Binaural

1	Breakerfall 2:19
2	Gods' Dice 2:26
3	Evacuation 2:56
4	Light Years 5:06
5	Nothing as It Seems 5:22
6	Thin Air 3:32
7	Insignificance 4:28
8	Of the Girl 5:07
9	Grievance 3:14
10	Rival 3:38
11	Sleight of Hand 4:47
12	Soon Forget 1:46
13	Parting Ways 7:17

Barnes & Noble

It’s convenient to think of the emotionally turbulent BINAURAL as Pearl Jam's reaction to the neo-metal mongoloids and prefabricated teen fluff that dominate the airwaves. And it’s sort of romantic to picture Pearl Jam as the saviors of vapid millennial pop culture. But in reality, BINAURAL affirms that Pearl Jam, like an alternative Metallica, simply ignore the pulse and pleas of the mainstream, focusing only on their own creative urges. They may never again attain the type of popularity they enjoyed with TEN and VS., but that's just fine with Vedder and co. With BINAURAL, Pearl Jam have accomplished something even more important -- personal integrity, which is especially satisfying considering that critics dubbed the band a prefab grunge cash-in from the start. Lyrically, BINAURAL remains angst-laden, addressing the destructive and redemptive powers of love on "Breakerfall" and chastising ignorance and insensitivity on "Insignificance." Musically, the album is also abrasive, filtering the gritty realism of bands such as the MC5 and Hüsker Dü through the more palatable classic rock framework of the Who, Neil Young, and Led Zeppelin. But as agitated as the album is, it's not all bombastic, balancing such demolition-fests as "Evacuation" and "God's Dice" with the more melancholy fare of "Light Years" and "Thin Air." In an environment filled with trend followers and media whores, Pearl Jam continue to defend the alternative faith with majestic dignity. Jon Wiederhorn

All Music Guide

If anything, Pearl Jam was even more in the wilderness -- at least as far as the mainstream was concerned -- at the beginning of 2000 than they were in the second half of the '90s. Even with "Last Kiss," their first big hit single since Ten, under their belts, they were an anomaly on the pop and rock scenes. They were the only one of their old grunge colleagues still standing intact, and they were genuinely alone. No peers, and too sincere to even consider fitting into a pop scene dominated by 'N Sync on one side and Limp Bizkit on the other. Not surprisingly, they chose to persevere, ignoring trends, completely in favor of being a classicist rock band. This should come as no surprise, since that's what they've done since No Code and, perhaps, Vitalogy, but the real surprise about their sixth studio album Binaural is that it finds the group roaring back to life without dramatically changing the direction they followed on No Code and Yield. Maybe the addition of a new drummer, former Soundgarden member Matt Cameron, has kicked the band to life, but that unfairly dismisses Jack Irons' worthy contributions. Instead, the difference is focus -- though Pearl Jam is trying a lot of different styles, certainly more so than on Yield, they pull it all off better. The songs are sharper, the production is layered, and the performances are as compassionate as ever, resulting in their finest album since Vitalogy. Stephen Thomas Erlewine