Dark Matter (song)

General Pearl Jam discussion.
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Dark Matter Initial Reactions

5 Stars
33
17%
4 Stars
92
48%
3 Stars
56
29%
2 Stars
8
4%
1 Star
3
2%
 
Total votes: 192

warehouse
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Re: Dark Matter (song)

Post by warehouse »

Jorge wrote:One of the comments on the Justin Hawkins video says "Dark Matter" is "like a U2 song but not as good," which is just puzzling to me. Does anyone else think this sounds like... U2?
i must have missed this, i thought i watched the whole review. i don't think it sounds like u2, but maybe he's thinking of something like 'end of the world'. i think 'soundgarden' was everyones first thought. i dunno, it sounds like pearl jam.
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Re: Dark Matter (song)

Post by Jorge »

warehouse wrote:
Jorge wrote:One of the comments on the Justin Hawkins video says "Dark Matter" is "like a U2 song but not as good," which is just puzzling to me. Does anyone else think this sounds like... U2?
i must have missed this, i thought i watched the whole review. i don't think it sounds like u2, but maybe he's thinking of something like 'end of the world'. i think 'soundgarden' was everyones first thought. i dunno, it sounds like pearl jam.
No, I meant the YouTube comments
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warehouse
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Re: Dark Matter (song)

Post by warehouse »

gotcha, i thought i read it was his comment, and i'm thinking to myself "i just watched this, when did he say that?" lol

that's the only u2 song i can think of. i guess maybe with the slick production it sounds like some of their louder stuff.
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Re: Dark Matter (song)

Post by Got Some »

I love this song.

Damn you Trag and all your very good points re production.

The pre-chorus is incredible I can’t get it out of my head
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tragabigzanda
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Re: Dark Matter (song)

Post by tragabigzanda »

pearl jam sucks now
Last edited by tragabigzanda on Thu January 01, 2026 7:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Dark Matter (song)

Post by Ello Sailor »

I haven't enjoyed a Pearl Jam song this much since You Are. Maybe I'm getting old and my taste has turned to shit, but it sure beats hating it.
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Farmer John
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Re: Dark Matter (song)

Post by Farmer John »

Jorge wrote:One of the comments on the Justin Hawkins video says "Dark Matter" is "like a U2 song but not as good," which is just puzzling to me. Does anyone else think this sounds like... U2?
If by "U2" they mean "Joan Jett's I Love Rock 'n' Roll", then kind of, yes.
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tragabigzanda
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Re: Dark Matter (song)

Post by tragabigzanda »

pearl jam sucks now
Last edited by tragabigzanda on Thu January 01, 2026 7:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Aunt_Claire_Foy
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Re: Dark Matter (song)

Post by Aunt_Claire_Foy »

tragabigzanda wrote:I don’t think it sounds like U2 from a specific compositional/production standpoint, but it does unfortunately have some of that general manufactured arena edginess found in songs like Vertigo and Get On Your Boots
It's a bad comp. Next topic.

I have another thing I've been hearing, more about the drums. Lots more splashiness on the way out in terms of cymbal play. Do you guys think Watt had a similar "encyclopedic knowledge" of Soundgarden? That drum outdo is very much Superuknown era Cameron.
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tragabigzanda
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Re: Dark Matter (song)

Post by tragabigzanda »

pearl jam sucks now
Last edited by tragabigzanda on Thu January 01, 2026 7:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Farmer John
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Re: Dark Matter (song)

Post by Farmer John »

Matt keeps impressing me more every time I listen to this, and I started out pretty smitten with the drums. He does so many little things I love. One of those being the way he ends the song, and that little thing he does over the last “someone else’s mistake”.

Trag: sound wise, do these drums sound equally bad as Earthling to you? I still think those sound like shit (poor Chad), but it doesn’t bother me here.
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tragabigzanda
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Re: Dark Matter (song)

Post by tragabigzanda »

pearl jam sucks now
Last edited by tragabigzanda on Thu January 01, 2026 7:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Dark Matter (song)

Post by DeeDee »

The bridge kills any enthusiasm the rest of the song might create. I can't understand how writers like Stone, Jeff or Eddie can create something so mediocre at this point in their career. And I also can't understand how no one tells them it's bullshit.

The rest of the song is not bad, especially the prechorus.
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Birds in Hell
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Re: Dark Matter (song)

Post by Birds in Hell »

The bridge is the best part of the song.
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Farmer John
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Re: Dark Matter (song)

Post by Farmer John »

I also thought the bridge was the weakest part at first, but it's really grown on me.
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Re: Dark Matter (song)

Post by DeeDee »

Birds in Hell wrote:The bridge is the best part of the song.
Kill me quickly, then.

If you told someone in 1993 that Gossard and McCready were going to end up playing something like that, they wouldn't believe it.
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Birds in Hell
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Re: Dark Matter (song)

Post by Birds in Hell »

On further listens I don’t think it’s a very strong song generally but I like the way Ed’s vocal melody resolves the last lines of the bridge.

That said, the lyrics in the bridge are awful: that ‘no tolerance for intolerance’ line is a rehash of some bozo stage banter Ed’s been rolling out for years.
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Re: Dark Matter (song)

Post by RockPusher »

blueviper wrote:I've listened to Idles' "Grace", "Gift Horse", and "Dancer" and I think they aren't good.
Agreed. Spotify always recommends them after I listen to Pearl Jam and I’m not feeling them at all.
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Re: Dark Matter (song)

Post by bodysnatcher »

Good to know who’s taste opinions I can mark as invalid
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Re: Dark Matter (song)

Post by wease »

*whose
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