Artist: Eddie Vedder
Distributor: Columbia

Soundtrack Rating: 4/5

Two-for-ones are usually a bit of a dud – ‘buy Spider-Man 2 on DVD and get Catwoman absolutely free!’ Just what you always wanted. But rules are ripe for a-breaking, and if anybody can break them it’s Eddie Vedder. A film soundtrack by Pearl Jam’s very own front man? Not a chance. This is Vedder’s debut solo album, and the fact that it provides background noise for some Sean Penn flick is besides the point. Pared down to the bare essentials, Vedder’s music beats to the sound of pain remembered, dreams dreamt and days forgotten. One man and his mandarin, this is campfire stuff that cracks and pops with the dried-wood flames. The quivering vocals of ‘Long Nights’ and ‘Hard Sun (Main)’ swell with virtuosity, stirring even the hardiest soul. You’ll want to raise a lighter and sway. And you should.