release date: May 16, 2000
format: cd
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,48]
producer: Tchad Blake, Pearl Jam
label: Epic Records - nationality: USA
Track highlights: 7. "Insignificance" (3 / 5) - 9. "Grievance" (2,5 / 5) - 12. "Soon Forget" (3 / 5)
6th studio album by Pearl Jam and the first album since the debut not to be produced with Brendan O'Brien. A natural consequence of this is a change of style, and the album is the band's so far most experimental studio release. Especially three songs entirely written and composed by the band's rhythm guitarist, Stone Gossard, and the second track by bassist Jeff Ament are just... something else. The rest are at best mediocre Pearl Jam sound-a-likes. Eddie Vedder is as usual the one who provides almost all lyrics and the majority of the compositions, but even his contributions here are lesser works. One of his songs, "Soon Forget" anticipates his fine solo album Ukulele Songs from 2011.
To me, this is the band's least favourable and simply not recommendable.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5, Q Magazine, The Guardian 3 / 5 stars ]
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5, Q Magazine, The Guardian 3 / 5 stars ]
