Vs.
Pearl Jam
Go and Animal make a fairly clear opening statement: Pearl Jam have plenty of energy left after Ten. Vs. starts with the band pushing hard, with Eddie Vedder sounding angry enough to make the microphone nervous. The guitars and drums are right there with him, and the music feels much closer to a room full of players than a carefully polished monument.
The attack is only one part of the record, though. Daughter changes the setting almost immediately, using acoustic guitar and a more relaxed rhythm without losing the tension in the vocal. The melody is approachable, but the emotion underneath it remains troubled. It is one of those songs that can work on the radio without becoming smaller or simpler than the album around it.
There is more rhythmic variety here than Pearl Jam sometimes get credit for. W.M.A. gives the percussion and bass a central role, allowing the repetition to create pressure. Rats brings a different, funkier movement. The rhythm section makes these changes feel like part of the same band's vocabulary, rather than a set of styles being tried on for a few minutes.
Rearviewmirror is the strongest meeting point between force and melody. The guitar keeps moving as Vedder's performance grows more urgent, and the song maintains that forward drive without losing its shape. It is exciting because the band seem to be pulling together, with each part adding to the same momentum.
Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town works at the other end of the scale. Its simple, acoustic setting makes room for a warm vocal and a story that doesn't need a huge production. Indifference then closes the album with much less noise than the opening suggested, leaving a quiet but stubborn feeling behind.
Vs. has some rough, confrontational edges, and those are part of its character. The changes in pace let Vedder show more than one kind of intensity, while the band sound comfortable moving between restraint and outright attack. It is a strong second album because it gives Pearl Jam more ways to be themselves.
