Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam

Although definitely an admirer of their early 90s output, I had completely given up on Pearl Jam in recent years, and certainly never thought I'd be captivated with one of their records again. So their self-titled record of this year was not just a tremendous achievement on their part, but for me personally, a wonderful surprise. Jeez, what a comeback. By the sound of things, all it took was an inept, misguided president and a nasty, senseless war to whip these guys back into inspired form. And what a glorious noise they make when they're pissed -- the band is tight, the songwriting is extremely strong and Eddie Vedder's vocals are as unique and powerful as ever. From furious rockers like "Life Wasted" and "Severed Hand," to the Beatlesque "Parachutes," to the beautiful political epic "Inside Job," this is by far the band's best work in years. It's good to have them back like this.

LISTEN / DOWNLOAD: Gone, because when the news is all bad, you feel like your beloved country is all fucked up and "the gas in [your] tank feels like money in the bank," sometimes you just have to get the hell out of town.