Red Mosquito

Matters wrote:

RockPusher wrote:

Matters wrote:Upper Hand is dreadful

What don't you like about it? Seems very classic PJ to me.

The intro is nice but it builds to nothing. Actually worse than nothing, it builds to a complete letdown. Ed’s vocal delivery is worse for me than anything else from him in the catalog. The end of the song is decent but I can’t sit through the middle portion to get there.
I’m glad people like it and I really enjoy most of DM but UH might be my least favorite Pearl Jam song. If it came up on shuffle I would listen to the build up and then hit skip as soon as I could.

Ah, so you see that extended intro as a buildup that needs some kind of climax afterward. I never saw it that way. For me it's an intro and the end of it is kind of a "curtains opening" for the body of the song. I grew up on bands like Pink Floyd and Moody Blues and they do stuff like that all the time. For me, it's that middle part that earns the ending, and if the ending is a little abrupt, that's fine by me because another band I was raised on was The Who and they could go all hootenanny at any point. I guess I'm saying this song feels both classic PJ and also very evocative of a number of their influences, and those all jive with me. I guess it's all about the personal listener experience and expectations.

I can understand having a problem with Eddie's delivery in UH. It's pretty damn cheesy. Fortunately I don't mind the cheese nowadays.

I think Pearl Jam pulls off the cheese in Dark Matter far better than most of their post-Riot Act work

I haven't listened to Dark Matter in a long time. Not planning on it any time soon, just an observation.

2 years ago today.

Listened to this one on saturday and i had a blast. Still number 4 on my list.

bodysnatcher wrote:I haven't listened to Dark Matter in a long time. Not planning on it any time soon, just an observation.

Good talk

Monkey_Driven wrote:

bodysnatcher wrote:I haven't listened to Dark Matter in a long time. Not planning on it any time soon, just an observation.

Good talk

I haven’t listened to it, I think, since I started that essential albums thread, so quite a while ago, but I will get back to it. I still have a very positive memory of this album.

DM feels like the end of a trilogy that includes Backspacer and Lightning Bolt. Kinda weird, because of Gigaton in the middle. There's something to say about that, but I'm not sure what.

edit: ehh, maybe not. Maybe DM is just a better LB.

The Waiting for Stevie - Something Special stretch hasn't aged well for me.

Monkey_Driven wrote:The Waiting for Stevie - Something Special stretch hasn't aged well for me.

that's your fault

Monkey_Driven wrote:The Waiting for Stevie - Something Special stretch hasn't aged well for me.

The bottom of the bottom of the barrel.

Dark Matter can be safely filed with Backspacer and Lightning Bolt as records I never need to hear again.

Wotman's 'rock dork' persona ruins the vibe, his production seriously stinks and the songs aren't much chop either (and he can partly take the blame for that).

It's been a pretty grim few years, hopefully getting a new drummer will be a reset.

Monkey_Driven wrote:The Waiting for Stevie - Something Special stretch hasn't aged well for me.

I always loved Stevie, but i was surprised on how much i enjoyed Running and SS, both songs i dont listen to it very often. I really enjoyed both in this listen.

Monkey_Driven wrote:The Waiting for Stevie - Something Special stretch hasn't aged well for me.

That's because you're including Something Special in that stretch.

Jaeti wrote:

Monkey_Driven wrote:The Waiting for Stevie - Something Special stretch hasn't aged well for me.

That's because you're including Something Special in that stretch.

They're the three weakest tracks on the album. It doesn't help they're all in a row.

this is still the album I reach for the most these days. holding firm at 4. I think i have upper hand at the bottom and if that is your weakest track you are doing well

I like Dark Matter but no way I’m placing it higher than 7 or 8.

Listening to DM and Gigaton songs. Went 7:00 -> R/R. It was awesome.

stip wrote: Wed April 29, 2026 6:44 pm this is still the album I reach for the most these days. holding firm at 4. I think i have upper hand at the bottom and if that is your weakest track you are doing well

I still love how much you love it.

Makes me very happy.

I still think Got to Give is like....one of their best songs ever. I still can't believe how good it is. It feels like they've tried to make similar songs, and it's their best one ever.