Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

[Jaeti]

This is going to be good.

I don’t think it is. I don’t think it matters. I think Gigaton is their best work since Binaural, and the songs I was lucky enough to see live sounded great, but none of them evoked the feelings that Release to kick off the show at MSG, State and Breath in the St. Louis encore, or the back-to-back beauty of Black and Given to Fly in St. Paul did. I’m not paying thousands of dollars to go to Vancouver to see Running. I hope this album is fine. I hope I enjoy it for what it is, but I know by the time we’re in the heart of summer, I’ll be making playlists that don’t include any of it and still be looking for a ticket to the 2nd Wrigley show.

If I wrote reviews, I’d be really hoping it was a turd and I could title the review Fecal Matter.

This board is by far my favorite part of my Pearl Jam fandom. I love you people.

Full spectrum for sure.

[Jaeti]

Waiting for Stevie ***** (don’t want to hype this one up too much. But was my fav of the bunch. Haven’t had a high on first listen from a PJ song like this since Unthought Known. But I’m still not sure how it will land with everyone else. Maybe too poppy?)"

I wanna say Ouch.

Unthought Known?

Too poppy?

Ouch. Ouch.

Unthought Known was a super high first listen. it just doesnt have the layers of an all time classic

[Ms Harmless]

oh I agree with that, and I will hear it, but I'm also able to overlook it; I'm interested in the lyrics, the instrumentation choices, the arrangement, and the passion of the performances; I see production as the gift-wrapping on all of that (unless I absolutely love the production, in which case it becomes part of the gift, the artistic statement, itself)

in these instances, the best I can hope for is that a dark mood and a poppy production can create interesting, if jarring paradoxes; the best example of that would be something like The Cure, where this is done very deliberately; we aren't going to get The Cure, but I do think a few of those moments appear on Earthling

[EBowie]

I think what is tough is you will get a cohesively dark mood filtered through Watt’s sheen instead of the way Josh Evans might have produced and mixed it? I think that’s also the worry that the sheen won’t match the band’s approach? Watt was excellent for Earthlings because it was a moment for Eddie to let his hair down and create some poppy music (The Dark is a five star example of this)…that it translates here is up for grabs.

Contradictions can sometimes be good for art though. Production approach doesn't necessarily have to line up with the mood of the songwriting. I'm not saying it will definitely work for Dark Matter. But I also think we should hold off on being pessimistic until we hear the album.

[Ms Harmless]

I think what is tough is you will get a cohesively dark mood filtered through Watt’s sheen instead of the way Josh Evans might have produced and mixed it? I think that’s also the worry that the sheen won’t match the band’s approach? Watt was excellent for Earthlings because it was a moment for Eddie to let his hair down and create some poppy music (The Dark is a five star example of this)…that it translates here is up for grabs.

Contradictions can sometimes be good for art though. Production approach doesn't necessarily have to line up with the mood of the songwriting. I'm not saying it will definitely work for Dark Matter. But I also think we should hold off on being pessimistic until we hear the album.

I agree and you put it far more succinctly than I did

[liebzz]

I think what is tough is you will get a cohesively dark mood filtered through Watt’s sheen instead of the way Josh Evans might have produced and mixed it? I think that’s also the worry that the sheen won’t match the band’s approach? Watt was excellent for Earthlings because it was a moment for Eddie to let his hair down and create some poppy music (The Dark is a five star example of this)…that it translates here is up for grabs.

Contradictions can sometimes be good for art though. Production approach doesn't necessarily have to line up with the mood of the songwriting. I'm not saying it will definitely work for Dark Matter. But I also think we should hold off on being pessimistic until we hear the album.

I agree and you put it far more succinctly than I did

I don’t feel pessimistic. Mostly feeling matter of fact. I don’t think we are getting a bad album based on what I have read here. I am mostly at peace with not knowing how much I will enjoy it, though you always want improvement in experience from the last time, which was very high for me.

[Ms Harmless]

I think what is tough is you will get a cohesively dark mood filtered through Watt’s sheen instead of the way Josh Evans might have produced and mixed it? I think that’s also the worry that the sheen won’t match the band’s approach? Watt was excellent for Earthlings because it was a moment for Eddie to let his hair down and create some poppy music (The Dark is a five star example of this)…that it translates here is up for grabs.

Contradictions can sometimes be good for art though. Production approach doesn't necessarily have to line up with the mood of the songwriting. I'm not saying it will definitely work for Dark Matter. But I also think we should hold off on being pessimistic until we hear the album.

I agree and you put it far more succinctly than I did

I don’t feel pessimistic. Mostly feeling matter of fact. I don’t think we are getting a bad album based on what I have read here. I am mostly at peace with not knowing how much I will enjoy it, though you always want improvement in experience from the last time, which was very high for me.

yep, tbh I definitely don't see an improvement on Gigaton but I do see something more to my taste than Backspacer or Lightning Bolt; nothing I've heard from Watt's production has annoyed me as much as late-career BO'B

[VinylGuy]

Totally.

I haven’t gone back to LB in a while but last time it was atrocious for me.
I’m very happy with both of the new songs, specially with DM, so I’m confident with these reports that the new album seems to be a new thing for them too.

Setting Sun is the one in most curious about.

[EBowie]

If Lightning Bolt remains their worst album (which I think it is), we're in damn good shape overall as music fans.

[DDWJMUVW]

I think what is tough is you will get a cohesively dark mood filtered through Watt’s sheen instead of the way Josh Evans might have produced and mixed it? I think that’s also the worry that the sheen won’t match the band’s approach? Watt was excellent for Earthlings because it was a moment for Eddie to let his hair down and create some poppy music (The Dark is a five star example of this)…that it translates here is up for grabs.

Why assume the mood of the record is dark?

Based on descriptions, the following tracks look to be almost “bright”, and in fact, we have heard some of these on metal door sessions.

Setting Sun
Got to Give
Won’t Tell
Waiting for Stevie
Something Special

That’s half the album.

In fact only upper hand (clip 4) and DM sound dark so far.

[Ms Harmless]

I'm just asking for 20 more seconds, that's all

[liebzz]

I think what is tough is you will get a cohesively dark mood filtered through Watt’s sheen instead of the way Josh Evans might have produced and mixed it? I think that’s also the worry that the sheen won’t match the band’s approach? Watt was excellent for Earthlings because it was a moment for Eddie to let his hair down and create some poppy music (The Dark is a five star example of this)…that it translates here is up for grabs.

Why assume the mood of the record is dark?

Based on descriptions, the following tracks look to be almost “bright”, and in fact, we have heard some of these on metal door sessions.

Setting Sun
Got to Give
Won’t Tell
Waiting for Stevie
Something Special

That’s half the album.

In fact only upper hand (clip 4) and DM sound dark so far.

That is a great question. Perhaps I made that leap from the first two singles and the album title, plus a logical leap that the state of affairs in the world would naturally trigger a darker album from them? May be wrong, but that was sort of where it seemed this was going from a thematic perspective.

[VinylGuy]

I'm just asking for 20 more seconds, that's all

[E.H. Ruddock]

Waiting for Stevie ***** (don’t want to hype this one up too much. But was my fav of the bunch. Haven’t had a high on first listen from a PJ song like this since Unthought Known. But I’m still not sure how it will land with everyone else. Maybe too poppy?)"

I wanna say Ouch.

Unthought Known?

Too poppy?

Ouch. Ouch.

Unthought Known was a super high first listen. it just doesnt have the layers of an all time classic

I listened to it just now.

Now my day is ruined.

[Clem Halibut]

With this album at this stage in the bands career, I'm just hoping for a few songs that have that "magic"
Basically, PJ songs that only PJ can make; songs that remind me of why I love this band.
Every album has had it's moments...Gigaton was really surprising and had the following

DOTC
Quick Escape
Alright
7'Oclock
Buckle Up
Comes Then Goes

All of the above are killer songs (in my opinion) and songs that I actually seek out and go back to.
Out of all the albums since ST....Gigaton had the most.

Lightning Bolt & Backspacer have barely any of those songs & I hardly ever get the urge to go back and listen to those albums.

I don't think PJ have made a truly perfect album since Yield.
Binaural is debatable - The backside of that album is actually one of my favorite run of songs ever
Riot Act comes close too. Love Boat Captain, Thumbing my Way, 1/2 Full, You Are & All Or None are all top tier songs for me, but the album as a whole just has too many mediocre songs sandwiched in between the classics. The shitty songs on Riot Act are songs that I probably haven't listened to or have wanted to listen to for over 20 years now.

This stage in the bands career is kind of like The Who post Keith Moon, the Stones post Exile, & U2 post Achtung Baby
It's a period where you'll get some real great songs from time to time but mostly just a bunch of misses, formulaic, or just plain awful and uninspired songs.

Bukowski once wrote about the difficulty of now being a millionaire, and still trying to write like a hobo:

"As the spirit wanes, the form appears"

This may be the problem with modern day PJ

[Jorge]

I'm surprised Bukowski managed to become a millionaire

[liebzz]

*ahem* Stones post Tattoo You.

[DDWJMUVW]

I think what is tough is you will get a cohesively dark mood filtered through Watt’s sheen instead of the way Josh Evans might have produced and mixed it? I think that’s also the worry that the sheen won’t match the band’s approach? Watt was excellent for Earthlings because it was a moment for Eddie to let his hair down and create some poppy music (The Dark is a five star example of this)…that it translates here is up for grabs.

Why assume the mood of the record is dark?

Based on descriptions, the following tracks look to be almost “bright”, and in fact, we have heard some of these on metal door sessions.

Setting Sun
Got to Give
Won’t Tell
Waiting for Stevie
Something Special

That’s half the album.

In fact only upper hand (clip 4) and DM sound dark so far.

That is a great question. Perhaps I made that leap from the first two singles and the album title, plus a logical leap that the state of affairs in the world would naturally trigger a darker album from them? May be wrong, but that was sort of where it seemed this was going from a thematic perspective.

Totally possible of course. We’ve heard about 10 mins of this record (though about 3:30 is shit quality via the metal door clips). That means about 80% is a mystery to most all of us.

Of course you can have a lyrically dark/somber record with a tone and feel that isn’t quite as bleak. That said, more than one review has claimed there is some darkness of mood esp earlier in the record that evolves into acceptance and resolution by the end.

We will all know soon (but not soon enough)!

[Thurman Murman]

Of course im eating up all the little tidbits and takes but i cannot imagine writing a review of this album after one listen and with Ed in the freaking room especially.

I'm still super excited for this and not letting my mild disappointment with the 2nd single impact that. I'm fairly confident that when its all said and done Running is going to be a bottom 2-3 song on this album for me.

[VinylGuy]

U2 post Atchung has amazing albums… The Stones too.

PJ discography is nearly flawless to me; I do wish they had at least two or three more records though