A decade after grunge redefined the rock landscape, the genre’s ringleaders—Pearl Jam, Nirvana, ex-Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell (now with Audioslave), and ex-Screaming Trees singer Mark Lanegan (a contributor to Queens of the Stone Age)—suddenly are all back in prominent circulation at the same time. But unlike many of the other leading acts of that era, Pearl Jam has not burned brightly, flamed out, and eventually disbanded; rather, the band has been soldiering on largely outside the scope of MTV and radio hype. As a result, Riot Act isn’t so much a comeback statement as it is more of the same. In fact, with its restless spirituality and dense, decidedly un-pop arrangements, Riot Act perhaps most closely resembles that first album (No Code) of the post-Vitalogy years. Whether this is a good thing depends on how much you pine for the ferocious, pulse-raising Pearl Jam of old, but much of the work here—moody and mature—is quite solid.—BG
