Pearl Jam – Superblood Wolfmoon

I heard a lot of talk when Pearl Jam released Dance of the Clairvoyants almost a month ago.  I heard about a new sound direction for the band that has given us so many legendary rock songs. I heard that they sold out and went electronic. I saw positive comments about the band’s growth and experimentation.  I even heard a few Talking Heads comparisons (which is a great thing from my pov.)  But the thing I saw the most was people saying that the band forgot how to rock.

Whatever you thought when you heard ‘Dance – know this: Superblood Wolfmoon demonstrates that Pearl Jam still knows how to rock it.  This song has everything going for it and sounds like it could’ve easily been a hold over from the Vitalogy era.  Throaty but not over distorted guitars – think Last Exit tone.  Melodic bass line – think The Whipping.  Crisp and perfect for the song drums – think Not For You precision.  Forceful vocals that give us that Vedder growl as well as the upper register aggression that’s been missing in my life for far too long – think Tremor Christ.

The song is a great example of why Pearl Jam has managed to stay relevant for so long when so many bands from that era struggle with their identity and ultimately see their fan base lose interest.  Think about the last time you saw this band live in concert.  Pretty packed, right?  Yeah, so was the show I went to, too.

But what I’m saying is that while it doesn’t sound dated or exactly like any one song, Pearl Jam still incorporates those elements that made them huge in the first place, while still growing and evolving as musicians. Plus look at the size of the band’s catalog – I’m amazed they can still come up with new ideas at this point.  But here they are in 2020, almost thirty years since the album Ten dropped and they are still putting out rock and roll.  High quality rock, at that.

Hell, I say keep on keeping on.  And I’ll see you at the show.

-Tommy Marz

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