Bands pretty much get to wear masks and costumes every night. We couldn’t decide whether this made Halloween particularly awesome or particularly mundane for bands. But we settled somewhere closer to awesome, because at least one day of the year everyone gets to join them in this and maybe they don’t feel so alone. Then we wondered what is was like for Conor Oberst to not feel alone. Maybe he doesn’t do Halloween concerts…

Regardless, when bands use the Halloween spirit to channel bands they would otherwise probably never come anywhere near, it falls much closer to awesome. And while the Weezer costumes may not have worked so well for Titus Andronicus, these Devo get-ups seem to be making the boys from Pearl Jam downright jovial for their cover of “Whip It.” So embrace the semi-absurdity of the whole thing and enjoy this clip from the last show at Philly’s now defunct Spectrum.

Clearly no one running Guantanamo Bay is winning points for their humanity, but they’ve been using music as a method of torture and some bands are not going to take it. Apparently the song “March of the Pigs” by Nine Inch Nails was one of the tracks played repeatedly at loud decibels in an attempt to wear down prisoners so they’d give up information, which not only shows the disgusting character of some soldiers but also puts their bad taste in music on blast. (To be honest, definitely rocked that song repeatedly at loud decibels in seventh grade.) Today NIN, REM and Pearl Jam announced their support for the National Campaign to Close Guantanamo, and REM stated “We have spent the past 30 years supporting causes related to peace and justice. To now learn that some of our friends’ music may have been used as part of the torture tactics without their consent or knowledge is horrific. It’s anti-American, period.” And while we’re wondering if it really took finding out their friends’ music was being desecrated to officially oppose the prison—really dogs?—any proactive musicians using their celebrity to stand up for human rights deserve props. So, props dudes.

In what many are calling their real comeback album since the band ducked out of the mainstream spotlight over ten years ago,  Pearl Jam’s Backspacer has the Seattle grunge quintet on course to grab its first No. 1 slot on the Billboard charts in 13 years. Released on Sunday and sold exclusively in the States through Target, iTunes, the band’s website and independent record shops, Backspacer is predicted to move anywhere between 175,000 and 200,000 units by the end of this week. It’s a pace that, ifBillboard prognosis is correct, should have Peej sitting pretty atop the list next week as well. THEY’RE STILL ALIVE, both literally and figuratively. Sigh.

In accordance with their consistent dedication to their fans over the years, Pearl Jam have made their latest record, Backspacer (the ninth studio record in the PJ catalog), available for streaming online. Take a listen at MySpace Music or over at the NME, for all you anglophiles, before you pick it up at Target next Tuesday.

Jonah Weiner at Slate has an interesting article on the juxtapositions inherent in Pearl Jam’s latest album roll-out campaign, highlighting the previous anti-corporation tendencies of the band and its current status as a Target-sponsored musical entity. Pearl Jam, as you undoubtedly know by now, has a new album, Backspacer, due in stores on September 20; however, the album will be available for purchase only at Target stores, certain pre-approved independent record stores, and a Target-sponsored portion of iTunes. This corporate partnering from a band that has long campaigned against Ticketmaster and has released hundreds of bootleg live CDs, enabling fans to recapture the live experience. Verizon has taken riffs from the upcoming album and has made them available as promotional ringtones, even as the band continues to insist that its albums be sold on vinyl in addition to compact disc and digital download.

Such odd juxtapositions are nothing new in today’s music industry, and perhaps Pearl Jam’s recent alliance with such corporate behemoths is simply a necessary move in a chaotic economic climate.The band has always put the fans first, as I experienced firsthand while on tour with them in the fourth grade. As a friend of the manager’s daughter, I was able to see the dynamic way in which the group interacted with its fanbase; watching them play, it was obvious that they were playing for the people in the crowd. Some may take Pearl Jam’s new business associates as further signs of a band on the road to selling out; maybe the harsh truth is that these are some of the steps necessary to continue to connect with fans across the world, and to continue to make music that touches people to the extent that Pearl Jam’s songs have.