Lost Dogs
This collection of leftovers, rarities, outtakes, b-sides, and stray tracks is in some ways the best way to hear this definitive grunge band. Pearl Jam\'s debut album, *Ten*, established them in the public mind as an ennui-laden powerhouse of a hard rock band. Yet while Eddie Vedder sings with an arena rock vocalist\'s sense of reach, he just as easily can sit himself in a corner to mourn in quiet. *Lost Dogs* is much more *fun* than the band’s proper studio albums. It has no need to fulfill or extend a particular album’s mood. In its place is a looseness that the band rarely explore on tape. The rockers kick with wilder abandon (“Sad,” “Alone”), the pop songs flow with a sweet twist (“Down,” “Hitchhiker“), the ballads express great sorrow and mystery (“Strangest Tribe,” “Drifting,” “4/20/02”), and the goofy moments show the band have a sense of humor (the mock-noir “Sweet Lew,” the funk-metal “Dirty Frank”). “Last Kiss” and “Yellow Ledbetter” are the most familiar to fans, and 11 previously unreleased tracks make for an added bonus.
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