Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

[Monkey_Driven]

It's still wild how this took an album I loved (Gigaton) and make me think its just meh because this is SO good. I thought Gigaton was such a great late-game effort for the band. But this album could have come out 20 years ago. I mean, not exactly, their music sounds different now. But this sounds like a band that's still active. Not like an aging rock band past their prime. This sounds like an album that is just a good Pearl Jam album no matter when it came out.

Was thinking about this the other day.

If you had told me when Gigaton came out, good as it was, that Pearl Jam had a modern-day, late-era classic like DM left in them that was even better, I would have fallen out of my chair.

The fact that it actually happened is still almost too much for my brain to process.

How unprecedented is this? It's hard to contextualize Pearl Jam because they aren't the Rolling Stones, but are they Neil Young? Are they U2? Have other bands put out this fantastic a record 34 years in? It's hard to calculate because we aren't talking about popular culture impact, but subjectively ranking the quality of an album. We aren't talking about Wilco or some other midterm band that cares a lot about it's albums and legacy.

Just how amazing is this?!

You could make the argument this is their equivalent of Dylan's Time out of Mind

It's not quite a band perse, but Springsteen's 1-2 punch of The Rising and Magic came at a similar point in his career.

[webbmexico]

This is their Accelerate. Strong late period album after a bit of a lost period that had some good stuff but clearly wasn’t the band at their best. Like Accelerate it’s recorded way too loud by a younger producer but the songs overcome it.

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now

[oneway23]

This is their Accelerate. Strong late period album after a bit of a lost period that had some good stuff but clearly wasn’t the band at their best. Like Accelerate it’s recorded way too loud by a younger producer but the songs overcome it.

That's a great shout. I like it.

[liebzz]

When I tell others about it, I generally liken it to Accelerate and All That You Can’t Leave Behind…not a return to form but a sort of renaissance.

[Ledbetterdays]

Has anyone mentioned Tom Petty's Wildflowers? That is the gold standard for me for late-career success on an album.

[stip]

Can the people who have set the EQ a certain way on Spotify lemme know what way that is? Until my vinyl shows, this is still the way I have to listen (my holding out for vinyl plan did not last very long)

Is this the same EQ setting that a certain poster has been talking about incessantly for a month, yet continues to act like a sketchy weirdo about and refuses to share it, like they found the secret recipe to Bush's baked beans or KFC's 13 herbs & spices?

If you're calling me a sketchy weirdo then I assume you'll rescind at this point.

I don't have time to dig through my emails to look for the screen shot I sent STIP a while back, since we have an 8 week old and I put in 50 hours a week, but he can share. OR........you can find your own EQ settings since they'll probably be more to your liking anyway.

he did - i need to dig it up. i like them a lot. im afraid to mess with the settings now

[Oversize]

Can the people who have set the EQ a certain way on Spotify lemme know what way that is? Until my vinyl shows, this is still the way I have to listen (my holding out for vinyl plan did not last very long)

Is this the same EQ setting that a certain poster has been talking about incessantly for a month, yet continues to act like a sketchy weirdo about and refuses to share it, like they found the secret recipe to Bush's baked beans or KFC's 13 herbs & spices?

If you're calling me a sketchy weirdo then I assume you'll rescind at this point.

I don't have time to dig through my emails to look for the screen shot I sent STIP a while back, since we have an 8 week old and I put in 50 hours a week, but he can share. OR........you can find your own EQ settings since they'll probably be more to your liking anyway.

he did - i need to dig it up. i like them a lot. im afraid to mess with the settings now

color me intrigued!

[stip]

Has anyone mentioned Tom Petty's Wildflowers? That is the gold standard for me for late-career success on an album.

this may be arbitrary but ive always felt like solo artist and band career arcs are not directly comparable. its more complex/more to navigate moving a creative unit than a single artist

[Monkey_Driven]

Has anyone mentioned Tom Petty's Wildflowers? That is the gold standard for me for late-career success on an album.

The members of PJ are 10-15 years older than Petty when he made Wildflowers.

[liebzz]

Has anyone mentioned Tom Petty's Wildflowers? That is the gold standard for me for late-career success on an album.

Yes. My only point of contention there is Into the Great Wide Open and Full Moon Fever are hardly career lulls to precede it?

[Clem Halibut]

I'd argue that MOJO was Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers great late career album

[VinylGuy]

I dont really know how to compare them with other artists, because even if i i hate how LB sounds, is still an ok album if it was done by other band. But kinda feels both Gigaton and DM are right there with their best work for sure.

[Jaeti]

Assuming Setting Sun advances out of the Dark Matter bracket in March Madness, there are a few songs among those other final seven it could be matched up against where I would vote for Setting Sun. I wonder how far it can go.

[Brett]

Can the people who have set the EQ a certain way on Spotify lemme know what way that is? Until my vinyl shows, this is still the way I have to listen (my holding out for vinyl plan did not last very long)

Is this the same EQ setting that a certain poster has been talking about incessantly for a month, yet continues to act like a sketchy weirdo about and refuses to share it, like they found the secret recipe to Bush's baked beans or KFC's 13 herbs & spices?

If you're calling me a sketchy weirdo then I assume you'll rescind at this point.

I don't have time to dig through my emails to look for the screen shot I sent STIP a while back, since we have an 8 week old and I put in 50 hours a week, but he can share. OR........you can find your own EQ settings since they'll probably be more to your liking anyway.

Seems R&B may work...

When I used Spotify to listen to the album before my CD came in last weekend, I found the R&B preset worked best, yes. I think I tweaked it a bit, but it was the best general setting.

[DeeDee]

[Matters]

Which song (if any) from DM is going to be a live rarity? My guess would be Something Special but I have a feeling they’re gonna play them all, hopefully even the mighty humble bit.

[DDWJMUVW]

Can the people who have set the EQ a certain way on Spotify lemme know what way that is? Until my vinyl shows, this is still the way I have to listen (my holding out for vinyl plan did not last very long)

Is this the same EQ setting that a certain poster has been talking about incessantly for a month, yet continues to act like a sketchy weirdo about and refuses to share it, like they found the secret recipe to Bush's baked beans or KFC's 13 herbs & spices?

If you're calling me a sketchy weirdo then I assume you'll rescind at this point.

I don't have time to dig through my emails to look for the screen shot I sent STIP a while back, since we have an 8 week old and I put in 50 hours a week, but he can share. OR........you can find your own EQ settings since they'll probably be more to your liking anyway.

You mention your work hours and your child as though it makes the fact that you've repeatedly declined to share your Spotify EQ settings with anyone but stip any less strange.

I'm sorry...I find it an odd reaction to a pretty innocuous request.

In fact, you could have simply shared your settings in the time it took you to write that defensive response.

I couldn't care any less how you listen, but, I've seen you decline numerous posters now, and, yes, I find that worthy of a joking post.

You didn't cure cancer with your EQ settings.

Relax.

I said very clearly I couldn’t find the email. I have over a dozen personal email addresses for various things and I’m not sure which I used to send stip the settings.

As you said, there’s nothing special about the settings. You can arrange your own that’ll you’ll likely find more enjoyable than mine.

I think it’s odd you go-to as to why I haven’t sent them along was conspiracy. You’re not one of those tin foil types I hope.

By the way it took me 22 seconds to dictate this post.

[Strat]

Lol guys are really wrapped up in Spotify EQ settings as if there is some magic setting that is gonna change everything.

Guys, the record is mixed the way it is mixed, the stuff you do on your streaming platforms will make minor changes to the overall thing. Just start messing with it yourselves until you find something you like. Its no different than going up to your receiver and changing the treble, bass, etc...

No reason to fuss.

[Birds in Hell]

I'm genuinely surprised anyone uses EQ settings, especially pre-sets.

There's almost no way they're going to do anything helpful.