Hearing Eddie Vedder bellow on the Who-like bashing of 'Breakerfall,' and the pounding 'God's Dice,' shows how much Bush's Gavin Rossdale and Creed's Scott Stapp looked to this San Diego native for inspiration. But this stubborn refusal to assimilate makes for some challenging, and eventually rewarding, listening. Amidst predictable pre-fabricated teen sensations and saccharine-loaded pop, the sturdy severity that Pearl Jam embraces on its sixth studio album almost seems quaint and archaic.
