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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oneway23
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by oneway23 »

Thurman Murman wrote:Hard to keep up here so no idea if this has been posted yet:

https://www.spin.com/2024/04/andrew-wat ... interview/
Has not! Thanks, Thurman

Interesting. Didn't know the Wottman was from Great Neck, Long Island...Not too far from me, around 35-40 minutes. It's quite an affluent area, generally speaking, with a pretty exorbitant cost of living.
Good place to be raised, or, to raise a family, though.
We still make records to be listened to — not that everyone will listen to a record track one to twelve in a row or side A or Side B — but we still make 'em in case somebody does want to listen to it like that, that's how we make em…
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Monkey_Driven
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by Monkey_Driven »

"Well, they love each other so much and it’s such a beautiful thing. I have the most precious pictures of all time of them embracing and enjoying the process of making something really great together. Watching Jeff hear a Stone riff for the first time and then figuring out how to make it singable for Ed. Jeff’s an unbelievable bass player and has only gotten better with time, but sometimes his role is to be the rhythm guitar player because Stone’s stuff is so out there and Mike is surfing over all of it and playing lead. Jeff is the one who’s got to make a base that Ed can cling to. I had worked with Ed before, but he is almost primal in the way that he works. Like, get the fuck out of his way. He’s going to be moving around and putting his whole body into it, and 90% of the song is written in the first 15 minutes of what he’s hearing. The melodies just come to him."

love this
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EBowie
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by EBowie »

I'm totally fine with Watt contributing creative ideas, in the studio, if the results are good. Which they seem to be. So rock on.
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RockPusher
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by RockPusher »

Monkey_Driven wrote:"Well, they love each other so much and it’s such a beautiful thing. I have the most precious pictures of all time of them embracing and enjoying the process of making something really great together. Watching Jeff hear a Stone riff for the first time and then figuring out how to make it singable for Ed. Jeff’s an unbelievable bass player and has only gotten better with time, but sometimes his role is to be the rhythm guitar player because Stone’s stuff is so out there and Mike is surfing over all of it and playing lead. Jeff is the one who’s got to make a base that Ed can cling to. I had worked with Ed before, but he is almost primal in the way that he works. Like, get the fuck out of his way. He’s going to be moving around and putting his whole body into it, and 90% of the song is written in the first 15 minutes of what he’s hearing. The melodies just come to him."

love this
Fuck it. I love Watt. I'm all in.
Be mighty...Be humble...Be mighty humble...
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Mike
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by Mike »

Make Watt the… director of the next album (no involvement in the technical side of the recording). Just an excited guy getting them to have fun but someone else records it
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evenslow
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by evenslow »

Andrew Watt wrote:Just bring a riff and a B-section. Don’t develop anything further than that. Everyone was in a circle, and it would be like, who’s got a riff? Stone would say, I’ve got one, and start playing it. Ed had a mic right there and started vibing off of it. Stone is kind of like the weird painter of the band. He puts things that aren’t in 4/4 over a 4/4 beat. His riffs are oddball. Jeff takes what Stone does and sometimes plays in literally an opposite direction. He makes beautiful chord symmetry out of Stone’s wacky stuff, which has made it sound special ever since Green River. That started happening, and Mike McCready would solo over all of it. That was the process of how every single one of these songs was made. Because of that, it has a lot of live feel. Once everyone knew the song and the take was finished, that was our last take. We didn’t then go again. As it was figured out, that was the take we used, when it was a little uncertain and a little fresh. That’s why the improvisational energy stayed.
That's the shit.
Strat wrote:Alas, we are RM
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Mike
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by Mike »

Force Brendan O Brien to get back to his 90s way of production and have them work together
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igotworms
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by igotworms »

tragabigzanda wrote:
evenslow wrote:
Steven Hyden wrote:After all these years, it’s still a delight to hear these five guys gather in a room and lock into the kind of invigorating rock song that elevates your heart an extra inch or two.
I only wish we could actually hear the room.
The version I have you can definitely hear the room. Couple of blokes talking about getting high. A baby crying. Someone dropping a plate. Great atmos.
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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 5:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Mike
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by Mike »

Andrew Watt: Cheerleader
BOB: Production
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scrub12
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by scrub12 »

Another great interview. Love reading details on how stuff like this is made.
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oneway23
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by oneway23 »

Some choice quotes right there...good shit
We still make records to be listened to — not that everyone will listen to a record track one to twelve in a row or side A or Side B — but we still make 'em in case somebody does want to listen to it like that, that's how we make em…
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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 5:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Mike
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by Mike »

tragabigzanda wrote:
Mike wrote:Make Watt the… director of the next album (no involvement in the technical side of the recording). Just an excited guy getting them to have fun but someone else records it
Based on literally everything I've heard -- interview and audio clips -- I actually think Wotman should get another producing gig, but with zero technical input whatsoever. Put him in a great studio with a team of really skilled analog-trained engineers (Adam Kaspar would be my choice). Have it mixed by someone competent.
Yes, exactly what I meant in better words
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Jaeti
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by Jaeti »

tragabigzanda wrote:
Mike wrote:Make Watt the… director of the next album (no involvement in the technical side of the recording). Just an excited guy getting them to have fun but someone else records it
Based on literally everything I've heard -- interview and audio clips -- I actually think Wotman should get another producing gig, but with zero technical input whatsoever. Put him in a great studio with a team of really skilled analog-trained engineers (Adam Kaspar would be my choice). Have it mixed by someone competent.
Maybe we can all shake on this.
RidiculousHuman
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by RidiculousHuman »

He seems like a huge fan, but it's interesting that he doesn't really reference anything they've done since '93 as a touchstone.
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Mike
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by Mike »

I think he has a genuine talent for getting great performances out of these guys
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EBowie
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by EBowie »

Well if he's not lying about seeing them roughly 40 times live then I take his word for being a fan.
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Monkey_Driven
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by Monkey_Driven »

tragabigzanda wrote:
Mike wrote:Make Watt the… director of the next album (no involvement in the technical side of the recording). Just an excited guy getting them to have fun but someone else records it
Based on literally everything I've heard -- interview and audio clips -- I actually think Wotman should get another producing gig, but with zero technical input whatsoever. Put him in a great studio with a team of really skilled analog-trained engineers (Adam Kaspar would be my choice). Have it mixed by someone competent.
That seems like the sweet spot, for sure.
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Jaeti
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Re: Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

Post by Jaeti »

I have a busy enough week that it's actually to my benefit that this hasn't officially leaked yet, but Jesus Christ, leak already.
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