Fight To Get It Back Again

Today, Pearl Jam unveiled their newest single - "The Fixer" - from their upcoming album, Backspacer, which will be their first studio album since 2006's self-titled album. This is a highly anticipated release among may circles; Pearl Jam has been around for nearly 20 years. Even those who aren't diehard fans of the band are interested to hear the record, if for nothing else, to compare this to everything else Pearl Jam has released thus far. If "The Fixer" is any indication of how the record will turn out, suffice it to say, Backspacer won't sound much like Ten at all. Nor should it. The Pearl Jam that wrote and recorded Ten was in a very different place than the Pearl Jam that just finished up their ninth studio album.

"The Fixer" is sure to please to diehards, as it contains many signature Pearl Jam aspects. Singer Eddie Vedder's voice is, as always, unmistakable. As in the last album, his harmonies with drummer Matt Cameron are tastefully done. Matt Cameron's drumming is reassuringly metronomic. He holds down the backbeat of the tune while the melodic instruments (guitars, keyboard, vocals) employ several syncopations and rhythm shifts. It reminds me of "Severed Hand" from the last album - Cameron's drumming is intense at times, clearly involved in the song, and at other times, he sits back and lets the others do the talking. Jeff, Stone and Mike are always there to provide the melodic and rhythmic steadiness that has come to define this band for so long. Underneath the rock, there's a simple pop song that is shyly peeking out, waving hello.

Vedder's public persona (and, perhaps his private one, too) has always been a somber and morose one. The rest of the band, unsurprisingly, is the same way. They observe more wrong than right. They see more bad than good. They sing and feel more hurt than joy. It is precisely this mentality that has continuously driven them to write such songs as "Alive,", "Jeremy," "Rearview Mirror," "Do The Evolution," and "World Wide Suicide." None of these songs are positive. In each, the subject of the song is living through some tough times. Thematically, Pearl Jam's historical trail isn't exactly rainbows and butterflies. That is precisely why "The Fixer" is worthy of considering. With the exception of "I Am Mine" (from Riot Act, 2001), almost no Pearl Jam song (let alone a single) is underlined with a message of hope and security. Vedder recently said that he had always tried to make his lyrics more positive; with this record, the process was a little easier. Throughout the lyrics, one can see the constant display of problem-solution. That a solution is offered is cautiously good news that, perhaps, now, Pearl Jam is finally on the road to a place with less harmful associations.

So, then... what does this "The Fixer" - a representation of a larger body of work - say about Pearl Jam? For one thing, it shows the band's creative juices are still flowing. While this song is nothing groundbreaking, working with the same people for 20 years can take its toll, I assume. This song gets directly to the point, and allows the listener to sink into the material instantly (contrasted with, say a song like "Sleight of Hand" from 2000's Binaural). The band has also shown its gradual maturity from almost-suicidal depression and disgust with life, to putting it all behind them. In a strange - and what I can only assume coincidental - full-circle, a line from "Rearview Mirror" from 1993's Vs. echoes throughout this song: "Saw things so much clearer once you were in my rearview mirror." I don't consider it a coincidence that Pearl Jam started expressing hope for the idea of a brighter future at the same time as Barack Obama's rise to the presidency. Throughout his campaign, Obama's message was focused on the better days of tomorrow instead of the troubles of the past. Well, it seems as if Eddie, Mike, Jeff, Stone and Matt were listening.

On the Pearl Jam official website message board, one comment is suspicious that this song refers to President Obama. It certainly is an interesting idea. We report. You decide. "The Fixer" - the protagonist in this song - can be seen as a symbol of "the audacity of hope," if you will. Perhaps even the "dreams of our fathers." Here's a sample:

When something's dark, let me shed a little light on it

When something's cold, let me put a little fire on it

If something's old, I wanna put a bit of shine on it

When something's gone, I wanna fight to get it back again

When something's broke, I wanna put a bit of fixin' on it

When something's bored, I wanna put a little excited on it

When something's low, I wanna put a little high on it

When something's lost, I wanna fight to get it back again