Tier 1:
Scared of Fear - Pearl Jam just doesn't miss when it comes to album openers. Great chorus, Mike and Matt are on fire. Love the "setting sun" lyric.
Wreckage - Might be my early favorite. Eddie really shines here - especially on the "holding on, holding out" lines.
Won't Tell - I tend to gravitate more toward mid-tempo PJ these days, and this song is right in the sweet spot.
Upper Hand - What an awesome intro - would be a cool way to open a show (or maybe an encore). And then when that second half kicks it up - man oh man.
Something Special - Had really low expectations for this - figured it would be in the "Future Days"/"The Haves" category for me. But... I think I love it. The lyrics are cheese, but the band sounds great. I love Mike's guitar tone. It's catchy as hell. And as a new dad, I can't help singing it to my daughter. Maybe I've softened in my old age?
Setting Sun - I said earlier that PJ doesn't miss on album openers. They rarely miss on closers. This is the best closer since "All Or None". Love the drums, love they lyrics, love everything about this. "Let us not fade" - damn, what a way to end it.
Tier 2:
React, Respond - Cool intro. Jeff sounds great. Chorus is a little boring, but I like the different ways Eddie sings it.
Dark Matter - Loved it initially, but may have burned it out during the last month or so. Definitely works better in the context of the album. Great gym playlist song.
Waiting For Stevie - Where Something Special was helped by low expectations, the opposite is happening here. Don't get me wrong, I think this is a great song but it hasn't clicked for me the way it has for others here. Trying to pin down why that is, and I think I have it. The song has everything we loved about early PJ, except a 25 year old Eddie singing. I love "Breath", "Hold On", etc. and he's really the star of the show on those. Not a knock on Ed (I think he's fantastic on this record), but I think this song's more suited for a younger version of him. I dunno? Hopefully it'll grow more on me. Mike and Matt are insane on this one.
Got To Give - The "Hard to Handle" drums always throw me off for a second. Eddie loves The Boss, I love The Boss, this sounds like Pearl Jam doing a Springsteen song, and I'm all for it.
This is the first album in 20 years where I won't skip a single song. Eddie really stays within his limits and sounds fantastic throughout. Some really nice backing vocals, too. I saw someone mention that Watt really encouraged them to show off on this one, and that's really evident with Mike and Matt. They're playing their asses off. If there's one takeaway here it's that the band needs to always record this way in the future. I think Stone described it as "destroying each other's art". Taking each members ideas and molding them into something greater. The result is fantastic. Thank you Pearl Jam for giving me goosebumps again.
** Rankings are subject to change.
