In preparation for the September 20^th release of Backspacer, Pearl Jam’s ninth studio album in their near 20-year career, the band has not only enlisted political cartoonist Tom Tomorrow (pictured, with the group) of “This Modern World” fame for the art, but also set up an old-fashioned scavenger hunt of sorts involving Tomorrow’s images. Most known for his weekly strips, where right-wing fear-mongers spout off to a seemingly logical penguin in sunglasses, these images are bit more twisted while still throwing out a few nods to pop-culture. Collect all the pieces online and receive a demo of the new Pearl Jam track “Speed of Sound” for your efforts.  

Although a few sites have solved the scenario and thus posted the track, it’s nice to see a veteran band make the release of their cover art a mini-adventure. Also of note, Backspacer’s lead single “The Fixer” debuted at #2 on Billboard’s Rock Songs chart last week. [Stereogum]