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.

What makes things work is that the Idle Hands bring together such varied stylistic touchpoints without sounding too much like any one of these groups. In fact, it’s hard to say this Minneapolis-based group sounds like any one band. And most importantly, the songs on “The Hearts We Broke…” are consistently strong, spirited, and packed with memorable hooks.

By the writers of Last Word Features

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