit like a song that got rightfully passed over by the Prince of Thieves production team in favor of a Bryan Adams demo. Brother the Cloud does have a powerful second half, but it’s basically just a fine album track on a record that I was just told had two great big shrugs on it.
Anyways, I was bummed. Here I’d heard almost 1/4 of the record, and all of it seemed to confirm my fears that Gigaton was (for at least one crucial member of the band) lightning in a bottle. Not only did I not seek a link when the leak dropped, but I almost didn’t get around to listening to it the day it dropped. There’s a new Spoon record after all, and my favorite podcast has a new episode. I’ll confirm my fears about Eddie Vedder later.
It took like 20 seconds of Invincible to change my mind.
I’m honestly astounded that this record is as good as it is. I’ve said this before: maybe his current approach to singing or songwriting (or even just the sound of these last two records) turns you off, but you can’t deny that he sounds inspired. Reckless. His muse is off the leash like it’s 1998, and his heart is in his throat like he’s been handed a Jackson 5 Christmas song.
Not one of these songs sound like they were written because someone needed to write a song. None of them is without some amount of genuine care or warmth. None lacks an intrinsic propulsion. For the first time since Yield, the guy singing the song constantly sounds like *he thinks he has an absolute banger to share*. It doesn’t hurt that he sounds better than any other arena rock singer approaching 60, hands down
It’s not always great. Some stretches sound like a collection of forgotten mid-90’s modern rock radio hits. I’m old. Those stretches are pathetically fun to me.
But I find more to like than most here in the comfortably-quaint stomps through tradition like Picture, and maybe a little less than others in some of the biggest rock singalongs. Basically, I find the first track to be incredible, and the rest to be a bunch of good album tracks. Better as a sum than parts.
I’m also unexpectedly glad that this was a collaborative experience. I think that’s better for Ed, and for us. He is a far more powerful artist when he is reacting to something, musical ideas included, and I think flexing that muscle with others in his solo work can only benefit him when That Fucking Band reconvenes. I don’t think time spent alone has been generally good for him…it tends to exact a cost on his approach to the band and to his muse. Even Into the Wild required an outside invention to react to.
I see this as a fantastic solo addition to a varied career library. Better than Empty Glass, but not as good as All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes. Also more inspired than 4 out of 5 Beatles solo records, and those guys were still in their 20’s and 30’s when they made a lot of those.
Reviewing dates tonight reminded me that George Harrison died at 58. Fucking hell.
