Vs.

Released

Ten will forever stand as the archetypal Pearl Jam album, but a clear-eyed look at its 1993 follow-up, released at the height of the band’s vertiginous rise to fame, suggests that they might have actually peaked here. Sporting a then-road-stable lineup featuring drummer Dave Abbruzzese, the band channels a wired and often explosive energy, which serves as the perfect catapult for Eddie Vedder’s cagey catharsis on riveting tracks like “Go” and “Animal.” The quieter moments (“Daughter,” “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town,” “Indifference”) are just as enthralling, as are oddball departures like the hypnotic groove interlude “W.M.A.” and eccentric funk-rocker “Rats.” It all culminates on “Rearviewmirror,” a song that feels as liberating as its subject matter — about leaving torment and oppression in the dust — and stands as one of the most transporting tracks of the entire alt-rock era.

Hank Shteamer

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