Riot Act

Q - 3 stars out of 5 - "...An adult rock record in which nuance succeeds over bombast. The songs take effect slowly..." Uncut - 3 stars out of 5 - "...It's their intelligence that keeps Pearl Jam ahead of the nouveau-grunge pack...' Spin - 7 out of 10 - "...Pearl Jam's seventh studio album balances emotive bombast with a taut-sweaty hard-rock attack..." Entertainment Weekly - "...[The] band's grooves still sound taut, emotive, and world-class..." - Rating: B CMJ - "...It certainly includes all of the things Pearl Jam's fans have come to expect: 1970s-style arena rock riffs; gritty, angst-ridden vocals and a finesse for delivering hooks and scream-a-long choruses..." Mojo - "...Always earnest, Pearl Jam are still able to circumvent their innate seriousness with an instinctive talent and sense of control, and as such this album has plenty of ideas and plenty of 'moments'..." Spin (12/01/02, p.137) - 7 out of 10 - "...Pearl Jam's seventh studio album balances emotive bombast with a taut-sweaty hard-rock attack..." Q (12/02, p.108) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...An adult rock record in which nuance succeeds over bombast. The songs take effect slowly..." Entertainment Weekly (11/8/02, p.134) - "...[The] band's grooves still sound taut, emotive, and world-class..." - Rating: B Mojo (1/03, p.92) - "...Always earnest, Pearl Jam are still able to circumvent their innate seriousness with an instinctive talent and sense of control, and as such this album has plenty of ideas and plenty of 'moments'..." Uncut (12/02, p.132) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...It's their intelligence that keeps Pearl Jam ahead of the nouveau-grunge pack...' CMJ (11/25/02, p.6) - "...It certainly includes all of the things Pearl Jam's fans have come to expect: 1970s-style arena rock riffs; gritty, angst-ridden vocals and a finesse for delivering hooks and scream-a-long choruses..."

'Riot Act' is the seventh studio album from Pearl Jam and the follow up to 'Binaural' which was released in 2000. Produced by Adam Kasper and mixed by Brendan O'Brien, it features the first single from the album 'I Am Mine'. A slight return to their grunge days with influences of folk-rock and post-punk.|

2年半ぶりの新作。すでに方々で彼らが発言しているように、本作に大きな影響を与えた出来事が2つある。2000年に〈ロスキルド・フェスティヴァル〉で起きた観客の圧死事件、そして昨年の同時多発テロ。この悲劇が彼らに与えたのは、一層力強く音楽を鳴らす意志だったようだ。自身の表現者としての存在意義を再検証せざるを得ない現実を経たからなのだろう、パール・ジャムはいま、過去最大に重厚濃密な世界を描く。ダイレクトな言葉で綴られた歌詞、政治色を強めた内容、鬼気迫るグルーヴ、『Riot Act』に溢れる強靱さは彼らにとっての必然、そして賞賛すべき到達点だと言えよう。ファースト・アルバム以来だというメンバー間コラボレートで曲作りが行われたのも、彼らにあらためて宿った結束感を窺わせる。結果、ファズ炸裂、アコースティック、音響的アプローチなど、多彩な曲が並んだのも本作の魅力だ。
bounce (C)田中 大