Pearl Jam Vs. Review

Pearl Jam VS Review:

To start off with, VS is completely different to their debut album, Ten. Overall, it presents a more outgoing, punk-like, raw sound than their previous album. But is this alteration good or bad?

Here are the good points:

VS presents a whole new style of music from pearl jam, a style driven by distorted grunge-style guitars and hard rock riffs heavier, and certainly louder than ten. Some of these elements are best shown in catchy songs such as Blood, Animal and Leash, which promote a more funky sound than the quiet, reserved sound demonstrated in Ten. These songs, along with talented and brilliant guitar solos drive the album along with a newly found hard rock style, while experimental songs such as Go, and powerful acoustic ballads such as Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town fill in the gaps. Due to this some songs are relaxed (Daughter), while others are heavier (Dissident), and some are halfway between the two (Rearviewmirror). All the songs work well and seem to get better every time you listen to them.

Here are the bad points:

VS presents a clumsier, more carefree style to Ten and is ultimately not as good as Ten in execution. Although some songs are still slightly similar to that of Ten (Daughter, Elderly Woman, Rearviewmirror etc.), others present their own unique style (Blood, Leash, Glorified G). These songs may work well, but definitely not as well as those of Ten. The resulting album is not disappointing, but certainly not as effective as their debut and slightly fails Pearl Jam’s unique style as brilliantly depicted in Ten.

8/10