Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now

[McParadigm]

This record feels impossible to me.

[Ms Harmless]

stonking album, she is stunning and I am stunned

[B]

Spotify is sounding a shit ton better than the movie theater. Why do movie theaters sound so bad?

I'm a little happier than I was Tuesday night.

They are rigged for special effects: explosions, booming steps of dinosaurs, whirring spacecraft engines and laser fire.

All of which I would welcome onto a Pearl Jam album.

[BoltofLightning]

Finally wrestled my wife’s AirPods away from her and listening to the Apple Atmos lossless. This thing is not loud and mixed beautifully. I am now kicking this up to 5 stars!

[DDWJMUVW]

OK - woke up with Upper Hand in my ear. Went downstairs, sat in the screened porch with some espresso and fired up TIDAL and blasted it on the AirPod Pros 2. Cool and overcast day here in FFX, Va. Perfect atmosphere for the track. The Mike solo that halves the song in two is just so nice. Was on metal door sessions.

UH is really growing, just like 7 o'clock did.

[Thurman Murman]

This record feels impossible to me.

Its an absolute miracle.

As much as i love Gigaton and felt it was a shocking leap in quality over the previous album this one feels like they just took another leap.

[Arthur Morgan]

Does anyone else randomly well up during listening to no song in particular while listening to this album? I’m so grateful to feel elevated by an PJ album. Little hints of being overwhelmed by the unexpected beauty of it all.

[Ms Harmless]

really, Running and Something Special are bookended by two short interludes, which separates them nicely from the rest of the album as light diversions

[Jaeti]

First impressions from my most into-music friend (for the record, REM is his #1 band):

“Got through three songs. Great production, Wreckage seems like a standout, sort of Petty-ish “Learning to Fly” era vibes on that one. Clearly not embarrassing themselves. Scared of Fear a solid opener. React, Respond good enough but my least favorite of what I’ve heard so far.”

[WaitingForBluey]

well, well...

I don't think this means they're going to give it a good score, but wild that they included it.

https://pitchfork.com/news/8-new-albums ... pearl-jam/

Bear in mind there were recently folded into the GQ imprint, so presumably they’ll be kinder to boomer music going forward

yeah, I'm aware.

I don’t care for your tone

Pitchfork getting bought by GQ is just the funniest thing in the world! Haha, where's your street cred now hipsters?

[Strat]

Does anyone else randomly well up during listening to no song in particular while listening to this album? I’m so grateful to feel elevated by an PJ album. Little hints of being overwhelmed by the unexpected beauty of it all.

I do! And it usually stems from the corners of my mouth hitting my eye ducts cause im smiling so goddamn big

[WaitingForBluey]

Do we know who Stevie is?

Stevie Wonder

That makes no sense. He already arrived and left in the studio with some of these guys.

I'm thinking it's Steve Jobs, which would fit the context of the title a little better since he's permanently unavailable.

oh that was a joke?

Just trying to get to the bottom of this light matter.

I read somewhere that it is actually Stevie Nicks

[dad]

well, well...

I don't think this means they're going to give it a good score, but wild that they included it.

https://pitchfork.com/news/8-new-albums ... pearl-jam/

Bear in mind there were recently folded into the GQ imprint, so presumably they’ll be kinder to boomer music going forward

yeah, I'm aware.

I don’t care for your tone

what about my drums?

[oneway23]

Does anyone else randomly well up during listening to no song in particular while listening to this album? I’m so grateful to feel elevated by an PJ album. Little hints of being overwhelmed by the unexpected beauty of it all.

Felt excited by all of the prior albums on release day, but, I wasn't fully prepared for the feeling of being completely floored by a Pearl Jam album on release day.

I don't think I realized how much of that feeling had been missing over the past two decades.

[McParadigm]

This record feels impossible to me.

Its an absolute miracle.

As much as i love Gigaton and felt it was a shocking leap in quality over the previous album this one feels like they just took another leap.

I can totally understand why somebody who was involved in making this record might feel, in this particular moment, like it’s their best work.

[stip]

This record feels impossible to me.

Its an absolute miracle.

As much as i love Gigaton and felt it was a shocking leap in quality over the previous album this one feels like they just took another leap.

Does anyone else randomly well up during listening to no song in particular while listening to this album? I’m so grateful to feel elevated by an PJ album. Little hints of being overwhelmed by the unexpected beauty of it all.

The State of Love and Trust podcast did a youtube listening party thing last night that i was on, and we talked about our first impressions of the album. It was my first clean 'real' listen. And I was tearing up trying to describe the experience. I think I did use the word 'miracle'.

[Thurman Murman]

This record feels impossible to me.

Its an absolute miracle.

As much as i love Gigaton and felt it was a shocking leap in quality over the previous album this one feels like they just took another leap.

I can totally understand why somebody who was involved in making this record might feel, in this particular moment, like it’s their best work.

Nostalgia's a powerful drug. There's literally nothing new this band could release that will ever be able to touch those albums that meant everything to me when i was 14-18. But could i listen to an argument or an opinion that had this thing is up there with their best work ever...i really think i could.

[washing machine]

Do we know who Stevie is?

Stevie Wonder

That makes no sense. He already arrived and left in the studio with some of these guys.

I'm thinking it's Steve Jobs, which would fit the context of the title a little better since he's permanently unavailable.

oh that was a joke?

Just trying to get to the bottom of this light matter.

I read somewhere that it is actually Stevie Nicks

Makes sense on the surface, but digging deeper I think it's actually about Steve from Blue's Clues.

Does anyone recall that moment after we were coming out of the pandemic when he showed up on social media, tugging at all the millennial heart strings with some earnest nostalgia? The whole world was waiting for him and he came right when he was needed.

Thinking hard on it, I bet that's what the song is about.

[Aunt_Claire_Foy]

'miracle'.

Yes. Being a Pearl Jam often feels like the long walk to the dry well... we build our expectations, we strive for a memory or feeling that previous records have given us. I don't know if others feel this way but I had to force myself the last 4 or 5 records to just temper all of that as much as I could. Even this one, when "Dark Matter" just shocked me, I was confused but excited. Someone described it as Pearl Jam 'edging' which got a laugh out of me but that's what this has been like.

Every song has a moment where you go "Wtf why haven't they been doing this all along?"

I'm just so excited they have it in them to put something like this out this late in their career. Everything they are good at is highlighted on this record. And it doesn't sound hamfisted. It sounds organic and real and I cannot wait to see them back on tour.

Finally:

PLEASE GET BACK INTO THE STUDIO WITH WATT NEXT SUMMER.