Pearl Jam was one of the most popular bands of the grunge music era in the early
1990s. Pearl Jam became a key member of the Seattle grunge explosion, along with
Nirvana, Alice in Chains, and Soundgarden.  Ten, their first album, collects 11 songs
possessed of a singular vision and sound. The preoccupation with death and serial
killers is intriguing; "Jeremy," about a boy shooting himself in front of his classmates,
and based on a true story, is especially fascinating, given the events of Columbine
nearly a decade later. It seems another example of a culture's artists being able to put
their finger on the nation's pulse, and implore change years before authorities and
institutions become aware of the real issues and discontent bubbling under the surface.
Pearl Jam