12 '00s Hard Rock Albums All Fans Should Own
11. Pearl Jam - Backspacer
The veteran Seattle band capped off the ‘00s with their best album of the decade, less a return to form than a distillation of their successful vibe. On Backspacer, Pearl Jam step back from the stadium-sized sound that had started to become a little stale and hone their music to something brimming with energy, heart, and optimism.
Lead single "The Fixer" is a great place to start, a pacy, upbeat number with Vedder’s distinctive vocal as clear as they had been in years. The album was written in the wake of Obama’s election, and Pearl Jam wanted to convey the sound of a world maybe, hopefully on the mend.
"Supersonic" continues the vibe of a band that has rediscovered its love of performing as a unit. The no frills approach to the recording gives the album an even greater dose of energy - it sounds like it was a blast to make from front to back.
It’s not the sound every Pearl Jam fan is necessarily looking for, but the change of pace works masterfully here - a shot in the arm the band definitely needed.