Pearl Jam’s Third Stage Marches On

By Ryan O'Connell on 10/14/2013 • ( 10 )

Tomorrow, Pearl Jam will release Lightning Bolt, their tenth studio album.

Shit, man. I can still remember watching the video for “Jeremy” over and over again and buying Vs. at Strawberries in South Portland…

Lighting Bolt is Pearl Jam’s first album since 2009’s Backspacer and is the third album in this second, or maybe the third stage of Pearl’s Jam twenty year career.

The First Pearl Jam Stage: 1990-1998

The early years>the rise to stardom>modern rock domination>that whole Ticketmaster thing

The Second Pearl Jam Stage: 1998-2006

The Roskilde tragedy>anti-Bush fight songs>leaving Epic>bootlegs & greatest hits

The Third Pearl Jam Stage: 2006-present

rebirth>twenty year anniversary>back to basics

Lightning Bolt continues Pearl Jam’s rebirth and revitalization that started with 2006’s Pearl Jam. The new album is full of tightly constructed and breathtakingly fresh & pure rock songs. There’s the punk rock tendencies of “Mind Your Manners,” the spit and shine of “Sirens,” the toughness of “Let the Record Play” and the peaceful tranquility of “Sleeping By Myself,” which calls to mind Eddie Vedder’s solo work on the Into the Wild soundtrack.

Pearl Jam have always a band that stirs emotions, whether it’s the emotions Vedder is singing about or the emotions their songs create amongst their fan base. Lighting Bolt is no different. Each song can be tied to a particular emotion.

So instead of writing anymore, I thought the best way to sum up Lighting Bolt was via .gifs. But not just any .gifs. .gifs from yesterday’s triumphant day in Boston sports; a day that featured not one, but two, come from behind wins by the hometown squads: the Patriots & the Red Sox.

“Getaway”