Pearl Jam: Ranking Their Albums From Worst To Best

8. Lightning Bolt

For better or worse, by the time Pearl Jam released their tenth album, they knew exactly who they were. And they sounded...comfortable. Gone was the soul-searching and experimenting that occupied many of their previous albums. In its place was a self-assured, content sound. Pearl Jam didn't break any new ground on Lightning Bolt, possibly because there's simply no new leaves that the band feels they need to turn over at this point in their career. And so, if your favorite version of this band was that of exploratory seekers, then the album probably felt a little flat. On the other hand, Lightning Bolt is one of the easier albums on this list to just sink into. Again, part of that is its non-confrontational nature, but it's also just satisfying to listen to a band that's so sure of their identity. Tracks like "Sirens" and "Sleeping By Myself" likely wouldn't have made the cut even a couple albums back, because they wouldn't be adventurous enough for Yield or Riot Act. But "Sirens" is the type of uplifting mid-tempo ballad that comes off as moderately defiant in its own right, simply because it signifies this once-dangerous band of rebels has settled into a role as the plain-spoken torchbearers of straightforward, earnest rock music. Lightning Bolt may not be great "art," but it sure goes down smooth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jZBwyG7HPs