Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

[stip]

And we needed more people shitting on it while others were enjoying it!

Because it's better to be upset than happy!

I genuinely like this album (it's really strong and moving on so many levels) but I also held back posting about it a lot during that initial launch (other than outward praise of the things that I love about it) because I wasn't loving it to the same degree that others were and I didn't want my thoughts to be taken as yucking anyone's yum. I'm blown away how respectful RM was overall during that initial phase. I don't remember ever seeing that from the community at large before. It was really cool and helped me enjoy the album even more.

it was nice to have a month where a pearl jam board cared about pearl jam! that fades and eventually DM becomes just another pj record with its fans and critics (and people who are both), as is right and proper. But that was a cool moment to be a part of, and I appreciate the patience of people who maybe werent feeling it but were willing to let others have that experience.

[smallest_oceans]

I for one, as a near 20 year lurker and occasional poster on this and the old board, have genuinely appreciated this corner of the internet as a place to share enthusiasm towards DM and the tour.

All the specific gear talk, the songwriting, the interviews, the set lists, the warehouse videos etc has just been nirvana.

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now

[mattyv1908]

And we needed more people shitting on it while others were enjoying it!

Because it's better to be upset than happy!

I genuinely like this album (it's really strong and moving on so many levels) but I also held back posting about it a lot during that initial launch (other than outward praise of the things that I love about it) because I wasn't loving it to the same degree that others were and I didn't want my thoughts to be taken as yucking anyone's yum. I'm blown away how respectful RM was overall during that initial phase. I don't remember ever seeing that from the community at large before. It was really cool and helped me enjoy the album even more.

i kinda feel that happened because the album was praised and the shitters kinda had to move on.

That's definitely one way to put it.

I'm still incredibly mixed on this album. I hear and enjoy a lot of what others have previously posted about. I also hear and hate things that really prohibit me from returning to the album for closer listening.

It'll probably go down as the PJ album about which I am the most conflicted. Some aspects are really terrific, others are really atrocious; there is virtually no middle ground to be found anywhere in these songs.

Mostly I just accept that a lot of people don't care about some of the things I do.

I think this is somewhere similar to where I’m at with this record. Was at both Seattle shows a couple weeks back and for example they played a significant portion of the album live both nights. Waiting for Stevie sounded good, and fit well within the set context (late main set pre encore). It made me understand some of its high praise that some here are giving it.

Last night Breath came on randomly while on a quick drive. I immediately followed it up with Waiting for Stevie, given the comparisons to the cathartic nature and evocative lyrical content to go along with similar song construction.

It sounded terrible in comparison. Not the song itself, but the aural attributes of the recording itself made it feel small and less powerful in comparison.

It may not reach Breath level for me, but if these two songs coexisted on a set list I wouldn’t feel that way about Waiting for Stevie. It would hold its own.

It’s a shame how these songs were treated with regards to their recording, mixing and mastering.

[Monkey_Driven]

And we needed more people shitting on it while others were enjoying it!

Because it's better to be upset than happy!

I genuinely like this album (it's really strong and moving on so many levels) but I also held back posting about it a lot during that initial launch (other than outward praise of the things that I love about it) because I wasn't loving it to the same degree that others were and I didn't want my thoughts to be taken as yucking anyone's yum. I'm blown away how respectful RM was overall during that initial phase. I don't remember ever seeing that from the community at large before. It was really cool and helped me enjoy the album even more.

i kinda feel that happened because the album was praised and the shitters kinda had to move on.

That's definitely one way to put it.

I'm still incredibly mixed on this album. I hear and enjoy a lot of what others have previously posted about. I also hear and hate things that really prohibit me from returning to the album for closer listening.

It'll probably go down as the PJ album about which I am the most conflicted. Some aspects are really terrific, others are really atrocious; there is virtually no middle ground to be found anywhere in these songs.

Mostly I just accept that a lot of people don't care about some of the things I do.

I think this is somewhere similar to where I’m at with this record. Was at both Seattle shows a couple weeks back and for example they played a significant portion of the album live both nights. Waiting for Stevie sounded good, and fit well within the set context (late main set pre encore). It made me understand some of its high praise that some here are giving it.

Last night Breath came on randomly while on a quick drive. I immediately followed it up with Waiting for Stevie, given the comparisons to the cathartic nature and evocative lyrical content to go along with similar song construction.

It sounded terrible in comparison. Not the song itself, but the aural attributes of the recording itself made it feel small and less powerful in comparison.

It may not reach Breath level for me, but if these two songs coexisted on a set list I wouldn’t feel that way about Waiting for Stevie. It would hold its own.

It’s a shame how these songs were treated with regards to their recording, mixing and mastering.

Waiting for Stevie and Got to Give suffer the most from the production choices on this album. Way too loud and up front. It hides all the little small flourishes and interesting touches.

[Ms Harmless]

imo Scared of Fear sounds the worst production-wise

[epilogue]

imo Scared of Fear sounds the worst production-wise

It's Wreckage for me, but SoF is a close second production-wise. Which honestly might be part of why that song hasn't clicked with me (SoF) the way it has with others. Good call.

[epilogue]

And we needed more people shitting on it while others were enjoying it!

Because it's better to be upset than happy!

I genuinely like this album (it's really strong and moving on so many levels) but I also held back posting about it a lot during that initial launch (other than outward praise of the things that I love about it) because I wasn't loving it to the same degree that others were and I didn't want my thoughts to be taken as yucking anyone's yum. I'm blown away how respectful RM was overall during that initial phase. I don't remember ever seeing that from the community at large before. It was really cool and helped me enjoy the album even more.

it was nice to have a month where a pearl jam board cared about pearl jam! that fades and eventually DM becomes just another pj record with its fans and critics (and people who are both), as is right and proper. But that was a cool moment to be a part of, and I appreciate the patience of people who maybe werent feeling it but were willing to let others have that experience.

I feel you there. It was so awesome. As someone who maybe wasn't necessarily "feeling it" (as you put it) but has been in other threads where I was feeling it only to have my excitement derailed by the onslaught of negativity, I was so happy to see the restraint here. It did a lot to restore some of the faith I'd lost in RM, honestly. I'll always look back on that month post-DM release as a bit of a halcyon period.

Love you, RM

[RockPusher]

Much has been written about the production quality (and lack thereof, especially when it comes to the loudness of the mix). I am nearly always listening on Spotify on Wifi, and find that if I turn the volume down a couple notches from typical, I can listen to all of DM without my ears bleeding or any other nasty effects. I absolutely wish the sound wasn't so hot, but I don't think it's held me back much from enjoying this album, and once I have my turntable fully set up at my new apartment, I'm looking forward to spinning it in the headphones again. Of course your mileage may vary, but I think Gigaton and Dark Matter give us the exact "zero sum" choice we often talk about:

Gigaton = less perfectly developed songs, played in a less together way by the band, on a nearly perfectly produced album.

Dark Matter = very well-developed, catchy songs played in a very live, together manner by the band on a horribly mixed album.

Most of the time, I'll choose the second option. That's just how I am. I love and appreciate Gigaton though, and understand the way I have described it for these purposes doesn't really do it justice.

[epilogue]

Some good points there. But it's all meaningless when it physically hurts to listen to. Which I've run into on a couple of DM tracks when listening on headphones. Non-headphone listening is totally doable.

[RockPusher]

Some good points there. But it's all meaningless when it physically hurts to listen to. Which I've run into on a couple of DM tracks when listening on headphones. Non-headphone listening is totally doable.

I have the galaxy red 10C vinyl and find that it doesn't burn my ears in headphones, for what it's worth. I have pretty much been reserving my headphones time for vinyl.

[epilogue]

Some good points there. But it's all meaningless when it physically hurts to listen to. Which I've run into on a couple of DM tracks when listening on headphones. Non-headphone listening is totally doable.

I have the galaxy red 10C vinyl and find that it doesn't burn my ears in headphones, for what it's worth. I have pretty much been reserving my headphones time for vinyl.

Smart.

I have the vinly and I really enjoy the album in that format. But I don't have headphones for vinyl listening. I only do headphones with streaming. So, my "pinching" criticism is reserved only for the Spotify version of the album.

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now

[RockPusher]

I genuinely believe we're witnessing the hearing loss of a bunch of RMers in real time.

a) I'm not gonna deny I have quite a bit of hearing loss
b) I still hear the shrillness of the mix, mostly when I'm in my car and Spotify is not playing at its highest quality level

p.s. eagerly awaiting your mix

[Jorge]

I will remind you that I have the Golden Ear Certificate of Supreme Auditory Excellence, bestowed upon me by the International Acoustic Virtuosos Society (IAVS) in association with the Global Auditory Health Consortium (GAHC)

[epilogue]

I will remind you that I have the Golden Ear Certificate of Supreme Auditory Excellence, bestowed upon me by the International Acoustic Virtuosos Society (IAVS) in association with the Global Auditory Health Consortium (GAHC)

Yeah, fucking and?

[Jorge]

So Trag couldn't be witnessing my hearing loss

[epilogue]

So Trag couldn't be witnessing my hearing loss

[dad]

I will remind you that I have the Golden Ear Certificate of Supreme Auditory Excellence, bestowed upon me by the International Acoustic Virtuosos Society (IAVS) in association with the Global Auditory Health Consortium (GAHC)

wow, what a prestigious award.

[RockPusher]

I will remind you that I have the Golden Ear Certificate of Supreme Auditory Excellence, bestowed upon me by the International Acoustic Virtuosos Society (IAVS) in association with the Global Auditory Health Consortium (GAHC)

wow, what a prestigious award.