Say what you will about Sean Penn and Eddie Vedder's politics, but the guys put together a hell of a film and soundtrack. While Penn's Into the Wild might not match its somber weight with Oscar gold, its music, care of Vedder, could score at the Grammys and Academy Awards. His song "Guaranteed" (covered below) already received a Best Song nom from the former.

Vedder's sparse, loping tunes that accompany the story of Christopher McCandless' search for his soul in the coldest, most uninhabitable of places is nearly as moving as Penn's film. Though on the lean side (30 or so minutes for a film of 140), Vedder's soundtrack nails the road-trip-to-oblivion feel of the story (originally told by Jon Krakauer). Note to Pearl Jam haters: the soundtrack is all Vedder and acoustic jangle. Your complaints won't apply here.

Though the album's two brilliant covers, "Society" and "Hard Sun," might shine as the most complete in a set of succinct pieces, Vedder's "Guaranteed" wraps things up perfectly. His voice and guitar and haunting hum ruminate on antisocial, anti-status-quo behavior—the apparent motivations behind McCandless' journey into remote Alaska: "Circles they grow and they swallow people whole/Half their lives they say goodnight to wives they'll never know ... I've got my indignation but I'm pure in all my thoughts/I'm alive." The melody will echo in your head long after you listen.

Who knows if Vedder will appear at the Grammys. (Or former Seattleite Chris Cornell, nominated in the same category for "You Know My Name.") Historically, he's not much for awards. When accepting a Grammy with Pearl Jam in 1996 he said, "I don't know what this means. I don't think it means anything." But if Penn's there, Vedder likely will be too. Their friendship and collaboration—and McCandless’ plight—mean a lot to the singer.

And if "Guaranteed" picks up an Oscar nom? Vedder's no Bono when it comes to exposure; that might be a bit much for him. But seeing Eddie perform at Hollywood's Kodak Theater—in the spotlight he once detested—would certainly be memorable, no matter what your politics.