By Matt Murray

There was a time before Pearl Jam embraced their activism a bit too strongly; a time when the Seattle-based grunge band wrote poignant lyrics about relatable, transcendent topics rather than attacking politicians. The fun, relevant albums faded away at the turn of the millennium with the introduction of the Bush administration. However, when regimes changed, so did Pearl Jam’s muse, making ‘Backspacer’ the group’s best album in over ten years.

Over the span of their two-decade career, Pearl Jam has made it crystal clear that their art was to be dictated by no one. For years the group boycotted Ticketmaster for upping ticket prices on their fans. They refused to make a music video for much of the ‘90s, feeling that it distracted from the message in their songs. It just so happened this passion and disregard for mainstream trends allowed Pearl Jam to experiment with their sound over the course of their career. ‘Backspacer’ finds Pearl Jam coming full circle, returning to the days of ‘”Ten” and “Vs.”

Lead vocalist, Eddie Vedder, has always worn his heart on his sleeve, and for nearly a decade his emotions were wrapped up in the politics of the era. While Vedder was passionate about his displeasure for the Bush administration, nothing the band composed was half as haunting as the idiosyncratic lyrics that pervaded Pearl Jam’s first two albums.

While ‘Backspacer’ isn’t haunting, it is personal. Vedder deals with love, loss and the realization that life doesn’t go on forever. The last line of the album embraces all three of these concepts as Vedder passionately sings, “Dear, the end comes near. I’m here, but not much longer.”

The return to form allows Vedder to flex not only his lyrical muscle, but the quality of his voice is the best it has been in years. This plays an integral role in the sonic success of the album as Pearl Jam lives and dies by Vedder’s vocals. Songs like ‘Johnny Guitar’ and ‘The Fixer’ allow him to showcase the baritone punch that helped mold grunge music itself.

The fast paced rockers aren’t the only songs that allow Pearl Jam to shine on this album. The ballad “Just Breathe” offers an intermission from the heavy rockers that bookend it as Vedder expresses his gratitude for those he loves, “I’m a lucky man, to count on both hands the ones I love. Some folks just have one, while others they got none.”

After 20 years together, not only is Pearl Jam showing no signs of slowing down, but they in fact may be picking up steam. ‘Backspacer’ will be in stores on Tuesday.

Key Tracks: “The Fixer” “Just Breathe” “Force of Nature”