It looks like that Target deal paid off, as Pearl Jam have found their way to the top of the Billboard 200. The band moved 190,000 copies of their latest album Backspacer, which was available exclusively at Target stores (as well as on iTunes and via the band's Web site), in its first sales week. It marks the first time since the band has been at the top of the album chart since 1996, when the band released No Code to strong initial sales but mixed reviews. No Code remains both the band's most experimental and maligned album, as the singles were loose affairs (including the moody "Who You Are") and the album tracks brought together a lot of disparate elements.
But even though the two albums have similar cover art, Backspacer is pretty far away from No Code in a sonic sense. The band's new album represents a calmer, breezier Pearl Jam, comfortable in their own skin and just looking to knock some tunes out in the garage. They spent most of this century being difficult to love: 2000's Binaural and 2002's Riot Act were full of spiritual and political unrest, while 2006's self-titled album was an attempt at a reinvention that sounded rushed and busy.
But Backspacer is just right. In a live setting, Pearl Jam play with a joyous energy that transcends their collective age and the occasional heaviness of the material. But on record, they sometimes sound burdened. Backspacer changes all that, putting the focus squarely on the hooks, thrills and camaraderie that comes from being a musical family for so long. They even got the single right: No veteran band has ever delivered a better statement of purpose than Pearl Jam have with "The Fixer."