The eighth album I’m reviewing is Pearl Jam’s Yield from 1998. It is the band’s fifth studio album and after listening to the HIGHLY overrated Ten, I am interested to see what else, if anything, this band has to offer. As I listen to track one, I am trying to figure out how to categorize the band’s sound. It definitely isn’t hard rock, but beyond that, all that I’m left with are generic terms such as alternative or post grunge (what ever the hell that means). Track two starts out interestingly with a more sophisticated, minimal sound. Soon, however, the band goes back to the generic sounding rock that they’re known for. It seems like as soon as they step out of their comfort zone, they so easily slip back into the simple, undemanding groove that they’re used to. Track three is more of the same. I can’t help but notice at this point that for some reason Eddie Vedder’s vocals sound a lot like Dave Mathews. I have never noticed this before and wonder if they’ve changed slightly for this album or if it’s just me. The next song is titled Given to Fly and is a welcome change. The music is interesting (at least to start out with) and the lyrics are more so as well. I feel like this song would sound great in a movie or T.V. show. The lyrics to track five are intriguing as well but, regrettably, the music backing them up is as bland as ever. Track six, titled Pilate is the first time I can say I solidly like both the lyrics as well as the music. Seven marks the total opposite. I find the music to be terrible. If it had been written by anybody other than a ‘successful’ band, they would be laughed out of the room and the song never recorded. Also, the vocals, which consist of a kind of screaming, don’t fit the music (which sounds more or less positive) at all.
The second half starts out with a track denoted by a single red dot. Apparently this is Pearl Jam trying to be experimental and it’s a good thing that they don’t do it more often cause it sounds awful. Track nine, called MFC, is probably the second one I could call decent. Ten is not too bad either. I particularly enjoyed the instrumentation. Track eleven continues this positive trend. So much so, I would consider it one of the best songs on the album thus far. Track twelve is okay. I have to at least give the band credit for trying to be experimental without it completely blowing up in their face. A common pattern that has developed with this band continues with track thirteen, the closing song. The intro sounds promising, but the song quickly devolves into mediocre rock. The ending is a bit odd, and then, after about a minute and a half of silence there is a hidden track. Unfortunately, if anything, this detracts from an already marginal album. The hidden track is very repetitive and uninteresting and, as a result, unnecessary. In general, I would say that this is a fairly awful album save a few okay tracks. I have never understood why this band is as highly rated as they are. Although I tried to approach this album with an open mind, I can’t help but be tempted to give this band the title of ‘world’s most mediocre rock band’.
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