Album Review: Ten – Pearl Jam

Album Review

By: Padraig Smith

Hi, I’m Padraig Smith and I’m the author of this review. I am a huge fan of all types of music and love listening to albums straight through. So, naturally, I wanted to share my opinions on different albums that I think deserve recognition for either being outrageously good or outrageous terrible. Music has played a large role in my life and is also just useful to have playing while I’m doing other things. I’ve listened to hundreds of different artists all from different genres and can easily say that there’s no bad genre of music, but there are sadly bad artists. I hope you like my review and over time maybe find some new music you might like. If you want, you can email me any albums you want to see me review at [email protected] (or just use my name on Outlook).

Pearl Jam’s debut album released in August 1991 became a quintessential component of music history. Heavily inspiring the new wave of alternate rock and grunge, Ten shook the music world. The band’s lineup consisted of 5 legendary members Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, backup guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), Matt Cameron (drums), Jeff Ament (bass guitar), and Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar). With riffs from Mike McCready and incredible vocals from Eddie Vedder Pearl Jam was never short in its ability to shock and awe. Its most infamous tracks include Even Flow, Alive, Black, and Jeremy. Each of these tracks alone had a huge cultural influence on the alternative rock scene. Targeted towards young men of the 1990s Pearl Jam’s sound and overall tone exemplified the politically charged mid-90s. Pearl Jam alongside other bands like Nirvana brought new life into the grunge genre. Ten with its elements of hard rock, alt-rock, and the often heavy and at times dark lyrics. Each song tends to show themes of personal and emotional struggle provided by the raw vocals of Eddie Vedder. Lyrically, Ten deals with ideas of loss, love, isolation, and personal trauma. The album would end up becoming multiplatinum and was ranked #207 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Personally, this album is extremely well-crafted and worth all its praise. Everything from the fast-paced riffs and the emotionally compelling lyrics/vocals. The initial track “Once” grabs your attention right away and never lets go of it setting the tone for what’s to come. The intensity and sudden shifts in dynamics are jarring in the best manner possible. Moving on to what is hailed as the definitive Pearl Jam song “Even Flow”. The rhythm and groove are unavoidable and infectious. The riff is timeless and the energy from Vedder transforms the song into a relentless rolling wave. Then comes the masterpiece “Alive” notoriously hailed as an anthem of the 90s. The soaring opening guitar riff leaves listeners hooked on every strum. This emotional performance from Vedder transforms this song into a deep and personal story of both pain and strength found in life. The song is certainly dualistic constantly switching from moments of optimism and hope to anguish and emotional anguish. The climaxing guitar solo from McCreedy completely wraps the song and the opening of this album all together. In the rebellious song “Why Go” the fast-paced aggression and anger resonate throughout the track. The potent and erratic outbursts of rapid drums and riffs create a punk-derived outlier through the grunge-ridden album. The catchy chorus stays with the listener and will often find themselves repeating it in their head. Moving on to the most emotionally driven track on the album “Black”. The lyrics reflect a fleeting love that’s just out of reach. Unobtainable no matter how hard you may try and no matter what you plead for it’s simply gone. A mournful atmosphere on the beauty of loss and a devastating masterpiece that shakes the listener to their core. Moving from one extreme to another the track “Jeremy” is the most intense of the album. This track is quite haunting and begins with an eerie leadup until the explosive chorus with Vedder practically screaming the lyrics. The track deals with concepts of alienation and tragedy and the consequences that may follow. Then everything slows during “Oceans” a quiet and spiritual track that conveys vulnerability and longing. But we pick right back up into that intensity with “Porch” and track with chaotic and rapid drumming and fiery vocals from Vedder. The song expresses feelings of being trapped or suffocated by expectations. Surprisingly the next track “Garden” slows back down to a brooding element of classic rock and slow-building intensity. The track speaks of the feeling of being lost, searching for meaning in life, and overall inner turmoil. The next track stays slow with “Deep” when everything the album has been building up to slow crumbles. “Deep” is a powerful and driving track led by a steady bass line. Everything the album had resonated on comes to a head at this point. The track deals with the breaking and destruction from the weight of one’s own emotions. “Deep” wraps everything up nicely and “Release” ends it correctly. The final track “Release” is a pleasing emotional reprieve from the intense tracks that had filled the album. It starts slow but eventually crescendos and erupts after building layer by layer. It’s an emotional finale and an end to the journey that is Ten. Overall, this album should serve as an example to all rock artists of what perfection can truly look like.

TRACK LIST:

Once – 3:51

Even Flow – 4:53

Alive – 5:41

Why Go – 3:19

Black – 5:44

Jeremy – 5:18

Oceans – 2:41

Porch – 3:30

Garden – 4:58

Deep – 4:18

Release – 9:03

Favorite Lines:

“Is something wrong?”, she said

Of course there is

“You’re still alive”, she said

Oh, do I deserve to be?

– “Alive”

I hope someday you’ll have a beautiful life

I hope you’ll be a star in somebody else’s sky

But why, why, why can’t it be

Can’t it be mine?

– “Black”

RATING:

5/5

Truly a great example of a perfect album very few if any critiques.