Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

General Pearl Jam discussion.
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Rank Dark Matter

5 Stars
119
56%
4 Stars
65
31%
3 Stars
19
9%
2 Stars
2
1%
2 Star
1
0%
%#*! Andrew Watt
5
2%
 
Total votes: 211

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Strat
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by Strat »

I think i blew my own hearing out this morning so im gonna take a pass on this album all together!
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tragabigzanda
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by tragabigzanda »

pearl jam sucks now
Last edited by tragabigzanda on Thu January 01, 2026 6:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by tragabigzanda »

pearl jam sucks now
Last edited by tragabigzanda on Thu January 01, 2026 6:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Ms Harmless
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by Ms Harmless »

and I smoked for 45 years yesterday
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Strat
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by Strat »

tragabigzanda wrote:
Strat wrote:I think i blew my own hearing out this morning so im gonna take a pass on this album all together!
listening to what?
learning/doing my own shit! Oops!
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by Ms Harmless »

spike wrote:
tragabigzanda wrote:what a whirlwind
you can’t say “get off my cock” to women dude
this time, I was OK with it and made a joke in response, but I love that you defended me like that
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McParadigm
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by McParadigm »

tragabigzanda wrote:
McParadigm wrote:
Ms Harmless wrote:
DeeDee wrote:
Ms Harmless wrote:
DeeDee wrote:
Ms Harmless wrote:it was the band trying out new things, for them, but I've always listened to bands that were more experimental as a baseline

I don't need Pearl Jam to be experimental as long as they're doing something they do well, well; and I'd even say that their recent "experiments" have been some of my least favourites
And that was just what I was referring to. Obviously, they're not Tool or Rush.

Unemployable, Dance of the Clairvoyants or Buckle Up are other examples of PJ being 'experimental'.
OK, under that definition of experimental I'll take it

I hope there are a few deeper and more inventive moments on the album, even if we don't get another You Are or DOTC; but I'm also happy that we haven't got another Supersonic or Future Days (that piano at least)
You know something I would LOVE?

A song with Running's bridge as a chorus.

Even Stone says in the Spin article that he loves that bridge (it's Mike's, I think).

It would be a little weird and exciting to me.
whereas I think putting that bridge in a song it "belongs" in *could* make it the butt rock you don't want; it's made weirder by the parts surrounding it
It is, indeed, the most generic radio rock part of either of the songs we’ve heard so far. People just imbue it with other qualities because they like it. It’s done well, it has a memorable melody, and it’s fun to listen to.

But we don’t like to say “I especially liked that formulaic arena rock radio-friendly bridge,” because that doesn’t make us feel very cool.

So because I like it, it must have other qualities that I have previously identified as the type of that thing I, a discernible listener, gravitate towards. And not the kind of qualities that I don’t think of myself as approving of.
This feels like a passive-aggressive response to what I said earlier, so in case it is, let me reiterate that I love a lot of arena rock radio-friendly music, including albums by STP, the Foo Fighters, RHCP, Gin Blossoms, and more.

The difference is that those are done well and this is done like a functionally deaf person got their hands on Reaper and Waves, pounded some tequila, and went to town.
I didn’t and haven’t read your posts from today (beyond this).
(patriotic choking noises)
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by tragabigzanda »

pearl jam sucks now
Last edited by tragabigzanda on Thu January 01, 2026 6:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by tragabigzanda »

pearl jam sucks now
Last edited by tragabigzanda on Thu January 01, 2026 6:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Strat
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by Strat »

Just a bunch of bro's and hoe's elbowing for space at RM here
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by tragabigzanda »

pearl jam sucks now
Last edited by tragabigzanda on Thu January 01, 2026 6:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Strat
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by Strat »

tragabigzanda wrote:
Strat wrote:
tragabigzanda wrote:
Strat wrote:I think i blew my own hearing out this morning so im gonna take a pass on this album all together!
listening to what?
learning/doing my own shit! Oops!
Apart from the damage to your hearing, this is a great way to make poor mixing decisions. Try to mix at low levels, then check at both super quiet and pretty loud levels to hear how everything sits.

For example, if you turn it down waaaay low and you can hear the hi hat above everything else, probably your hi hat is to loud.

And then if you crank it and there's some frequency that's annoying you every time the singer comes on, probably there's a problem frequency that you're otherwise missing.

Poor man's mix technique absent a professionally treated room and pro gear.
I wanna live my life with the volume full, yea yea yea.
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tragabigzanda
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by tragabigzanda »

pearl jam sucks now
Last edited by tragabigzanda on Thu January 01, 2026 6:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by Ms Harmless »

tragabigzanda wrote:
Ms Harmless wrote:
spike wrote:
tragabigzanda wrote:what a whirlwind
you can’t say “get off my cock” to women dude
this time, I was OK with it and made a joke in response, but I love that you defended me like that
I'm genuinely trying to manifest a world where I can have fun with Ms H and she doesn't take any of it personally; because then I won't take any of her comments towards me personally either.

I love how everyone wants to police each other's behavior, but think it would be best if we just let posters hash it out themselves (or with mods, if warranted).

So much white knight energy from spike. It's like bro, you already run the HOA, leave some power for the little guys.
I found it validating

sometimes a joke will land, sometimes it will be creepy, and yeah I can tell you if I find something creepy, but I also think men are never doing a bad thing by calling each other in for it, just in case; sometimes there are times when I don't feel able to speak up

<teaching moment over>
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tragabigzanda
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by tragabigzanda »

pearl jam sucks now
Last edited by tragabigzanda on Thu January 01, 2026 6:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by Ms Harmless »

tragabigzanda wrote:
Ms Harmless wrote:
tragabigzanda wrote:
Ms Harmless wrote:
spike wrote:
tragabigzanda wrote:what a whirlwind
you can’t say “get off my cock” to women dude
this time, I was OK with it and made a joke in response, but I love that you defended me like that
I'm genuinely trying to manifest a world where I can have fun with Ms H and she doesn't take any of it personally; because then I won't take any of her comments towards me personally either.

I love how everyone wants to police each other's behavior, but think it would be best if we just let posters hash it out themselves (or with mods, if warranted).

So much white knight energy from spike. It's like bro, you already run the HOA, leave some power for the little guys.
I found it validating

sometimes a joke will land, sometimes it will be creepy, and yeah I can tell you if I find something creepy, but I also think men are never doing a bad thing by calling each other in for it, just in case; sometimes there are times when I don't feel able to speak up

<teaching moment over>
dude you should ALWAYS feel able to speak up with me, even if it's via DM (I play very nice there).
I appreciate you saying that (do you mind avoiding dude for me? I know plenty of cis women who don't mind it but we tend to)
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by jdopj »

Tj wrote:I am convinced people saw 2min then it starts and gets dismissed as spritz its not spritz
I made that mistake at first. I was way wrong.
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by tragabigzanda »

pearl jam sucks now
Last edited by tragabigzanda on Thu January 01, 2026 6:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by Ms Harmless »

jdopj wrote:
Tj wrote:I am convinced people saw 2min then it starts and gets dismissed as spritz its not spritz
I made that mistake at first. I was way wrong.
for 5 seconds when this song started I was like "oh no here we go again" but then it improved quickly
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by Ms Harmless »

tragabigzanda wrote:
Ms Harmless wrote:
tragabigzanda wrote:
Ms Harmless wrote:
tragabigzanda wrote:
Ms Harmless wrote:
spike wrote:
tragabigzanda wrote:what a whirlwind
you can’t say “get off my cock” to women dude
this time, I was OK with it and made a joke in response, but I love that you defended me like that
I'm genuinely trying to manifest a world where I can have fun with Ms H and she doesn't take any of it personally; because then I won't take any of her comments towards me personally either.

I love how everyone wants to police each other's behavior, but think it would be best if we just let posters hash it out themselves (or with mods, if warranted).

So much white knight energy from spike. It's like bro, you already run the HOA, leave some power for the little guys.
I found it validating

sometimes a joke will land, sometimes it will be creepy, and yeah I can tell you if I find something creepy, but I also think men are never doing a bad thing by calling each other in for it, just in case; sometimes there are times when I don't feel able to speak up

<teaching moment over>
dude you should ALWAYS feel able to speak up with me, even if it's via DM (I play very nice there).
I appreciate you saying that (do you mind avoiding dude for me? I know plenty of cis women who don't mind it but we tend to)
:thumbsup: Can do, will do, i apologize
:heartbeat:
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