Pearl Jam's new album 'Lightning Bolt' may contains darkened tone of their classic

Pearl Jam reverts to type on its latest CD. While the band’s previous work, 2009’s “Backspacer,” peeled out with the leanest, fastest, and most positive-minded music of the group’s long career, “Lightning Bolt” works like a boomerang.

Much of it has the thick-bottomed rhythms, hard-nosed guitars and darkened tone of classic Pearl Jam. The echo comes at an apt time. Think about it: Pearl Jam titled its first CD, “Ten.” Now they’re releasing their 10th studio work.

Rest assured, the new disc offers some key sounds and sensibilities the band never would have found in its early-’90s breakthrough days. But mainly it pays homage to Pearl Jam’s core style, proving it to be remarkably durable and fresh.

f all this makes for an unsurprising CD, the conformity makes sense. After all, Pearl Jam stands as the only top grunge band that never came up for air, as well as one of the few rock groups of the last 20 years still blessed with an undiminished audience. It seems that, all these years later, it’s enough that the band’s new music matches its high and pleasing standard.