Binaural - Pearl Jam

**Introduction** Let me start this review by saying I really don't know what the picture accompanying the album is about as it clearly is not Pearl Jam's Binaural but anyway. Let's ignore that and start this review. Pearl Jam are one of my favourite Rock bands and I hope to see them in concert during their upcoming UK Tour. Here is my review of Pearl Jam sixth album Binaural. **Binaural** This album was released on 16th May 2000 and is the sixth studio album from the band. The album was recorded between September 1999 and January 2000 at Stone Gossard's own studio in Seattle, Washington. Binaural is produced by Pearl Jam with the help of ...  Read the complete review

Pearl Jam album covers and booklets have always interested me – whether they’ve been ancient medical advice (Vitalogy); strange looking animals (Vs); or rows upon rows of mad photos (No Code). With Binaural, however, silly old me presumed the front cover was a nice little swirling picture with an eye in the middle, considering Binaural means ‘to listen with 2 ears’, I thought there must be a connection (!?!). But in actual fact the front cover displays an Hourglass Nebula, 8,000 light years from earth “when a star almost runs out of fuel for its internal nuclear reactions, it undergoes a series of violent convulsions”. Simply, this ...  Read the complete review

The sixth album from Pearl Jam sees a change of producer for the fist time since “vs.” with Tchad Blake and also the use of a new recording technique on some songs. The binaural technique uses a special microphone used in the study of the way humans hear sound. The album starts off a very up beat tempo getting through the fist three songs in just over six minutes, and sees three different songwriters. “Breakerfall” is a Vedder penned song that starts the whole thing off, it seems to be a bit of a Who tribute at the start with echoes of 12 string guitar floating around. It is though a great opening song that sets the scene about a girl who ...  Read the complete review

Once again Pearl Jam have proved that they are one of the best bands at writing songs that are musical and innovative, instead of recycled (which seems to be the industry standard these days). Eddie Vedder and the crew write their songs for themselves, about feelings and experiences that have affected and defined them. This is refreshing, as the album contains no pretentious airs, no supposedly profound teachings – just pure, heart-felt, emotional music. And those emotions run high, low, and pretty wild at times. I will admit that upon first hearing the album I suspected Pearl Jam to have turned their backs on their traditional sound, favouring ...  Read the complete review

Loath as I may be to admit it, the age of teen-pop has arrived, and corporation-soothing pop music is all that remains. The days of the Seattle grunge-scene had already ended before Kurt Cobain killed himself. Nirvana and Soundgarden were great in their day, but only a band like Pearl Jam has survived. Perhaps that's the messagebehind "Binaural", Pearl Jam's 7th foray into the world of record-making. There's something about the album that seems very...final. The album delves into all known territories of music. From Rock ("Breakerfall, Evacuation") to rock and roll ("Grievance, Insignificance", the punkish "God's ...  Read the complete review