10 Best Hard Rock Albums Since 2010
8. Pearl Jam - Lightning Bolt
From the bands start in 1991, Pearl Jam had always tried to tinker with their sound with every record. While people loved the great riffs of albums like Ten and Vs., the band was not content with staying in that lane for long. With later releases, Eddie Vedder led the band through albums that incorporated everything from new wave to punk to avant garde music.
As the 2010's started to get going, the band decided to come together in 2011 to make a record that exuded all attributes of classic rock. Produced by Brendan O'Brien, Lightning Bolt has an immediate sound that feels like modern-day arena rock from the punkish energy of "Mind Your Manners" to the Pink-Floydish atmosphere of the ballad "Sirens."
That doesn't mean the band did not continue to push the envelope with their sound though. Many great cuts on the record took wild detours which were sonically refreshing from the Neil Young-inspired "Yellow Moon" to the bluesy-backbeat behind "Let the Records Play." When most bands of the old guard were trying to mold their sound to fit modern trends, Pearl Jam looked to the past to create an album that was nostalgic and forward-looking at the same time.