Pearl Jam... something sweeter, but strong as ever

It would seem obvious, but new album Backspacer showcases the sound of modern rock's finest sextet easing gracefully into middle age. Gradually, they're losing the dark, heavy edge to the sound, focussing more on the songs and writing and less on mood and power (... a string section? ... horns? ... backing vocals?... is this really our Pearl Jam?). Gossard's guitar often uses a shimmering chorus effect to sound brighter and lighter, Vedder's vocals are high in the mix and strong. The production is clean and wide. One is tempted to expect an outbreak of haircuts. The main surprise is the length, an almost rudely abrupt 45minutes, which, now I write that suggests some relatively tight, no-nonsense editing of arrangments.

Throughout there's nothing in particular we haven't heard before, but then, why should they change it? The album displays the breadth of Pearl Jam's musical wellsprings - from turbo-charged honky-tonk stompers "Gonna See My Friend" and "Supersonic", through driving groove-rock, to the soulful ballads we love just as much.

"Got Some" is taught and pounding, perhaps the most old-school piece included. Headline single - "The Fixer" - on the other hand is pure pop, Dave Grohl-style, complete with crowd friendly singalong "Yeah yeah yeah.." chorus - don't let anyone tell you this is new either, they've never strayed too far from a decent hook. The Vedder-led accoustic "Just Breathe", with a slight country skip to it, hints that perhaps his voice (an alto?) is not merely as strong as ever, but is actually improving with time.

For the second half, "Amongst the Waves", "Unknown Thought", "Speed of Sound" and "Force of Nature" are boilerplated Pearl Jam classics, riding on solid grooves laid by the Cameron-Ament-Gossard axis, Vedder and McCready trading lines.

Closer "The End" again slows the pulse, centred on Vedder's vocals with accoustic and strings as backing, it's almost a lullaby. You just hope they'll never stop.