New Music from Pearl Jam Eddie Vedder

Pearl Jam’s singer and most frequent songwriter will be releasing a solo album bunch of songs later this year. Without the four guys who, surrounding him, comprise the one band that survived the grunge explosion/implosion and still rocks today. It seems he and Sean Penn think so much alike (politically? Madonna-ly?) that Vedder recorded a near-recordful of songs for Penn’s latest directorial effort, Into the Wild. (Eddie contributed to previous Penn projects I Am Sam and Dead Man Walking.) Here’s the theatrical trailer:

Contactmusic says “much of the film was shot in Vedder's adopted hometown of Seattle, Washington, and the rocker reportedly makes a cameo in the movie.” Where were we when this filming was happening? And should Eddie, drummer for Citizen Dick, be playing actor? If he does appear on-screen, we hope it isn’t a la Jack White’s “Look, I just walked into the twangy old Appalachians!”

Is this new material effing awesome for Pearl Jam fans--or horrible news? We’re notorious worriers, so you know what we’re afraid of. PJ is more than the sum of its parts probably ever could be (again), but damn. We always thought the guys would be another Rolling Stones, rocking right into the AARP. Anything that challenges the idea makes us nervous.

Into the Wild opens September 21, 2007. The soundtrack comes out on 9/18. Pearl Jam’s next album will be released…?