Pearl Jam songs that as per the quiet an loud division of 2004 anthology Rear view mirror can be easily slotted into one of two categories. Even the tracklist sequences are invariably similar: the second song will be a no-fuss rocker that serves as the single, and the album will inevitably close with a wistfully earnest ballad. Pearl Jam are arguably the only modern rock band of note that consciously moved away from its formative, hit-making sound—in the period spanning Vitalogy through to 2000’s Binaural—but came out the other side an even more traditional, predictable band.
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