Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

[Ms Harmless]

Wont' Tell vs. Alright - this is kind of a non comparison. These songs are doing two different things. And there's really no moment on Gigaton that is in Won't Tell's space. Seven Oclock is as close as you get, and that's not a good comparison.

Won't Tell is still getting unpacked. Alright is a really nice atmospheric piece, but it is not Jeff's finest lyrical work, and there is an immediacy to it that I think undercuts ever so slightly would should be a more distant, ethereal presentation - at least the verses so the chorus revelation moments can have a greater impact. But right now, I will always listen to and enjoy Alright if Gigaton comes on. But if I was just listening to things on shuffle I might skip it. And Won't Tell feels like it will have more stand alone legs. I'll call this one a tie

For score keeping

Who Ever Said vs. Scared of Fear - I'll give this a tie. SOF is the better overall listen. But WES has higher highs
Superblood Wolfmoon vs. React/Respond - giving this to Superblood
Dance of the Clarivoyants vs. Wreckage - it's Dance, but Wreckage is a song to watch
Dark Matter vs. Quick Escape - it's Dark Matter, but barely.
Alright vs. Won't Tell - tie

Reading along. It’s closer than I would have thought and I agree with your assessments. Gigaton holding its own.

I would say though Won’t Tell over Alright. Like you said they are doing different things. But my god Won’t tell is just such a big song.

it's my favourite, just so lovely

[stip]

Wont' Tell vs. Alright - this is kind of a non comparison. These songs are doing two different things. And there's really no moment on Gigaton that is in Won't Tell's space. Seven Oclock is as close as you get, and that's not a good comparison.

Won't Tell is still getting unpacked. Alright is a really nice atmospheric piece, but it is not Jeff's finest lyrical work, and there is an immediacy to it that I think undercuts ever so slightly would should be a more distant, ethereal presentation - at least the verses so the chorus revelation moments can have a greater impact. But right now, I will always listen to and enjoy Alright if Gigaton comes on. But if I was just listening to things on shuffle I might skip it. And Won't Tell feels like it will have more stand alone legs. I'll call this one a tie

For score keeping

Who Ever Said vs. Scared of Fear - I'll give this a tie. SOF is the better overall listen. But WES has higher highs
Superblood Wolfmoon vs. React/Respond - giving this to Superblood
Dance of the Clarivoyants vs. Wreckage - it's Dance, but Wreckage is a song to watch
Dark Matter vs. Quick Escape - it's Dark Matter, but barely.
Alright vs. Won't Tell - tie

Reading along. It’s closer than I would have thought and I agree with your assessments. Gigaton holding its own.

I would say though Won’t Tell over Alright. Like you said they are doing different things. But my god Won’t tell is just such a big song.

Alright has gone through its growing pains. It can speak confidently as to what it is (for me). All of Dark Matter is in the discovery phase, but Won't Tell and Upper Hand (and maybe Got To Give) more than most since those are the songs that are right before major destinations and it is interfering with my attention.

[EBowie]

the ending of Won't Tell, with Ed singing "can you feel, can you heal..." is sublime...

[blueviper]

Scared of Fear and React, Respond have been climbing for me. Such a cool one-two punch

[RockPusher]

Scared of Fear and React, Respond have been climbing for me. Such a cool one-two punch

React, Respond has so much more going on than it has any right too. It amazes me.

[Arthur Morgan]

Scared of Fear and React, Respond have been climbing for me. Such a cool one-two punch

React, Respond has so much more going on than it has any right too. It amazes me.

Yes, I loved the whole song but for the jarring chorus. I have since come around on it though and the song is another banger. I can not express how much I love Mikes last solo. It feels like that one note is traveling into the singularity of a black hole.

[blueviper]

Geez, Won’t Tell even sounds incredible on my cheap tv in the study.

[Kevin Davis]

Finally got a chance to listen properly to the album — once last night then again this morning. Not a ton to say at this point other than that I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to listening more, and definitely felt a warm sense of gratitude, good fortune, etc., to still be here with these guys after so many years, and making a space for a new album to feel like an “event” the same way No Code did when I was 13. Really hammers home what a lifelong companion this band and their music have been.

My two favorites up front are “Scared of Fear” and “Upper Hand” (seriously love this one, reminded me of the closest they’ve come compositionally to something like “Parachutes” since then — just really cool things happening harmonically between the chords and melody), and the only one I just flat-out don’t care for is “Something Special,” though “Won’t Tell” is a bit confounding to me in ways that don’t feel entirely satisfying yet (there’s something there — just haven’t unpacked it). Everything else is various shades of good to great. More to come

[RockPusher]

Scared of Fear and React, Respond have been climbing for me. Such a cool one-two punch

React, Respond has so much more going on than it has any right too. It amazes me.

Yes, I loved the whole song but for the jarring chorus. I have since come around on it though and the song is another banger. I can not express how much I love Mikes last solo. It feels like that one note is traveling into the singularity of a black hole.

I get why the chorus vocals could be jarring, but to me this kind of desperate song is exactly the place for that Ed style and it helps elevate this to one if PJ’s best fast songs for me.

[blueviper]

Liebzz, those were great thoughts about the tracking of this album.

[blueviper]

I haven’t voted yet but this could be a 5 star album for me.

[epilogue]

I still feel as if Dark Matter and Gigaton do completely different things very well (and not so well) and are complimentary sides of Pearl Jam; I wouldn't want one without the other; Gigaton brought back some of the cerebral "seriousness" I'd been missing since Riot Act, but Dark Matter is a vast, vast improvement of the "pop" template they attempted in BS and LB (so surely their best pop album of all time -- that's where "best ever" comes into the conversations for me), making me much less worried about any future pop-leaning endeavours; they've nailed it, but I've needed both albums to convince me that my favourite band can still do near enough everything I loved them for

This is one of the best posts in this thread and just unlocked a bunch of shit for me!

[RockPusher]

This album is like an enzyme that breaks down bitterness

[tommy]

This album is like an enzyme that breaks down bitterness

Listening to it would probably kill Verb

[Arthur Morgan]

I still feel as if Dark Matter and Gigaton do completely different things very well (and not so well) and are complimentary sides of Pearl Jam; I wouldn't want one without the other; Gigaton brought back some of the cerebral "seriousness" I'd been missing since Riot Act, but Dark Matter is a vast, vast improvement of the "pop" template they attempted in BS and LB (so surely their best pop album of all time -- that's where "best ever" comes into the conversations for me), making me much less worried about any future pop-leaning endeavours; they've nailed it, but I've needed both albums to convince me that my favourite band can still do near enough everything I loved them for

This is one of the best posts in this thread and just unlocked a bunch of shit for me!

Yes and Harmless, I like the part about not being afraid of future pop leanings. After all it’s still PJ. There will always be a grit to it that would prevent it from sounding like a Taylor Swift song or something. No offense to any Taylor Swift fans, a few in my household

[stip]

Upper Hand is another meh visualizer. Some thoughts

1.It's too early to retrack, but I think swapping this and Wont' Tell is probably a good idea. DM seems to really have 3 sub sequences within it. Scared of Fear -> Dark Matter, Wont' Tell -> Waiting for Stevie, Running -> Setting Sun. The long, moody (it's really good) opening to Upper Hand would be a great way to cool down from Dark Matter and transition into the ANTHEM stretch of the record. The begining of Won't Tell feels like it follows more organically from the end of Upper Hand, and both are fine for going into WFS. It also gives each sequence an introduction of sorts.

2. This is really a beautifully played song. All the performances strong, and those opening lyrics are great. Really the whole first section (not a knock at the rest)

THE DISTANCE TO THE END
IS CLOSER NOW
THAN IT'S EVER BEEN

THE ROAD WE TRAVELED FAR
ALL THE LIGHTS
AND SIGHTS WE SAW

NO ROOM LEFT ON THE PAGES
WE FILLED 'EM UP
AND PAINTED SOME

THOUGH THE BOOK
IT MAY NEVER BE READ BY ANYONE
BY ANYONE BUT ME

3. And there is something so conversational about the chorus that is compelling. Not really drawing any immediate in catalog comparisons. it is intimate without being confessional, and so there is space for it to be huge without feeling out of place.

Outro is really good. But something about it still isn't clicking 100%. Like Won't Tell, there is a confidence to everything Ed and the band is doing that it somewhat undercuts the catharsis. It's weird. I'm also not a pink floyd fan and can certainly hear that DNA.

This is a good song. It's clearly a good song. Maybe a great one. And I want to spend more time with it to let it unfold. I can see there is a bridge being built. it's just not complete yet


How does it stack up to Seven Oclock? This is a fun comparison. Two of Pearl Jam's longest songs. I think Upper Hand manages its tempo/mood shifts better than Seven Oclock. And it feels less bloated (maybe because it feels like three songs together, but each song resolves before moving on to the next stage). Seven Oclock has some moments that I connect to a little more, but in that incredible Gigaton Side A I think Seven Oclock is second from the bottom for me, ahead of only Alright. Going with a tie, but like Upper Hand, I can sense something waiting and wanting to move this song to another level. I will be patient. I think I'll crack Won't Tell first.

Who Ever Said vs. Scared of Fear - I'll give this a tie. SOF is the better overall listen. But WES has higher highs
Superblood Wolfmoon vs. React/Respond - giving this to Superblood
Dance of the Clarivoyants vs. Wreckage - it's Dance, but Wreckage is a song to watch
Dark Matter vs. Quick Escape - it's Dark Matter, but barely.
Alright vs. Won't Tell - tie
Upper Hand vs. Seven O'Clock - tie. Still too much to process. Honestly, Seven OClock is so dense that part of me still feels like I'm unpacking elements of that one.

[stip]

Finally got a chance to listen properly to the album — once last night then again this morning. Not a ton to say at this point other than that I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to listening more, and definitely felt a warm sense of gratitude, good fortune, etc., to still be here with these guys after so many years, and making a space for a new album to feel like an “event” the same way No Code did when I was 13. Really hammers home what a lifelong companion this band and their music have been.

My two favorites up front are “Scared of Fear” and “Upper Hand” (seriously love this one, reminded me of the closest they’ve come compositionally to something like “Parachutes” since then — just really cool things happening harmonically between the chords and melody), and the only one I just flat-out don’t care for is “Something Special,” though “Won’t Tell” is a bit confounding to me in ways that don’t feel entirely satisfying yet (there’s something there — just haven’t unpacked it). Everything else is various shades of good to great. More to come

Waiting for KD

[blueviper]

Upper Hand into Waiting for Stevie….

[stip]

Okay. Waiting for Stevie...


This song is fine

[oneway23]

Finally got a chance to listen properly to the album — once last night then again this morning. Not a ton to say at this point other than that I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to listening more, and definitely felt a warm sense of gratitude, good fortune, etc., to still be here with these guys after so many years, and making a space for a new album to feel like an “event” the same way No Code did when I was 13. Really hammers home what a lifelong companion this band and their music have been.

My two favorites up front are “Scared of Fear” and “Upper Hand” (seriously love this one, reminded me of the closest they’ve come compositionally to something like “Parachutes” since then — just really cool things happening harmonically between the chords and melody), and the only one I just flat-out don’t care for is “Something Special,” though “Won’t Tell” is a bit confounding to me in ways that don’t feel entirely satisfying yet (there’s something there — just haven’t unpacked it). Everything else is various shades of good to great. More to come

Nice one, KD. Await further thoughts