Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam performs at The O2 Arena on June 18, 2018 in London, England.
Brian Rasic/WireImageEddie Vedder goes solo, but certainly isn’t alone on Earthling.
The Pearl Jam frontman’s new album dropped at the stroke of midnight via Seattle Surf/Republic Records, and features the previously-released tracks “Long Way,” “The Haves,” “Brother The Cloud” and a collaboration with Elton John, on “Picture.”
Vedder’s latest musical journey is made possible with support from his touring band The Earthlings, which includes Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer (now a Pearl Jam touring band member), album producer Andrew Watt on guitars, The Who’s Pino Palladino on bass, Glen Hansard on guitars and backing vocals, and RHCP drummer Chad Smith behind the kit.
Announced last September, Earthling is Vedder’s third solo album, and first since 2011’s Ukulele Songs, which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 chart. His most recent album with Pearl Jam was 2020’s Gigaton, which hit No. 4 on the all-genres Billboard 200.
Vedder and Co. will are currently touring the United States, with shows in San Diego, Los Angeles and Seattle in the coming days, and a tour of the U.K. and Europe to follow in June and July.
“We have a revolving door of covers,” Smith told Billboard ahead of the Earthlings’ two-night stand at New York’s The Beacon Theatre. “We rehearsed 21 different songs. A bunch of Pearl Jam songs, you name it.”
The release of Earthling caps a week-long feud with Nikki Sixx, which was sparked by Vedder’s swipe at Mötley Crüe and the “hair metal” era in general. Sixx went on to shade the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame-inducted Pearl Jam as “boring.” At the time of writing, Sixx hadn’t shared his review of Vedder’s Earthling.
Stream the album in full below.
NEWS
There is no question that Clipse’s Let God Sort Em Out made a serious impact and continues to hold weight. The project showed that hip hop is not limited by age and proved that a long-awaited return can still land in a major way regardless of the time away.
If you need a reminder, the Virginia duo’s fourth studio album debuted comfortably within the top five of the Hot 200. It secured the number four position and moved an impressive 118,000 units in its first week.
On top of that, it picked up a win at this year’s Grammys, earning Best Rap Performance for “Chains & Whips.” The album also received four additional nominations, including Best Music Video, Rap Album, and Album of the Year.
It is hard to believe the project will officially hit its one year mark this summer on July 11. Even so, Pusha T is making it clear that both supporters and critics should not be overlooking it anytime soon.
While performing at Coachella yesterday, King Push told the crowd that LGSEO still sits at the top, regardless of genre.
He said, “‘Let God Sort Em Out’ is still the album of the motherfckin year. Whole new year, still album of the year,” per Kurrco. “Album of the motherfcking year until we drop again. We don't care who dropping. It don't matter.”
That is a strong statement for obvious reasons, especially considering the recent claims surrounding Push himself.
Over the same weekend, hip hop social media lit up after several alleged reference tracks connected to Quentin Miller and Push began circulating. Three tracks surfaced in total, but one that drew the most attention was an alleged record titled “Real Gon’ Come.” It is said to come from the DAYTONA era, around 2017 to 2018.
The situation gained traction because fans remember the past tension between Drake and Pusha T before Drake’s clash with Kendrick Lamar. During that feud, Pusha accused Drake of using ghostwriters on tracks like “Infrared,” which appears on DAYTONA. On that song, he raps, “The bigger question is how the Russians did it /
It was written like Nas, but it came from Quentin.”
Reactions have been mixed. Some people argue it is not a major issue since Miller’s alleged contributions were limited to hooks. Others point out that the songs were never officially released, so they see no real problem. Meanwhile, critics view it as clear hypocrisy on Pusha T’s part, a perspective that DJ Akademiks has also supported.
