O
NE OF Eddie Vedder’s
idols, Roger Daltrey
of the Who, once said
that the secret to keeping
“My Generation” fresh
onstage half a century after it
was written isn’t nailing the
song’s stutter, but believably
channeling its anger. It’s a
sentiment Vedder would defi-
nitely endorse; the Pearl Jam
frontman’s rage has always
burned bright (this is a guy
who once sounded super
pissed-off singing about how
people should play more
vinyl). But as he’s matured,
the youthful fury that fueled
PJ’s golden-age grunge has
grown with him, turning into
a finely burnished middle-
age indignation.
Now, on Gigaton, the
first record Pearl Jam has
mustered during the
ILLUSTRATION BY
Simon Prades
PEARL JAM’S
GROWN-UP
GRUNGE
The band’s first
album in seven
years is a potent
balance of rage
and maturity
By KORY GROW
Music
Pearl Jam
Gigaton
REPUBLIC
4