Converge vocalist reviews new Pearl Jam album

29 October 2013 | 11:16 am | Staff Writer
Originally Appeared In

Converge frontman Jacob Bannon has offered his thoughts on the new Pearl Jam record, with the musician writing a lengthy and insightful online piece.

Converge frontman Jacob Bannon has offered his thoughts on the new Pearl Jam record, with the musician writing a lengthy and insightful online piece.


Providing the review for thetalkhouse.com, Bannon writes in detail about 'Lightning Bolt' and the lineage Pearl Jam’s music has shared with his own experiences.


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Of interest is an excerpt, where Bannon elaborates on last year’s serious van crash.


"Exactly a year ago, on an overnight drive in the mountains of Oregon, our bassist Nate Newton turned to me and yelled, "We're gonna crash, brace yourselves!" loud enough to be heard over my blaring headphones. Those were the last words uttered before our van and trailer spun out of control, careening into a highway barrier, facing the wrong way on I-84. As we skidded to a halt, I looked at the faces of my bandmates and crew. And that's when it hit me; these people are so different from me, yet we are a family. I love them as such. I never want to lose them. We're different in every conceivable way; upbringings, hates, loves, fears, etc. But we are the same, a crew that finds commonality in the music that we make. I really don't know what I would've done if things took a more tragic turn that night.


And don't laugh, but when we crashed, I was listening to Pearl Jam's version of the Who's "Love, Reign o'er Me."


Of the immediate album itself, Bannon writes:


"Lightning Bolt is Pearl Jam's tenth album. Sonically, it's a modern yet warm rock record. At times it carries a pop vagueness and at other times it bears intense emotional weight. Critics often misinterpret it as a weakness, but this disparate assemblage of moods is precisely the band's strength — the varied dynamics they offer are the sound of real-life human complexity. That's the beautiful thing about music: it can speak all kinds of languages."


You can read the full review here.