WORTH SOME SPINS: Backspacer (2009)

After a trio of relatively uncommercial albums that celebrated the multiple input of the band’s songwriters (now including Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron), reuniting with producer Brendan O’Brien made Backspacer sound streamlined by comparison. And it sparkled with a — dare we say it? — radio-friendly sound they hadn’t had since Vs. “The Fixer” demonstrates this best, and Stone Gossard’s rhythm work on “Amongst the Waves’” climax harks back to his early days. Elsewhere, Vedder’s solo career clearly feeds into his confident fingerpicked work on romantic ballad “Just Breathe” and the heartbreaking reflection on death, “The End.” Most of all, Pearl Jam weren’t afraid to embrace their anthemic instincts; “Force of Nature” and “Unthought Known” are a band taking their place as classic rock for a new generation.

Download: “Amongst the Waves”