Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

[RockPusher]

this kind of side 2 rocker has been with them from jump

Porch - track 8/11
Blood - track 7/12
Satan’s Bed - track 10/14
Habit - track 7 /13 or Lukin - track 9/13
MFC - track 9/13
Grievance - track 9/13
Get Right - track 9/15 or Green Disease - track 10/15
Big Wave - track 8/13
Supersonic - track 8/11
Swallowed Whole - track 8/12 or Let the Records Play - track 9/12
Never Destination - track 7/12 or Take the Long Way - track 8/12

it’s a well worn formula. Though Get Right, Big Wave, and Supersonic (maybe LTRP or Take the Long Way) are the only ones kind of structured to be light/disposable. The rest, even if they are light, are songs making statements

Your take on Take the Long Way is how I initially viewed it. In the time since, it has become an album highlight for me, thanks to the triple punch of a) female backing vocals, b) best solo on Gigaton and c) wild Jeff-infused outro.

[stip]

i like the majority of these songs (supersonic and big wave the exceptions but mike’s playing at the end is awesome at least). but porch and grievance are the only ones that feel important. even blood and satan’s bed feel like minor songs on major albums

[RockPusher]

i like the majority of these songs (supersonic and big wave the exceptions but mike’s playing at the end is awesome at least). but porch and grievance are the only ones that feel important. even blood and satan’s bed feel like minor songs on major albums

Knowing how much you love Lightning Bolt, how do you feel about Swallowed Whole? I truly wish we could have heard a version of that done with a different producer, because this REMish sound could really go places.

[Ms Harmless]

Habit is my favorite of those tracks. I know a lot of you would be happy with a Lukin, STBC or Whipping analog, but those tracks always felt repetitive to me without much room for musical exploration. Blood is special because it brings the funk. Habit is special because it brings such ferocious guitars for the solo (kind of like Dark Matter in that regard). I have no idea what a sub-3 minute heavy song from PJ will sound like these days, but I’m hopeful it will have some real energy.

Habit goes all over the place and I love it for that

[stip]

i like the majority of these songs (supersonic and big wave the exceptions but mike’s playing at the end is awesome at least). but porch and grievance are the only ones that feel important. even blood and satan’s bed feel like minor songs on major albums

Knowing how much you love Lightning Bolt, how do you feel about Swallowed Whole? I truly wish we could have heard a version of that done with a different producer, because this REMish sound could really go places.

Same. I think the bones of an incredible song are there, and there are parts that work really well for me (the quieter parts, the gentle bridge, and the outro). It suffers from Lightning Bolts antiseptic production which makes the song feel chained down when it needs to have a wide open sound, and it suffers from the challenge that faces most of the mid tempo anthems on Backspacer and Lightning Bolt - they don't feel expansive and limitless in the way that the best pearl jam stuff does, and doesn't draw the necessary contrast with the setup in the verses. Unthought Known, Amongst the Waves, Sirens, and Infallible all have the same issue.

[RockPusher]

i like the majority of these songs (supersonic and big wave the exceptions but mike’s playing at the end is awesome at least). but porch and grievance are the only ones that feel important. even blood and satan’s bed feel like minor songs on major albums

Knowing how much you love Lightning Bolt, how do you feel about Swallowed Whole? I truly wish we could have heard a version of that done with a different producer, because this REMish sound could really go places.

Same. I think the bones of an incredible song are there, and there are parts that work really well for me (the quieter parts, the gentle bridge, and the outro). It suffers from Lightning Bolts antiseptic production which makes the song feel chained down when it needs to have a wide open sound, and it suffers from the challenge that faces most of the mid tempo anthems on Backspacer and Lightning Bolt - they don't feel expansive and limitless in the way that the best pearl jam stuff does, and doesn't draw the necessary contrast with the setup in the verses. Unthought Known, Amongst the Waves, Sirens, and Infallible all have the same issue.

Since you earlier included Never Destination in a shared category of songs, do you think ND benefits from having a different set of production values?

[stip]

Absolutely

[Revelator]

Don't know if I've seen a more accurate description (antiseptic) of the BS and LB production. I often think those albums could have been so much more expansive (perhaps not as much as Gigaton) without BoB. His production is damn near stifling.

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now

[Ms Harmless]

I actually think the rock songs on Backspacer sound pretty good, for being fairly polished

me too

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now

[VinylGuy]

while i dont like what Brendan did on Backspacer, his production on LB is the worst sound this band had ever. The drum sound are embarrassing specially when you have a legend like Matt behind the kit.

[stip]

I think what BoB did on the faster songs on Lightning Bolt sound pretty good. Better than Lightning Bolt, certainly, though I think that's a stronger set of songs.

[Jorge]

I think what BoB did on the faster songs on Lightning Bolt sound pretty good. Better than Lightning Bolt, certainly, though I think that's a stronger set of songs.

What

[Ms Harmless]

I actually think the rock songs on Backspacer sound pretty good, for being fairly polished

me too

I agree with your takes like 50% of the time and the other half I just don’t get you at all

I want a witty comeback but I have none

[Ms Harmless]

I feel a hint of developing chemistry between me and Trag and no one is more surprised than I

what is this feeling, so sudden? so new?

[Thurman Murman]

this kind of side 2 rocker has been with them from jump

Porch - track 8/11
Blood - track 7/12
Satan’s Bed - track 10/14
Habit - track 7 /13 or Lukin - track 9/13
MFC - track 9/13
Grievance - track 9/13
Get Right - track 9/15 or Green Disease - track 10/15
Big Wave - track 8/13
Supersonic - track 8/11
Swallowed Whole - track 8/12 or Let the Records Play - track 9/12
Never Destination - track 7/12 or Take the Long Way - track 8/12

it’s a well worn formula. Though Get Right, Big Wave, and Supersonic (maybe LTRP or Take the Long Way) are the only ones kind of structured to be light/disposable. The rest, even if they are light, are songs making statements

Yup no issue with most of these songs on the 90s albums, but on the last 4-5 albums they've mostly come across as "filler".

[stip]

I think what BoB did on the faster songs on Lightning Bolt sound pretty good. Better than Lightning Bolt, certainly, though I think that's a stronger set of songs.

What

Sorry, that first lightning bolt should be a backspacer

[lecherouslittlestump]

The most perfect sounding Pearl Jam song from a production / mixing point of view is...

...MFC