Smart Lyrics, Great Tunes

The album: “Yield” The band: Pearl Jam

The arrival of a new Pearl Jam album drew excited responses from many people, most notably die-hard Pearl Jam fans. I was not a die-hard fan, but I was excited to hear what their latest effort would sound like. “Yield” is a great album.

The album features intelligent and interesting lyrics coupled with strong music. A good example of this is “Wishlist,” which is a cool little tune. One of my favorite lines is I wish I was the full moon shining off your Camaro’s hood.

While it may seem a bit touchy-feely, it’s a good example of the original and interesting lyrics on the album.

A couple of other interesting songs are “Given to Fly” and the morbidly reflective “All Those Yesterdays,” with references to death in lines such as, Don’t you think you oughtta rest?

Despite the topic, it’s a fine song.

On the musical side, there are several songs that really rock.

Guitar-driven songs such as “MFC,” “Brain of J” and “In Hiding” are loud and fun.

The first time I heard “Brain of J,” I had the volume up too loud. A minute into the song, I thought my ears would bleed. It’s that good.

While “Yield” is important to Pearl Jam because it shows that it is stronger than ever, it’s far more important in that the group has earned at least one new die-hard fan - me.

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