Eddie Vedder and the boys are back with what I refer to as a third listen record. In other words, I didn't know what to think the first time around, but by the third time, I was hooked. As a whole, Yield is much more mild than Pearl Jam's earlier records. Although it does offer a couple of hard rocking tunes such as the edgy Brain of J., and the blistering "Do the Evolution."

Certainly the album's better moments are a lot easier on the ear. Such as the first single the Zeppelin-inspired "Given to Fly", and a beautiful ballad called "Low Light," in which Eddie Vedder actually harmonizes. The crop of ballads are the album's chief Yield. Surprisingly, the guitar work on Pearl Jam's fifth album is relatively simple, not offering the innovation that made Vitalogy the band's best album.

However, Yield is a well produced record offering a much better sound than No Code. Yield's best attributes are Jack Iron's drum work, and Vedder's growling, passionate vocals. Pearl Jam has strived to put the Grunge Poster Boys image behind them. With Yield, they are well on their way to obtaining their goal, without sacrificing their artistic integrity.