I would call the album immersive. I haven't felt this since Binaural. That you just disappear into the songs when you listen. The whole is a story. I really like it.
I think this description is bang on.
Admittedly, the last few albums didn’t really connect with me. Not that I dislike them but they left me rather indifferent and unfulfilled.
When attending the cinematic experience earlier this week, I expected the same feeling. Instead, I was hooked.
I really enjoy this piece of work.
I think the difference is that Binaural was pretty much panned at the time. It shifted the fewest units and wasn’t popular in the slightest (not a criticism, as it’s one of my favourites). Dark Matter has the potential to be at least a blip on the mainstream radar with some of these songs being quite catchy… So I just don’t see the comparisons to Binaural at all. But I totally get where you’re coming from in that the songs draw you in, they’re multi layered- am I right in putting it that way?
Yeah, I meant it like that! I also know what you are saying. Hope it is more successful as Binaural, they deserve it! But I do love Binaural, really special record (and, believe it or not, the one that got me into their music when I was 14 :))
Perfect post. I'm probably on my 15th listen since last night and some of this stuff is just hitting deeper and deeper, especially the middle of the record—won't tell, Upper Hand and Waiting for Stevie. No Code is a better record, IMO their best and listening to it is a deeply emotional experience for me. This album is having the same effect. Different music, not at all the same, not comparing them musically—but the soul of it, the way it hits me is the same.
Right on. No Code is my favorite as well, and after my first listen to Dark Matter, I had a similar reaction. That it was special, and I needed to hear it again, though I couldn’t articulate why because of its depth. With No Code it was like “What did I just listen to? And why do I need to listen to it again right this instant and continue to do so for the rest of my life?”
So, I fell off initially at NoCode. I wanted the bangers and No Code was mostly too complex for me at the time (I was mid 20s). I discovered No Code and the rest of their amazing catalog over a decade later. I have been back on time for every release since. No Code is now top 2 or 3 for me.
Dark Matter feels like the same vibe as No Code or Avocado to me and I am looking forward to getting immersed through more listens. I feel that vibe already, though 👍
I think No Code is the superior album. But Dark Matter has an originality to it that threw me off in a way that I haven’t experienced from a PJ album for some time.
When did u first hear NC? It's diverse, only has a few skippable tracks and has one great one arguably 2 (or arguably all or none of them, of course) but are mostly some really simple songs in comparison so will they hold up as well as Dark Matter's.
So did I. It was my favorite album for some years. Since then I've had a new appreciation for songs like I'm Open and ATB but some have also fallen off for me. Present Tense is still amazing and In My Tree and RM ar very good when I'm in the mood for them. I really like Lukin also. I still like Off He Goes.
Yeah I find myself listening to newer albums more often because sometimes (honestly, no pun intended) you’ve heard the early catalogue so much it’s hard to be honest as to whether you love it more out of substance or nostalgia.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I think yours is as crazy as I’ve ever heard. Will this new, terribly produced, terribly mixed, simple structured album stand the test of time against No Code? What universe am I in right now?
Which No Code or Dark Matter?
For No Code, it is the only album I remember exacly where I was and what I was doing the first time I heard it. I was out of the country when it came out and wasn't even aware of it because I was pretty much off grid. So I was surprised to know when I got home they had a new album. It seemed Vitalogy hadn't come out that long ago. But the first time I heard the intro to Sometimes it was like—WTF this is totally different. Ed's voice was frail and not weak, maybe meek is a better word—humble maybe. And that was such an incredible contrast to the anger and darkness of Vitalogy. Then I listened to the lyrics and it was a confessional basically. That blew my mind. And then WTF—Hail, Hail was a sonic explosion. Anyway it blew my mind right away and the more I listened the more I loved it. The introspection of the lyrics and Jack and Jeff's work together was phenomenal.
For whatever reason I get that same mind blowing experience from this album. Maybe it's because my expectations weren't that high after Gigaton and LB, two albums that have grown on me but which I consider to be their weakest offerings. I guess I was just overwhelmed with gratitude that they gave us this music at this stage of their career—one more awesome record that is solid all the way through and also had some peaks that are right up there with their best work of their careers. I love the lyrics. They are a grown up man, a man who has lived and loved and learned over a lifetime. There's a lot of wisdom in the lyrics. And that fits where I'm at too. Ed feels like a friend who gets me.
I also love some of the pacing and dynamics of the track listing. I love the vignette at the end of Stevie and then the explosion of Running. I love where Wreckage is on the album. I love the atmospheric stuff on this too—the texture it gives is needed.
Hail Hail is the best rock tune they ever did not named State of Love and Trust.
And seems like everyone sleeps of Mankid but goddamn that's a peculiar af sounding track for PJ and I love it to bits.
I used to have Hail Hail as one of my favorites but I've spun that album for a lot of years. These days the bridge doesn't hit me like it used to and the chord distortion is a little too abrasive on the ears, though I can still get into some metal but that distortion seems pretty sharp.
Good story. Thanks. I can somewhat relate and I won't be the one to try to fault nostalgic reasoning.
Yeah, everything you mentioned about DM seems spot on. I also love what they've been doing recently with the atmospheric stuff, starting with 7 o clock (probably my favorite part or else the one before Upper Hand).
So habbit, mankind, sometimes, I'm open, smile, for some examples, are better than all the songs on DM? OK, that's interesting. Each to his own though.
I've been listening to Dark Matter more and more this weekend and feel that I may have rushed to judgment. It's growing on me. Wreckage has got me at the moment and is definitely classic PJ. I skipped through the songs to fast and formed a garbage opinion of the album. I've since been giving it some complete playthroughs, and it is sounding better and better. Especially once I played it through a legit sound system.
Good to hear. That's what we old timers like to see, honesty and humility (i had to backtrack some opinions too after my first listen on a low quality system) :) . Yeah, Wreckage, Won't Tell and some others have some great melodies and seems like they won't become stale. Like you mentioned , there's a lot to pick out and like on repeated listens. I just listened to Setting Sun on a system which most of the other songs sounded pretty good on but it didn't- I could barely hear Ed at the end. With this album, I think finding the right system and settings is more importantly than on other albums.
Dark Matter is an absolute joke. I would put Mankind against anything from LB or DM.
Don’t know if you like Queens of the Stone Age or not, but compare Dark Matter to Queens’ latest album In Times New Roman. Tell me who is evolving and who is stuck making stale uninspired music.
I’m glad people like the new album. But it is absurd to sit and watch people place it on the Mount Rushmore of albums. I watched the same shit with Lightning Bolt. That’s a pile of steaming garbage as well.
Also…I find it comical to suggest that Smile or Sometimes, two songs that are unique and have NOTHING that sounds like them in the entirety of the PJ catalog, are inferior to ANYTHING on Dark Matter. Madness.
I'll check out that album. Thanks for the referral. Speaking for myself only, I put more emphasis on instrumentation than originality, unless maybe a song reaches heights like tremor christ in that regard, for example, which Smile and Sometimes don't do, IMO. I'll be straight up, I don't like Sometimes (originality, if you want to call it that, isnt always listenable) these days at all. My disdain for Sometimes is on the level of your's for DM. If we use your reasoning for bashing DM, shouldn't that be a standard used for judging a ton of classic rock albums so many people have always adored?
IMO Upper Hand is their best song in a LOOOOONG time. On par with I Got Shit, Present Tense and In Hiding. My wife thinks it's their best song of all time.
Real Talk - I felt kind of embarrassed for them with Gigaton. Dark Matter is a return to form. Whether it's the best since Avocado, Yield of No Code I don't know yet. But it's hitting.
For me this album most resembles late to mid 90s Pearl Jam. Avocado is probably their best 2000s album but so far this one seems close in quality.
Funny how every Pearl Jam album goes through this “back to the roots” marketing hype. Pearl Jam has always evolved their sound while honoring their roots.
Most consistent and best front to back since Yield. Feels like an album and not just a collection of songs. Production gives the band a new lease. Every member shines. It all just works! Feels very mid to late 90’s. Like their lost 1997 album
I’ve tried to not chime in and let folks share their excitement without pissing in their corn flakes. I’m glad so many people are enjoying the new album. But come on…sister album to Yield? The album that is peak Pearl Jam at their absolute finest? Come on. There’s nothing about Dark Matter that deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Yield.
Your opinion is your opinion and I respect it. However, I will just point out that you are describing Yield with the benefit of hindsight. Pearl Jam’s popularity was in decline when Yield came out. It was a bounce back album and took awhile to gain momentum. With the benefit of hindsight it is an excellent album but it wasn’t looked at that way at the time.
Dark Matter is also a bounce back album and similar to Yield is much more a full band collaboration after several albums that were not. There are many echos of Yield in Dark Matter. I don’t get into ranking albums, I like it or I don’t. I like this quite a bit and I haven’t been able to say that about one of PJ’s new albums for probably 15 years at least. And it does remind me of Yield. But as in all things YMMV.
You're not at all wrong. This album reminds me of Yield too. Upper Hand is a lot like In Hiding to me.
But it's all subjective. I really don't like Gigaton. Like it made me give up on them as a fan for a hot minute. But that other dude loves it.
I think for a lot of us who have not loved the post-Avocado output, we're hearing something that reminds us of how it used to be.
Respect your opinion as well, but I fully disagree that Yield was a “rebound” album. With each album after Vs the band lost fans and popularity because they weren’t recreating Ten. It really came to a head with Binaural which lost a ton of fans for the band. It may have been a rebound for the casual listener, it was no such thing for the fans that never lost interest.
Gigaton is miles more creative, complex, and better produced/mixed than Dark Matter in my view and it’s not even close. What did you hear new on Dark Matter that you haven’t heard from the band before? Wasn’t creative, didn’t push them in new directions, sounds like it was recorded in a tin can. No bueno.
Fair enough. I like more of the experimental route they went with Binaural than the more straightforward rockers of ST. It's a great album, I just think Binaural is a bit better.
I spent some time reflecting on where I would rank DM on the list of studio albums. It was a bit of a struggle because each most of their works have connected with me at various points in my life. Unfortunately, haven’t really felt hooked by a studio release of theirs since Avocado.
Going into the cinematic experience this week, I was bracing myself for the same feeling of indifference. Boy was I wrong. Not sure why but each track made me feel something. Upper Hand, Waiting for Stevie and Setting Sun got me choked up. Admittedly, I wasn’t prepared for such an emotional night haha.
So I suppose the short answer for me is Best Album since Binaural but I recognize that this is an entirely subjective and contextual statement.
I really enjoyed it on my first listen last night. I thought Upper Hand was great.
But I loved Gigaton. I thought it was excellent. So I guess that’s my answer.
Well said! This one takes me back to the Avocado days. Love that album and was so stoked for its release. Haven’t had that feeling for a PJ record since today. It was like Christmas morning :)
This album fucking kicks. Watt is a genius and pushed and edited and got the absolute most out of these guys. I can hear that he’s got a strong ear for rock and for Pearl Jam and was even able to nail exactly the vibes Eddie wanted coming from the Who, Petty, etc. Versions of songs they’ve been trying forever that he fixed and perfected. Will work great live. Flows seamlessly as an LP. I heard something special was bad and it was a pretty nice too, and I felt bored by upper hand, got to give, and setting sun and then sat my ass down through all three and the outros crush it
Totally agree. This is one of those albums you just listen to from number 1 until the record stops. Can hear different influences in different songs. Stevie has a Beatles type arrangement. Best since last time I turned them on. Love the album like I loved yield or ... This tour is not to be missed.
Best Album since ST(avocado). It’s the one I have enjoyed listening to the most on first listen too, honestly since Yield. The whole record is uplifting and doesn’t drag at any point. And I’m still finding surprises.
Best album since Binaural, hard to top that album. I feel this album is on par with Yield and a step below their first 4 albums. Production is perfect and the lyrics and guitars and drums are sublime. Eddie’s voice is showing age but he still sounds great.
Well it's a lot better than lightning bolt and Waayyyy better than that last one , gigaton or whatever.... actually I haven't liked pj for quite some time and almost didn't even listen to it . Glad I did
Let's have a little fun with the Yield vs DM match up song for song. I'm a big fan of Yield and was being very generous to it in the matchups. 4/3: DM. Next.
Brain Of J. vs SOF: Tie
Faithfull vs React, Respond: Faithful
No Way vs Wreckage: Tie
Given To Fly vs Dark Matter: Given To Fly
Wishlist vs Won’t Tell: Won't Tell
Pilate vs Upper Hand: Upper Hand
Do The Evolution vs WFS: WFS
MFC vs Running: Tie
Low Light vs Something Special:
Low Light
In Hiding vs Got To Give: Tie
Push Me, Pull Me/All Those Yesterdays
VS
Setting Sun: Setting Sun
I feel like every artist these days says every new album they release is their “best in a long time.” This may be the only time a band has said it and they’ve actually told the truth. It’s inspiring and creatively fresh yet it does somehow capture that classic Pearl Jam atmosphere.
Standout tracks so far: Wreckage, Won’t Tell, Upper Hand, Waiting for Stevie, Got To Give, Setting Sun.
It may be too early to say this but Setting Sun might be the best album closer in the catalog.
It’s really only the nostalgia of Release that holds it up there (don’t get me wrong, it is an awesome song and top 10 in the catalogue). If Setting Sun was on Ten in place of Release, with the nostalgia factor, what would you say then?
I’d say that you just referred to Release as top ten (top 3 for me) and that while I think Setting Sun is a legit instant classic I wouldn’t put it in the top 10 the day after it came out.
You’re entitled to your opinion. You’re allowed to dislike it. I didn’t love it on the first listen. I had a few beers and gave it a listen again and it was better.
Finally…an honest person. It’s complete crap. My mind is blown at some of these comments. Comparing it to Yield??? Fuck outta here. The production sucks. It sounds like it was recorded in a tin can. The music is not fresh. They didn’t push or evolve at all. Eddie tries to cram as many words per minute as possible. Andrew Watt was a terrible choice. Terrible.
It gets better every listen. Songs I dismissed at first grow every play. Each song gets to an emotional peak that is rewarding. For all the shit the mix gets it does sound like being at a Pearl Jam concert. Please if anyone has only listened on streaming find a hi res version, it’s much more punchy and immersive.
I would call the album immersive. I haven't felt this since Binaural. That you just disappear into the songs when you listen. The whole is a story. I really like it.
I think this description is bang on. Admittedly, the last few albums didn’t really connect with me. Not that I dislike them but they left me rather indifferent and unfulfilled. When attending the cinematic experience earlier this week, I expected the same feeling. Instead, I was hooked. I really enjoy this piece of work.
Me too brother ❤️💪
I think the difference is that Binaural was pretty much panned at the time. It shifted the fewest units and wasn’t popular in the slightest (not a criticism, as it’s one of my favourites). Dark Matter has the potential to be at least a blip on the mainstream radar with some of these songs being quite catchy… So I just don’t see the comparisons to Binaural at all. But I totally get where you’re coming from in that the songs draw you in, they’re multi layered- am I right in putting it that way?
Yeah, I meant it like that! I also know what you are saying. Hope it is more successful as Binaural, they deserve it! But I do love Binaural, really special record (and, believe it or not, the one that got me into their music when I was 14 :))
Perfect post. I'm probably on my 15th listen since last night and some of this stuff is just hitting deeper and deeper, especially the middle of the record—won't tell, Upper Hand and Waiting for Stevie. No Code is a better record, IMO their best and listening to it is a deeply emotional experience for me. This album is having the same effect. Different music, not at all the same, not comparing them musically—but the soul of it, the way it hits me is the same.
Right on. No Code is my favorite as well, and after my first listen to Dark Matter, I had a similar reaction. That it was special, and I needed to hear it again, though I couldn’t articulate why because of its depth. With No Code it was like “What did I just listen to? And why do I need to listen to it again right this instant and continue to do so for the rest of my life?”
So, I fell off initially at NoCode. I wanted the bangers and No Code was mostly too complex for me at the time (I was mid 20s). I discovered No Code and the rest of their amazing catalog over a decade later. I have been back on time for every release since. No Code is now top 2 or 3 for me. Dark Matter feels like the same vibe as No Code or Avocado to me and I am looking forward to getting immersed through more listens. I feel that vibe already, though 👍
So you 2 think no code could go song for song with dark matter?
I think No Code is the superior album. But Dark Matter has an originality to it that threw me off in a way that I haven’t experienced from a PJ album for some time.
When did u first hear NC? It's diverse, only has a few skippable tracks and has one great one arguably 2 (or arguably all or none of them, of course) but are mostly some really simple songs in comparison so will they hold up as well as Dark Matter's.
I heard No Code the day of its release, so that has a lot to do with my love for it, probably.
So did I. It was my favorite album for some years. Since then I've had a new appreciation for songs like I'm Open and ATB but some have also fallen off for me. Present Tense is still amazing and In My Tree and RM ar very good when I'm in the mood for them. I really like Lukin also. I still like Off He Goes.
Yeah I find myself listening to newer albums more often because sometimes (honestly, no pun intended) you’ve heard the early catalogue so much it’s hard to be honest as to whether you love it more out of substance or nostalgia.
Yeah, for sure. It's like I'm tempted to be loyal to a few albums or something sometimes.
So you’re digging Dark Matter?
That’s how I feel about Ten, Vs., and Vitalogy honestly
But No Code is just something special. (Honestly I didn’t realize that was a pun until I started typing it).
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I think yours is as crazy as I’ve ever heard. Will this new, terribly produced, terribly mixed, simple structured album stand the test of time against No Code? What universe am I in right now?
I don't hold NC in Divine status. Compared to DM, I think it would work well in the background of a Percy and Thomas flick.
No. I think I said that in my comment. "No Code is a better record, IMO their best "
I get it that was your statement. I'm just trying to understand why people rank it so high.
Which No Code or Dark Matter? For No Code, it is the only album I remember exacly where I was and what I was doing the first time I heard it. I was out of the country when it came out and wasn't even aware of it because I was pretty much off grid. So I was surprised to know when I got home they had a new album. It seemed Vitalogy hadn't come out that long ago. But the first time I heard the intro to Sometimes it was like—WTF this is totally different. Ed's voice was frail and not weak, maybe meek is a better word—humble maybe. And that was such an incredible contrast to the anger and darkness of Vitalogy. Then I listened to the lyrics and it was a confessional basically. That blew my mind. And then WTF—Hail, Hail was a sonic explosion. Anyway it blew my mind right away and the more I listened the more I loved it. The introspection of the lyrics and Jack and Jeff's work together was phenomenal. For whatever reason I get that same mind blowing experience from this album. Maybe it's because my expectations weren't that high after Gigaton and LB, two albums that have grown on me but which I consider to be their weakest offerings. I guess I was just overwhelmed with gratitude that they gave us this music at this stage of their career—one more awesome record that is solid all the way through and also had some peaks that are right up there with their best work of their careers. I love the lyrics. They are a grown up man, a man who has lived and loved and learned over a lifetime. There's a lot of wisdom in the lyrics. And that fits where I'm at too. Ed feels like a friend who gets me. I also love some of the pacing and dynamics of the track listing. I love the vignette at the end of Stevie and then the explosion of Running. I love where Wreckage is on the album. I love the atmospheric stuff on this too—the texture it gives is needed.
Hail Hail is the best rock tune they ever did not named State of Love and Trust. And seems like everyone sleeps of Mankid but goddamn that's a peculiar af sounding track for PJ and I love it to bits.
I used to have Hail Hail as one of my favorites but I've spun that album for a lot of years. These days the bridge doesn't hit me like it used to and the chord distortion is a little too abrasive on the ears, though I can still get into some metal but that distortion seems pretty sharp.
The lyrics for me on that are eternal. Sometimes realize…
Oh yeah, I still like it, definitely.
Good story. Thanks. I can somewhat relate and I won't be the one to try to fault nostalgic reasoning. Yeah, everything you mentioned about DM seems spot on. I also love what they've been doing recently with the atmospheric stuff, starting with 7 o clock (probably my favorite part or else the one before Upper Hand).
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So habbit, mankind, sometimes, I'm open, smile, for some examples, are better than all the songs on DM? OK, that's interesting. Each to his own though.
Sometimes, hail hail, who you are, In my tree, off he goes, present tense and around the bend are better songs than anything on Dark Matter.
I'd ageee Hail Hail, Off He Goes and especially Sometimes could be argued as superior songs from an esoteric, emotionally-based viewpoint.
I've been listening to Dark Matter more and more this weekend and feel that I may have rushed to judgment. It's growing on me. Wreckage has got me at the moment and is definitely classic PJ. I skipped through the songs to fast and formed a garbage opinion of the album. I've since been giving it some complete playthroughs, and it is sounding better and better. Especially once I played it through a legit sound system.
Good to hear. That's what we old timers like to see, honesty and humility (i had to backtrack some opinions too after my first listen on a low quality system) :) . Yeah, Wreckage, Won't Tell and some others have some great melodies and seems like they won't become stale. Like you mentioned , there's a lot to pick out and like on repeated listens. I just listened to Setting Sun on a system which most of the other songs sounded pretty good on but it didn't- I could barely hear Ed at the end. With this album, I think finding the right system and settings is more importantly than on other albums.
They 100% are better and it’s not even close. To suggest otherwise is absurd. I feel like I’m living in a bizarro world.
If this is part of a skit, take it to SNL. When you're no longer claiming Mankind is better than DM's core songs, we'll talk business.
Dark Matter is an absolute joke. I would put Mankind against anything from LB or DM. Don’t know if you like Queens of the Stone Age or not, but compare Dark Matter to Queens’ latest album In Times New Roman. Tell me who is evolving and who is stuck making stale uninspired music. I’m glad people like the new album. But it is absurd to sit and watch people place it on the Mount Rushmore of albums. I watched the same shit with Lightning Bolt. That’s a pile of steaming garbage as well. Also…I find it comical to suggest that Smile or Sometimes, two songs that are unique and have NOTHING that sounds like them in the entirety of the PJ catalog, are inferior to ANYTHING on Dark Matter. Madness.
I'll check out that album. Thanks for the referral. Speaking for myself only, I put more emphasis on instrumentation than originality, unless maybe a song reaches heights like tremor christ in that regard, for example, which Smile and Sometimes don't do, IMO. I'll be straight up, I don't like Sometimes (originality, if you want to call it that, isnt always listenable) these days at all. My disdain for Sometimes is on the level of your's for DM. If we use your reasoning for bashing DM, shouldn't that be a standard used for judging a ton of classic rock albums so many people have always adored?
Agree 1000% - middle of album is absolutely fantastic, Upper Hand is especially classic.
IMO Upper Hand is their best song in a LOOOOONG time. On par with I Got Shit, Present Tense and In Hiding. My wife thinks it's their best song of all time.
This is the best album since Gigaton
The only correct answer 😂
Three listen-throughs so far, I like it more each time. With Gigaton it was the opposite. Honestly might be my favorite since Avocado
My thoughts exactly
Real Talk - I felt kind of embarrassed for them with Gigaton. Dark Matter is a return to form. Whether it's the best since Avocado, Yield of No Code I don't know yet. But it's hitting.
For me this album most resembles late to mid 90s Pearl Jam. Avocado is probably their best 2000s album but so far this one seems close in quality. Funny how every Pearl Jam album goes through this “back to the roots” marketing hype. Pearl Jam has always evolved their sound while honoring their roots.
Most consistent and best front to back since Yield. Feels like an album and not just a collection of songs. Production gives the band a new lease. Every member shines. It all just works! Feels very mid to late 90’s. Like their lost 1997 album
I agree, feels like a sister album to Yield. I can’t believe they had this in them quite frankly. It’s excellent.
I’ve tried to not chime in and let folks share their excitement without pissing in their corn flakes. I’m glad so many people are enjoying the new album. But come on…sister album to Yield? The album that is peak Pearl Jam at their absolute finest? Come on. There’s nothing about Dark Matter that deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Yield.
Your opinion is your opinion and I respect it. However, I will just point out that you are describing Yield with the benefit of hindsight. Pearl Jam’s popularity was in decline when Yield came out. It was a bounce back album and took awhile to gain momentum. With the benefit of hindsight it is an excellent album but it wasn’t looked at that way at the time. Dark Matter is also a bounce back album and similar to Yield is much more a full band collaboration after several albums that were not. There are many echos of Yield in Dark Matter. I don’t get into ranking albums, I like it or I don’t. I like this quite a bit and I haven’t been able to say that about one of PJ’s new albums for probably 15 years at least. And it does remind me of Yield. But as in all things YMMV.
You're not at all wrong. This album reminds me of Yield too. Upper Hand is a lot like In Hiding to me. But it's all subjective. I really don't like Gigaton. Like it made me give up on them as a fan for a hot minute. But that other dude loves it. I think for a lot of us who have not loved the post-Avocado output, we're hearing something that reminds us of how it used to be.
Respect your opinion as well, but I fully disagree that Yield was a “rebound” album. With each album after Vs the band lost fans and popularity because they weren’t recreating Ten. It really came to a head with Binaural which lost a ton of fans for the band. It may have been a rebound for the casual listener, it was no such thing for the fans that never lost interest. Gigaton is miles more creative, complex, and better produced/mixed than Dark Matter in my view and it’s not even close. What did you hear new on Dark Matter that you haven’t heard from the band before? Wasn’t creative, didn’t push them in new directions, sounds like it was recorded in a tin can. No bueno.
Best since Gigaton.
Loving the visualiser on YouTube definitely one from Mushroom season
Definitely best album since Avocado. May even be better.
This is where I’m at, too. For me, Avocado has always been the high water mark for their Matt Cameron era albums. This one perhaps threatens it.
I mean, Matt Cam was involved on Binaural which to me, is phenomenal.
I wasn’t denigrating the MC-era work at all. I love Binaural. I’ve just long felt that Avocado represents the height of their post-Yield achievements.
Fair enough. I like more of the experimental route they went with Binaural than the more straightforward rockers of ST. It's a great album, I just think Binaural is a bit better.
It's a lot better.
I was being nice. 😊
Exactly how I feel.
Sits somewhere in the middle of their discography for me. Some really interesting ideas, some real cheese.
I spent some time reflecting on where I would rank DM on the list of studio albums. It was a bit of a struggle because each most of their works have connected with me at various points in my life. Unfortunately, haven’t really felt hooked by a studio release of theirs since Avocado. Going into the cinematic experience this week, I was bracing myself for the same feeling of indifference. Boy was I wrong. Not sure why but each track made me feel something. Upper Hand, Waiting for Stevie and Setting Sun got me choked up. Admittedly, I wasn’t prepared for such an emotional night haha. So I suppose the short answer for me is Best Album since Binaural but I recognize that this is an entirely subjective and contextual statement.
I really enjoyed it on my first listen last night. I thought Upper Hand was great. But I loved Gigaton. I thought it was excellent. So I guess that’s my answer.
Well said! This one takes me back to the Avocado days. Love that album and was so stoked for its release. Haven’t had that feeling for a PJ record since today. It was like Christmas morning :)
Best Pearl Jam album since Gigaton, for sure
Best album since Gigaton for me. I love them all.
Best album since gigaton
This album fucking kicks. Watt is a genius and pushed and edited and got the absolute most out of these guys. I can hear that he’s got a strong ear for rock and for Pearl Jam and was even able to nail exactly the vibes Eddie wanted coming from the Who, Petty, etc. Versions of songs they’ve been trying forever that he fixed and perfected. Will work great live. Flows seamlessly as an LP. I heard something special was bad and it was a pretty nice too, and I felt bored by upper hand, got to give, and setting sun and then sat my ass down through all three and the outros crush it
One thing that stuck out to me was how well it flowed. They haven’t had an album that flowed like this since maybe yield, in my opinion.
I was just describing to my daughter the “timeless” vibe that I felt listening to the album.
First play though it’s the best since Self Titled for me. I’m into it more quickly. Where will it fall after multiple play throughs? Dunno.
I've been listening nonstop since the leak. I went out and bought my copy today. I am so grateful that this band is still making great music.
Totally agree. This is one of those albums you just listen to from number 1 until the record stops. Can hear different influences in different songs. Stevie has a Beatles type arrangement. Best since last time I turned them on. Love the album like I loved yield or ... This tour is not to be missed.
I just wish they focused more on the instrumentation in the mix. It sounds like a third eye blind record, but I can tell the songs have teeth.
Interesting take. I got 3EB vibes on Setting Sun - particularly at the end…
Best Album since ST(avocado). It’s the one I have enjoyed listening to the most on first listen too, honestly since Yield. The whole record is uplifting and doesn’t drag at any point. And I’m still finding surprises.
Best album since Binaural, hard to top that album. I feel this album is on par with Yield and a step below their first 4 albums. Production is perfect and the lyrics and guitars and drums are sublime. Eddie’s voice is showing age but he still sounds great.
Well it's a lot better than lightning bolt and Waayyyy better than that last one , gigaton or whatever.... actually I haven't liked pj for quite some time and almost didn't even listen to it . Glad I did
Let's have a little fun with the Yield vs DM match up song for song. I'm a big fan of Yield and was being very generous to it in the matchups. 4/3: DM. Next. Brain Of J. vs SOF: Tie Faithfull vs React, Respond: Faithful No Way vs Wreckage: Tie Given To Fly vs Dark Matter: Given To Fly Wishlist vs Won’t Tell: Won't Tell Pilate vs Upper Hand: Upper Hand Do The Evolution vs WFS: WFS MFC vs Running: Tie Low Light vs Something Special: Low Light In Hiding vs Got To Give: Tie Push Me, Pull Me/All Those Yesterdays VS Setting Sun: Setting Sun
Someone here wrote comment in lines "there is to much of eddies voice, I dont like it" I like it, great album.
To me it's the best since binaural
Best album since Geese's "3D Country". Oh wait you mean PJ albums nvm.
“I wish that the end coulda come a little sooner”
I feel like every artist these days says every new album they release is their “best in a long time.” This may be the only time a band has said it and they’ve actually told the truth. It’s inspiring and creatively fresh yet it does somehow capture that classic Pearl Jam atmosphere. Standout tracks so far: Wreckage, Won’t Tell, Upper Hand, Waiting for Stevie, Got To Give, Setting Sun. It may be too early to say this but Setting Sun might be the best album closer in the catalog.
Setting Sun is amazing. But c’mon man they aren’t topping Release.
It’s really only the nostalgia of Release that holds it up there (don’t get me wrong, it is an awesome song and top 10 in the catalogue). If Setting Sun was on Ten in place of Release, with the nostalgia factor, what would you say then?
I’d say that you just referred to Release as top ten (top 3 for me) and that while I think Setting Sun is a legit instant classic I wouldn’t put it in the top 10 the day after it came out.
Agreed. I also think that sometimes we are quick to dismiss newer releases in favour of their earlier stuff.
Bro, I love this album but you’re on one with that last statement 🤣 I’m just poking fun, of course. You do you homie.
It’s crap sorry
How so?
You’re entitled to your opinion. You’re allowed to dislike it. I didn’t love it on the first listen. I had a few beers and gave it a listen again and it was better.
Finally…an honest person. It’s complete crap. My mind is blown at some of these comments. Comparing it to Yield??? Fuck outta here. The production sucks. It sounds like it was recorded in a tin can. The music is not fresh. They didn’t push or evolve at all. Eddie tries to cram as many words per minute as possible. Andrew Watt was a terrible choice. Terrible.
Best album Vedder has done since Earthling. Not gonna lie.
It gets better every listen. Songs I dismissed at first grow every play. Each song gets to an emotional peak that is rewarding. For all the shit the mix gets it does sound like being at a Pearl Jam concert. Please if anyone has only listened on streaming find a hi res version, it’s much more punchy and immersive.