(Epic)
The first thing you notice about Pearl Jam's latest is that once again they've held nothing back in the packaging. The CD set unfolds almost to LP size, with a mess of small Polaroid photos on one side and studio photos on the other. There are two sleeves, one containing he CD, the other a set of Polaroid-size photos with the songs' lyrics on the back. It's one of the most impressive packages ever.
The music inside is hardly a disappointment. No Code packs in thirteen new songs, ranging from raunchy rockers to pleasant ballads. The sound is top-notch, clean and sharp, and the band is in fine form. Each musician shines individually, but what makes the album work is how beautifully they play together, particularly in the way Mike McCready's and Stone Gossard's guitar parts interweave and complement each other. Eddie Vedder is in fine voice, perhaps more in control than on previous albums. The ballad "Off He Goes," one of the album's high points, requires a restrained, not-too-emotional reading, and Vedder nails it. Then, when the album explodes into the raucous "Habit," his voice cracks and soars just as it should.
Perhaps most impressive are the lyrics themselves, all of which have a strong emotional resonance. I avoided reading along with the lyrics the first few times I listened to the album, just to get my own interpretations of the songs, and was impressed. But almost every track took on new dimension and meaning when I read the lyrics. There's less of the strident polemics of Vitalogy; these are songs about feelings, and that makes them connect even more strongly.
There are some rhythmic variations from the usual Pearl Jam fare here, partially due to new drummer Jack Irons, and partially due to the influence (presumably) of Nusrat Fateh Ali Kahn, who has been collaborating with Eddie Vedder on side projects. The latter is most notable on the single "Who You Are," but it's not an overwhelming influence; it still sounds like Pearl Jam. There's also a definite influence from Neil Young, whose trademark sound is evident throughout - Pearl Jam worked with him recently, too, on Mirror Ball.
But still, the sound of No Code is distinctively Pearl Jam's and that, for the most part, is alright.
And now, a tangent.
After listening to this album a couple of dozen times, I've become obsessed with what it doesn't do. What I wanted it to do. What I think it doesn't do is speak to the future. It doesn't take us anywhere we haven't been, or point us anywhere new.
Perhaps it's unfair to expect or demand such a thing from any pop album, and I didn't begin listening to this one with that goal in mind. But the thought keeps returning.
Kurt Cobain taught us that to take the pressures of pop artistry too seriously is a tragic mistake, but he was, I believe, aware that his obsessive nature (with artistic integrity, history, family, etc.) was part of his brilliance. He wanted to be great, to lead us, and he did. But the pressure he put on himself ended up destroying him.
Eddie Vedder is a great singer, performer and songwriter. He, too, has an inate understanding of the balance between the art and the artifice of success, as well as the trappings of fame that proved fatal to Kurt. Vedder and his bandmates take great pains to stay true to their beliefs, drawing lines that Kurt didn't - no more videos, fuck Ticketmaster, etc. These are admirable concerns, but in the end, it's what's on tape that counts.
And when all that other stuff is long forgotten, we'll still have these CDs. And while I can't begin to guess where music will take us in the next few months, years and decades, I'm beginning to believe we're approaching the end of an era.
I'm going to say it again, just to be clear: No Code is a very good record. I enjoyed it a lot, and will continue to listen to it. I just wish I thought it meant something more. k
