These Seattle scene music survivors have almost come full circle on their latest record, in stores Tuesday.

Almost.

After a decade of releasing more experimental studio records that rarely rocked, not to mention dozens of live albums, Eddie Vedder and company have finally injected some -- dare I say it? -- commercial-friendly testosterone back into their music.

In other words, rock 'n' roll.

With some songs even clocking in at just over two minutes, the band seems to have also come to the realization that less is more -- and that whining ad nauseum isn't very attractive.

So after their mediocre 2002 disc Riot Act, Pearl Jam's eponymous effort finds the band -- rounded out by guitarists Stone Gossard and Mike McCready, bassist Jeff Ament and drummer Matt Cameron -- sounding truly vital again while continuing to protest the state of the world at large.

Just check out the fast and furious first four songs -- Life Wasted, World Wide Suicide, Comatose and Severed Hand -- followed later by the equally pleasing Big Wave.

And unlike the ridiculous spoken word Bush Leaguer from Riot Act, there are so-called protest songs that don't hit you over the head with heavy-handed messages.

In fact, the first single, World Wide Suicide, is their best in years, as Vedder laments: "It's a shame to awake in a world of pain, what does it mean when a war has taken over?"

Also good is the more epic-sounding Army Reserve and the dead soldier tribute Come Back.

This isn't to say there aren't a few misfires, such as mid-tempo songs Marker In The Sand, Parachutes and Unemployable, and the overlong ballad Inside Job, which would have been left off this otherwise potent disc, co-produced by previous collaborator Adam Kasper.

Here's a track-by-track look at Pearl Jam:

Life Wasted 3:51

A guitar-driven, heavier-sounding rocker that almost recalls Stone Temple Pilots with some nice guitar work from McCready and even a laugh mid-song from Vedder, who otherwise rages: "I have faced it, a life wasted, I'm never going back again/Oh, I escaped it, a life wasted, I'm never going back again."

World Wide Suicide 3:27

The standout track is undeniably Vedder's best protest song in years. "Medals on wooden mantle, next to a handsome face, that the president took for granted, writing checks that others pay," he sings.

Comatose 2:19

Punk-influenced in pace, length and attitude with noisy guitar -- McCready delivers another memorable solo -- and lyrics to match. "Consider me an abscess, leave me in my vacuum, blood on all the pistons, running my transmission," Vedder screams.

Severed Hand 4:27

A slower-boiling, more psychedelic rocker that asks existential questions set against memorable guitar work.

Marker In The Sand 4:21

A ponderous affair, this tempo-changing rocker never really takes off.

Parachutes 3:35

A psychedelic-leaning pop-folk song that's ultimately directionless.

Unemployable 3:03

Workers getting the cold shoulder from big business are paid tribute here. But the underlying, mid-tempo pop-rock song itself just isn't that strong.

Big Wave 2:55

Now this is more like it. A chugging rocker, with yet more searing guitar, that surfers around the world may just want to adopt as their unofficial anthem. "I used to be crustacean, in an underwater nation, and I surf in celebration, of a billion adaptations," sings Vedder, himself a surfer dude from San Diego.

Gone 4:07

A melancholy ballad about leaving a bad situation that begins acoustically before ramping up to rock levels during the chorus.

Life Wasted Reprise :52

An austere, organ-accompanied version of Life Wasted that might have been better utilized tagged at the end of the album's opening song instead of just plunked here.

Army Reserve 3:42

Epic-sounding narrative rock in a pleasing-to-the-ear package about a family suffering without a father, who's away in the army. "She tells herself, and everyone else, father is risking his life for our freedoms," Vedder observes.

Come Back 5:25

A bluesy, gospel-infused tribute to someone who's dead and gone. Pretty powerful as these things go.

Inside Job 6:30

A meandering rock ballad that tries be The Who but takes two minutes before Vedder's vocals kick in. Really, by then, it's too late.