By the Writers of Last Word Features

Pearl Jam: ‘Backspacer’
4 stars
It appears that in recent years Pearl Jam has decided that what the band does best are rock songs — bracing, catchy and concise rock songs at that. And we’re all the better for the band reaching that conclusion. The experimental and adventurous tendencies on albums like “No Code,” “Yield” and “Riot Act” produced interesting results, but more often than not, the best songs on those albums were straight-on rockers.

On “Backspacer,” this is exactly what Pearl Jam emphatically delivers, kicking off at full speed with the rock ‘em, sock ‘em one-two punch of the frenetic “Gonna See My Friend” and the wiry and hyper “Got Some.” The energy and quality of the songs rarely slip from there. In fact, “Backspacer” has just three ballads, the acoustic “Just Breathe” and album-closing “The End,” and “Speed Of Sound,” a song in the big-bodied tradition of “Jeremy.”

They’re all worthy of inclusion and give “Backspacer” some needed breathing room. But the energy and sheer hookiness of the rocking songs make “Backspacer” one of Pearl Jam’s best efforts — no small statement for a group that already had secured its place as one of the most important bands of the past two decades – Alan Sculley
If you like this, try Foo Fighters, the White Stripes

Guy Clark: ‘Sometimes The Song Writes You’
4 stars
Guy Clark’s been writing great songs for close to 40 years, and he delivers a bunch more on “Sometimes The Song Writes You,” his 12th album in 35 years. Opening with three songs about creativity — the title cut, “The Guitar,” about a haunted pawn shop instrument, and “Hemingway’s Whiskey,” Clark explores familiar themes. It all comes out in his worn Texas rasp, surrounded by quiet, gorgeous playing of an acoustic combo. That country/folk approach works perfectly whether he’s telling the story of “Eamon,” a sailor, or doing a fine, upbeat version of his running buddy Townes Van Zandt’s “If I Needed You.” — L. Kent Wolgamott
If you like this, try Townes Van Zandt, Kris Kristofferson

Muse: ‘The Resistance’
3 1/2 stars
British acts have long been known for creating ambitious, extravagant and sometimes over-indulgent albums. Just think of Queen, Pink Floyd and Radiohead. Muse has shown signs of grandeur on past albums, but on “The Resistance,” the group has jumped full force into epic terrain of its predecessors. And guess what, Muse’s wide-screen vision for “The Resistance” works — and in grand fashion.

The 11-track CD covers a lot of musical and thematic ground, but it works because the band’s songwriting chops are equal to the scope of the CD. Songs range from the Depeche Mode-on-steroids synth-rock wallop of “Uprising,” to the stirring rock of “Unnatural Selection” to the CD closes with nothing short of a symphonic suite – the three-part “Exogenesis,” which as its title suggests, includes a full-blown orchestra embellishing and expanding on what is at its heart a striking piano-based piece. In a year in which several groups have delved into the rock opera waters (Green Day, the Decemberists), Muse has created the most lavish work of them all – and one that will reward those willing to join the band on its expansive musical journey — Alan Sculley
If you like this, try Emerson Lake & Palmer, Queen

The Hi–Nobles: ‘Shake!’
3 1/2 stars
“Shake!” takes the listener on a time trip back to the late 1960s when original frat/garage rockers like Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs and the Swingin’ Medallions were cutting loose on the farfisa organ.

The Hi-Nobles don’t really do much to update or advance the sounds of songs like “96 Tears” or “Double Shot (Of My Baby’s Love),” but the band has a couple of things going for it. For one, there’s the husky voice of singer Scott Holderby that immediately gives the Hi-Nobles an identifiable sound.

The songwriting is also a cut above, as songs like “Ain’t No Sin” and “International Playboys” manage to throw in some nifty melodic and rhythmic turns that raise the band above mere throwback status. While the Hi-Nobles may seem stuck in a time warp at times, the band has learned the lessons of its forefathers well and clearly knows how to raise the right kind of rock and roll ruckus. — Alan Sculley
If you like this, try the Fleshtones, Paul Revere & the Raiders

Royal Bangs: ‘Let It Beep’
3 1/2 stars

If all the Royal Bangs had to offer on “Let It Beep” was the song “Poison Control,” that would almost be worth the price of the CD. A crisply paced, rocker, “Poison Control” is anchored by a simple ascending chord structure over which the band adds driving keyboards and swirls of guitars and other sonic treats to create a blurry and ecstatic track that could make a Kenny G crowd rock out deliriously. Fortunately, the fun doesn’t stop there, as “Let It Beep” offers up plenty of other gems, including the slightly off kilter, vaguely funky rocker “My Car Is Haunted,” the grainy synth-pop/rocker “Tiny Prince of Keytar” and the chaotic but catchy “1993.” Like that latter song, much of “Let It Beep” has a somewhat unhinged quality, but because the Royal Bangs also has a strong pop sense, the feeling that certain songs are ready to jump the tracks only adds excitement and entertainment value to this disc.
— Alan Sculley
If you like this, try Electric Six and They Might Be Giants

The Elms: ‘The Great American Midrange’
3 stars
“The Great American Midrange” seems like as good a description as any of the Elms music. The band plays a brand of straight-forward melodic rock that sounds completely mid-American and as familiar as anything from acts that range from Bon Jovi to John Mellencamp to Hootie and the Blowfish to the Gin Blossoms. So obviously, there’s nothing groundbreaking to this CD and little that challenges listeners’ sensibilities. But “The Great American Midrange” is nothing if not solid. In a word, this is rock and roll comfort food, and that’s not at all a bad thing. — Alan Sculley
If you like this, try the Gin Blossoms, Jon McLaughlin