Pearl Jam (ST)

In their eighth studio release, Pearl Jam gives up on a lot of the self-righteousness that plagued their last few albums and have stripped down their sound and emotion to the raw core. Pearl Jam ($11) features the Seattle group at the best it's been in a long time. The unexpected harmony, the chilling guitars, Vedder's wandering, reflective voice — it all sounds as good as it did on Binaural, if not better. Definitely one of PJ's best. Standout Tracks: "Gone," Come Back."