Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

[Mike]

I am now convinced this won't be their heaviest album in a while but their poppiest and most hook-laden album in a while.

[guitar_davey]

https://vocaroo.com/1gOtuLFjam5X

Pretty sure the “greatest ever drum fill” from Waiting For Stevie is at the 2:52 mark

If that ends up being it, this will be the most embarrassing PR disaster since Tony Khan showed the footage of a backstage confrontation between CM Punk & Jack Perry

Everything surrounding this particular drum fill is excellent though

Easily the song I'm most enthused about.

When first hearing it, I initially assumed that the Ledbetter-ish bluesy playing on the metal door clip at 1:18 was WFS...Do we know what song that is?
Sounds fantastic

Somebody said a few pages back that it was Upper Hand.

[oneway23]

https://vocaroo.com/1gOtuLFjam5X

Pretty sure the “greatest ever drum fill” from Waiting For Stevie is at the 2:52 mark

If that ends up being it, this will be the most embarrassing PR disaster since Tony Khan showed the footage of a backstage confrontation between CM Punk & Jack Perry

Everything surrounding this particular drum fill is excellent though

Easily the song I'm most enthused about.

When first hearing it, I initially assumed that the Ledbetter-ish bluesy playing on the metal door clip at 1:18 was WFS...Do we know what song that is?
Sounds fantastic

Somebody said a few pages back that it was Upper Hand.

Thanks, davey. Really looking forward to that one, then!

[Ms Harmless]

https://vocaroo.com/1gOtuLFjam5X

Pretty sure the “greatest ever drum fill” from Waiting For Stevie is at the 2:52 mark

If that ends up being it, this will be the most embarrassing PR disaster since Tony Khan showed the footage of a backstage confrontation between CM Punk & Jack Perry

Everything surrounding this particular drum fill is excellent though

Easily the song I'm most enthused about.

When first hearing it, I initially assumed that the Ledbetter-ish bluesy playing on the metal door clip at 1:18 was WFS...Do we know what song that is?
Sounds fantastic

that break, that jangly chord structure, the "triumphant" nature of it; I've been wondering what it reminds me of from Yield, and it's definitely In Hiding

[guitar_davey]

https://vocaroo.com/1gOtuLFjam5X

Pretty sure the “greatest ever drum fill” from Waiting For Stevie is at the 2:52 mark

If that ends up being it, this will be the most embarrassing PR disaster since Tony Khan showed the footage of a backstage confrontation between CM Punk & Jack Perry

Everything surrounding this particular drum fill is excellent though

Easily the song I'm most enthused about.

When first hearing it, I initially assumed that the Ledbetter-ish bluesy playing on the metal door clip at 1:18 was WFS...Do we know what song that is?
Sounds fantastic

Somebody said a few pages back that it was Upper Hand.

Thanks, davey. Really looking forward to that one, then!

It's the one I'm most pumped about based on that clip!

[Strat]

https://vocaroo.com/1gOtuLFjam5X

Pretty sure the “greatest ever drum fill” from Waiting For Stevie is at the 2:52 mark

If that ends up being it, this will be the most embarrassing PR disaster since Tony Khan showed the footage of a backstage confrontation between CM Punk & Jack Perry

Everything surrounding this particular drum fill is excellent though

Easily the song I'm most enthused about.

When first hearing it, I initially assumed that the Ledbetter-ish bluesy playing on the metal door clip at 1:18 was WFS...Do we know what song that is?
Sounds fantastic

that break, that jangly chord structure, the "triumphant" nature of it; I've been wondering what it reminds me of from Yield, and it's definitely In Hiding

Just came here to say this very same thing. Excited about this one. Hearing stone lay out a beautiful chord progression like that

[Val]

It’s very in the vein of In Hiding which is a damn masterpiece

[DDWJMUVW]

Upper hand into won’t tell.

I don’t think UH sounds anything like NAIS/7 and I don’t hear ANY infallible in the chorus of won’t tell, though it does sound like it will be poppy but I love it.

[Val]

I am now convinced this won't be their heaviest album in a while but their poppiest and most hook-laden album in a while.

You nailed it.

[stip]

One thing that baffles me about this band especially over the past few albums is how do they tend to follow the same pattern with types of songs and the order that they show up on the album. Always open with 2 to 3 rockers, slow down, longer mid tempo, then the obligatory fast, punky song followed by an incongruent vibe shift to a slow, and sometimes cheesy schmaltzy song. Why has this become the formula? Who told them they need to have one punky song and one cheesy schmaltzer on every album, often one after the other?

One thing that was delightful about Gigaton is that it partially broke out of that mold. WES, though a rocker, is a different kind of opener. They don’t have a single punky song (I don’t think ND counts as punky), and I actually really like buckle up following TTLW. Closing on several slower songs was interesting too.

So this 'formula' has been with them for a long long time. Look at the two rockers

Once-Even Flow
Go-Animal
Last Exit-STBC

No Code and Yield break it up

Breakerfall - God's Dice

Riot Act also an exception

Life Wasted - WWS

GSMF - Got Some

Getaway - MYM

WES - SBWM

That's pretty much their norm. And having a mix of faster songs, punkier songs, anthems, and ballads feels like, well, a rock album.

Even some of the things that feel newer, like that later in the album fun 'cool' down has always been there (Porch, Blood, Satan's Bed, Lukin, MFC). Really Binaural is the only album without one. They've gone for a more explicit punk or sometimes even pop punk style as they've gotten older, but that seems more like an artistic shift, for better or worse, within an already established formula.

[Ms Harmless]

https://vocaroo.com/1gOtuLFjam5X

Pretty sure the “greatest ever drum fill” from Waiting For Stevie is at the 2:52 mark

If that ends up being it, this will be the most embarrassing PR disaster since Tony Khan showed the footage of a backstage confrontation between CM Punk & Jack Perry

Everything surrounding this particular drum fill is excellent though

Easily the song I'm most enthused about.

When first hearing it, I initially assumed that the Ledbetter-ish bluesy playing on the metal door clip at 1:18 was WFS...Do we know what song that is?
Sounds fantastic

that break, that jangly chord structure, the "triumphant" nature of it; I've been wondering what it reminds me of from Yield, and it's definitely In Hiding

Just came here to say this very same thing. Excited about this one. Hearing stone lay out a beautiful chord progression like that

if the best songs on this record are that good, I'll have zero issues with Something Special as a fun indulgence

[guitar_davey]

if the best songs on this record are that good, I'll have zero issues with Something Special as a fun indulgence

This sums up my feelings perfectly.

[stip]

I get the appeal...he's this young guy full of energy, saying you're the shit, I could easily see why the band would be drawn to that. The funny thing is, he's been doing this for people like the Rolling Stones, Ozzy, Elton John, etc. It feels like the band's perception of itself is that they're even more of a dinosaur rock act than they actually are. Most of the people Watt's worked with have 20 or 30 extra years on Pearl Jam.

I'm happy with the results Watt got with The Stones so I'm optimistic.

Yeah, that isn't about what the output would be, it's just more that PJ's working with someone who typically operates as the shot of adrenaline for bands/artists that were most vital in the 60s/70s. It's just an odd choice on their part, but it could be one that ends up working out.

It would be really fascinating to get someone in the band to open up about their perception of themselves. I don't know that anyone would but I would LOVE to hear it.

[Ms Harmless]

I am now convinced this won't be their heaviest album in a while but their poppiest and most hook-laden album in a while.

Dark Matter and Running are both their heaviest songs in a while

[Mike]

I am now convinced this won't be their heaviest album in a while but their poppiest and most hook-laden album in a while.

Dark Matter and Running are both their heaviest songs in a while

Yeah, but I think the rest won't be (that's not a criticism, I'm happy about it)

[oneway23]

https://vocaroo.com/1gOtuLFjam5X

Pretty sure the “greatest ever drum fill” from Waiting For Stevie is at the 2:52 mark

If that ends up being it, this will be the most embarrassing PR disaster since Tony Khan showed the footage of a backstage confrontation between CM Punk & Jack Perry

Everything surrounding this particular drum fill is excellent though

Easily the song I'm most enthused about.

When first hearing it, I initially assumed that the Ledbetter-ish bluesy playing on the metal door clip at 1:18 was WFS...Do we know what song that is?
Sounds fantastic

that break, that jangly chord structure, the "triumphant" nature of it; I've been wondering what it reminds me of from Yield, and it's definitely In Hiding

Just came here to say this very same thing. Excited about this one. Hearing stone lay out a beautiful chord progression like that

if the best songs on this record are that good, I'll have zero issues with Something Special as a fun indulgence

absolutely! great analysis above as well.

[stip]

I am now convinced this won't be their heaviest album in a while but their poppiest and most hook-laden album in a while.

Based on what we have heard/read my guess is that it is the most drum forward and the most mike forward, which may make it heavy for a certain value of heavy, but I suspect you're right about the hookiness of it. All the bits we've heard so far are catchy as fuck.

The difference between future days and something special (what we've heard so far) is that future days is never stuck in my head and something special won't leave, even if I kind of want it to

[Mike]

I am now convinced this won't be their heaviest album in a while but their poppiest and most hook-laden album in a while.

Based on what we have heard/read my guess is that it is the most drum forward and the most mike forward, which may make it heavy for a certain value of heavy, but I suspect you're right about the hookiness of it. All the bits we've heard so far are catchy as fuck.

The difference between future days and something special (what we've heard so far) is that future days is never stuck in my head and something special won't leave, even if I kind of want it to

true.

and something special also refuses to leave my head

[guitar_davey]

I am now convinced this won't be their heaviest album in a while but their poppiest and most hook-laden album in a while.

Based on what we have heard/read my guess is that it is the most drum forward and the most mike forward, which may make it heavy for a certain value of heavy, but I suspect you're right about the hookiness of it. All the bits we've heard so far are catchy as fuck.

The difference between future days and something special (what we've heard so far) is that future days is never stuck in my head and something special won't leave, even if I kind of want it to

true.

and something special also refuses to leave my head

Something Special is going to end up being the latter day PJ ballad we all *want* to hate (a la Future Days or Sleeping By Myself) but won't be able to.

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now