10. Binaural
Perhaps no album best showcases the anomaly Pearl Jam had become since falling out of favor with mainstream audiences. Their cover of Frank J. Wilson's depressing ode to teenage romance turned tragic, "Last Kiss," had skyrocketed to the top of the charts in 1999 as part of the No Boundaries benefit album for Kosovo refugees. Then, just a year later, the group released another high-charting album, Binaural...that faded away from public consciousness in half of an instant. It's true. Binaural is pretty much the bastard child of the PJ discography, and that's because none of the songs from the album are particularly memorable. There's no "Even Flow" to be found here. Hell, there's not even a "Dissident" level semi-hit. But it's got a killer opening track in "Breakerfall." (Perhaps the most consistent thing about this band is how effectively they kick off an album.) Now, that's not to say this is a terrible album. Binaural is an incredibly sharp, focused album. But it also fails to hit any real peaks, as well. It's unfair to call Binaural "uninspired," but in comparison to the rest of their catalogue, it lacks the punchiness to make it stand out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIn6czxTkTw