On the album's opener, the guitar of "Life Wasted" lashes in a way few Pearl Jam records had since Vitalogy. The awakening chorus of "I have faced it, A life wasted, I'm never going back again" (inspired by the death of Johnny Ramone), is all one needs to hear to know that the 2006 version of Pearl Jam was its closest to the screaming vengeance that they entered the music world with in 1991. Followed immediately with the beseeching "World Wide Suicide", this sounded and felt like the Pearl Jam everyone came to love in the early 90's. Beneath the politically stinging lyrics is the dominance of a band that appears to have been (excuse the cliché)…reborn. The album's five opening numbers find the band rummaging through their past where the musical melodies and stripped emotions rose to heights further humanizing the songs, making them more accessible and triumphant. On previous records, the band's music felt held back or was delivered in muddled arrangements that weren't as welcoming as they could have been. Here on Pearl Jam the band is at their most potent; Matt Cameron's drums haven't been this imposing since he was with Soundgarden, Jeff Ament's bass booms in sync with Cameron's drive while guitarists Mike McCready and Stone Gossard's guitars explode with alternative blissfulness throughout all of the album's thirteen songs. As far as vocalist Eddie Vedder goes, his lyrics jump out at you and grab hold as his primordial vocals entrench themselves in you, stirring you up in the process. The irony of Pearl Jam's music for most of its career throughout the 1990's is that the state of the world, while not perfect, was in good shape. However, with a wars raging and political differences at the forefront of every American's minds, Pearl Jam channeled their frustrations and fury into their most contemplative and piercing collections of songs in over a decade.

"Comatose" is indomitable featuring Vedder at his most vicious, "Severed Hand" finds the performances intense and throbbing while "Unemployable" is rudimentary yet features a digestible element that makes it feel like a return to form for Pearl Jam, especially when Vedder ever so gorgeously hails the lyric "I'm still alive" hearkening back to their monster anthem from their debut, Ten. Three of the album's ballads, "Parachutes, "Gone" and "Come Back" are among their most elegiac. The breathy intimacy of each of these songs weaves simple but astute tales that the listener can wrap themselves up in. When performed in concert, "Gone" and "Come Back" became arm-waving lighter anthems that everyone could partake in. What's most invigorating about these three ballads are that they were immediately accessible upon a first listen. Most bands turn down the volume as they age and Pearl Jam seemed to be following this path, until this album. While I always knew Pearl Jam would remain a band who always made virtuous music and would put on great shows, I wasn't sure they had a record as turbocharged as Pearl Jam left in them. But more importantly, this record showcases more than a volume button turned to 11, but an ever evolving maturity, gracefulness in aging and coming to terms with yourself.

Merging momentous lyrics, burning performances and melodic choruses made a dynamic return to the forefront for Pearl Jam. After declining to give in to their inner classic rock strengths for over a decade, they finally relented in 2006 making a record that was unquestionably Pearl Jam. Beginning with No Code in 1996, the band appeared to be an exclusive club where the music by and large only spoke to the select few. I don't blame them for turning their back on the mainstream. In fact, it ensured their legacy. While other acts were chasing their success and becoming prisoners to it, Pearl Jam let their music and their live shows do the talking. Despite turning their back on the machine, I can't help but wish they made more accessible music, but with Pearl Jam it didn't just exhibit that the band still mattered and was evolving, but was potently alive.