Backspacer
by Pearl Jam
User Score
8.8

Universal acclaim- based on 241 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 213 out of 241
  2. Mixed: 22 out of 241
  3. Negative: 6 out of 241

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  1. Boosemo12
    Jun 3, 2011
    5
    Meh, pretty boring album, nothing really special but it isn't awful.
  2. spacecadet
    Jun 6, 2011
    5
    i just wrote reviews for zeitgeist by the smashing pumpkins and the king of limbs by radiohead here.
    same damn problem with all three. its a well enough album... good tunes
    but it ranks (just a tiny bit below riot act) as the worst effort by the band ever! which is not a bad thing to itself.. some bands pride themselves on being just a bit worse than pearl jams worst effort. but pearl jam    i just wrote reviews for zeitgeist by the smashing pumpkins and the king of limbs by radiohead here.
    same damn problem with all three. its a well enough album... good tunes
    but it ranks (just a tiny bit below riot act) as the worst effort by the band ever!
    which is not a bad thing to itself.. some bands pride themselves on being just a bit worse than pearl jams worst effort. but pearl jam cant be one of those bands :)    … Expand
  3. mikeg
    Oct 2, 2009
    6
    Ok so Pitchforks review sums this album up nicely. i bought this album without hearing it.. if it wasnt PJ i would never buy a cd of a band that sounds so generic. when the first song is filler you know there is trouble. well at least its better than Chris Cornells last solo cd lol.
  4. PerspicaciousCritic
    Sep 30, 2009
    6
    I miss the weirdness.
  5. DavidR
    Oct 20, 2009
    5
    Bland stadium rock.
  6. che
    Sep 21, 2009
    4
    This album takes the JAM out of the group, short, quick, non-musicianship songs, it's as if they rushed to print a new album with no reason, just stay on tour with what has worked for the last 17 years, unnecessary "release" (no pun).
  7. danielg
    Sep 22, 2009
    6
    For 35 minutes and 11 songs i thought it was an extension of lost dogs( more b sides). that's okay i guess just not as strong as the previous album PEARL JAM.
  8. DK
    Sep 23, 2009
    5
    As a big PJ fan, I hate to say it, but I agree with the Pitchfork review. Outside of The Fixer (which sounds like a great Ashlee Simpson song), there isn't much melody to be found. Songs like Just Breathe and Speed of Sound are littered with cliched lyrics and an embarrassingly cringe-worthy vocal delivery. (a trend that began with another embarrassing tune...LBC) And Brendan As a big PJ fan, I hate to say it, but I agree with the Pitchfork review. Outside of The Fixer (which sounds like a great Ashlee Simpson song), there isn't much melody to be found. Songs like Just Breathe and Speed of Sound are littered with cliched lyrics and an embarrassingly cringe-worthy vocal delivery. (a trend that began with another embarrassing tune...LBC) And Brendan O'Brien's production effectively neuters any energy, aggression or emotion that were in the rough cuts of these tunes. Still, it's not a total wash. Highlights include Got Some (sounds very similar to Binaural's Grievance and Insignificance), Johnny Guitar, The Fixer, and the corny, yet enjoyable, Amongst the Waves. Sadly, if the last three albums are any indication, it seems PJ "parted ways" with their creativity following Binaural.… Expand
  9. TightPants
    Sep 23, 2009
    4
    I'm totally with Pitchfork on this one! (and normally I never am)... too generic and soulless to my liking.
  10. FrankJ.
    Sep 28, 2009
    5
    Totally, thoroughly average product from a band that used to at least aim for playful and curious. If you love over-processed, hookless tunes designed to get arenas full of 35-year-old dudes pumping their fists in unison, this one's for you.

Awards & Rankings

11
#11 Most Discussed Album of 2009
57
#57 Most Shared Album of 2009

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
  1. Rolling Stone
    80
    Backspacer, Pearl Jam's ninth album, backspaces to that boyish spirit, with the shortest, tightest, punkiest tunes they've ever banged out.
    Read full review
  2. Spin
    80
    For the first time in years, Pearl Jam are seizing the moment rather than wallowing in it.
    Read full review
  3. Uncut
    80
    The commitment that Vedder brings to all this material, from the rowdiest thrashing to the schmaltziest ballad makes this feel like a unified and ultimately convincing project. [Oct 2009, p.90]
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