Binaural

The opening 'Breakerfall', an adrenaline-fuelled Motvrhead wannabe, doesn't exactly bode well for the latest, much-anticipated opus from Pearl Jam. Thankfully, they seem to run out of steam by track four, giving way to a more considered, stronger songwriting that marks what is arguably their most complete and mature album to date.

'Light Years' is a case in point, as the band display a sense of restraint that has been lacking up to now on one of their finest songs in years.

'Nothing As It Seems' is another corker, even if the searing solos are more Bon Jovi than Neil Young - it builds up a sense of foreboding and tension that much of their recent work has been devoid of. 'Parting Ways', meanwhile, drips melancholy from every bar, even before the introduction of a string section.

They try on a slight countryish suit for 'Thin Air' and find that it fits them well, even if Eddie sounds like Brad from The Crash Test Dummies.

'Of The Girl' has a Tex-Mex flavour, suggesting that Pearl Jam may have been taking notes from British revisionists supreme, Gomez, while 'Soon Forget' displays a gentle side that I, for one, didn't know they

had.

Binaural is the sound of a band returning to form, possibly more world-weary and battle-scarred than before, but also more articulate and multi-hued. Binaural is a welcome surprise.