Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

[ABNorman]

As Ed says he doesn't give a fuck if anyone likes it

Hold on, I thought they were trying to be commercially successful?!

[Mike]

Can't the music players of RM see what they're playing the clip?

[Ms Harmless]

As Ed says he doesn't give a fuck if anyone likes it

Hold on, I thought they were trying to be commercially successful?!

this is an outrage

[Mike]

Its just my opinion of what I heard and what the people around me said and someone asked my opinion and that is what i felt hearing it , lots of words have been banded around about how it will sound and what it compares to , so thats my view based on the music and how pj fans grade everything and are expecting due to the expectations.

[Mike]

half is hard half is soft, middle aged man album indeed

[Release_Me]

That has pretty much been the formula for PJ over the years. A mix of hard and soft songs, if you will. The difference this time is that they've hyped Dark Matter being "heaviest since xxx" or "heavier than you'd think" so the guy probably went in thinking, this album will be just chock full of hard rocking songs and was surprised that there were softer songs on the record. This is how I see it.

Anyway, I have always loved good ballads and mid-tempo anthems, so I am looking forward to 100% of the album that I haven't heard. I like Running and also Dark Matter, the latter a bit more. Only the clip of Something Special has me (slightly) worried. Everything else, I am really looking forward to.

[Release_Me]

More from the Pit:

"My feeling of the album was there was a lot of songs in the Even Flow, Animal, Last Exit, Do The Evolution style, and not much in the Given To Fly, Jeremy, Better Man, Unthought Unknown style. So more straight 4/4 verse, chorus, verse with not many twists along the way.

The lyrics on Waiting For Stevie hit me hard

The song about ones kids growing up was lovely

I think song 2 is about Chris Cornell."


"The first song got me immediately. The lyrics hit hard for me."


"First song was great, in fact the first 4 or 5 were all pretty rocking 

Waiting for Stevie wasn't what I expected I thought it was a ballad for some reason 

Thought there was a given to fly type song later on got to give maybe?

Most of the album sounded heavy but that may just have been because it was played really loud and the floor was vibrating"


"I think I agree with this. I feel like the production of the record is going to be a bit much for a lot of people. I don’t think subtlety is in the Andrew Watt playbook and even in a venue with a proper sound system Ed’s vocals were buried. On the flip side, there’s a ton of energy on this record and it’s going to get rowdy when they play it live!"

[Val]

“Half the songs are hard and half are soft” is the dumbest review I have ever read.
That listener probably caused the average IQ in the room to plummet the moment he stepped in

[Val]

“Half the songs are hard and half are soft” is the dumbest review I have ever read.
That listener probably caused the average IQ in the room to plummet the moment he stepped in

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now

[Mike]

That has pretty much been the formula for PJ over the years. A mix of hard and soft songs, if you will. The difference this time is that they've hyped Dark Matter being "heaviest since xxx" or "heavier than you'd think" so the guy probably went in thinking, this album will be just chock full of hard rocking songs and was surprised that there were softer songs on the record. This is how I see it.

Anyway, I have always loved good ballads and mid-tempo anthems, so I am looking forward to 100% of the album that I haven't heard. I like Running and also Dark Matter, the latter a bit more. Only the clip of Something Special has me (slightly) worried. Everything else, I am really looking forward to.

I'd actually prefer an album of nothing but mid-tempo stuff. I think current Pearl Jam is better at that than hard rock.

[Anders]

That has pretty much been the formula for PJ over the years. A mix of hard and soft songs, if you will. The difference this time is that they've hyped Dark Matter being "heaviest since xxx" or "heavier than you'd think" so the guy probably went in thinking, this album will be just chock full of hard rocking songs and was surprised that there were softer songs on the record. This is how I see it.

Anyway, I have always loved good ballads and mid-tempo anthems, so I am looking forward to 100% of the album that I haven't heard. I like Running and also Dark Matter, the latter a bit more. Only the clip of Something Special has me (slightly) worried. Everything else, I am really looking forward to.

I'd actually prefer an album of nothing but mid-tempo stuff. I think current Pearl Jam is better at that than hard rock.

I agree. I think the band having to rock out, and for Matt to go harder and harder in the sessions, could easily be a negative.

[Mike]

As Ed says he doesn't give a fuck if anyone likes it

Hold on, I thought they were trying to be commercially successful?!

They were but they logged into the RM Running thread. Classic retcon.

I don't believe Ed. They seemed to be heavily interested in the perception of their new stuff for a while now and I can't believe that changed.

[Fattie_Vedder]

lol some user named mvw posted on the porch thread about the uk listening party: “do they chant “potatoes” in Running”?, which one of you did that?

Umm…That would be me. Haha

Oh hey there you are!

[Release_Me]

As Ed says he doesn't give a fuck if anyone likes it

Hold on, I thought they were trying to be commercially successful?!

They were but they logged into the RM Running thread. Classic retcon.

I don't believe Ed. They seemed to be heavily interested in the perception of their new stuff for a while now and I can't believe that changed.

The guy who shared that Ed quote probably mistook sarcasm for him being serious. I'm pretty sure he cares, all of them care.

[Jorge]

Half Soft is a good album name

[Fattie_Vedder]

“… You’ll be more interested in the album so I’ll say for sure it’s the hardest they’ve done for years. I think the new single “Running” is the hardest and punkiest they’ve been since Brain of J… The album starts off hard, Scared Of Fear has a little in common with Animal and it keeps coming and doesn’t relent until “Won’t tell” which has an almost country sound?
React, Respond is very much a kindred spirit to Superblood Wolfmoon.

The second half of the album feels more diverse and more like a traditional PJ album. Something Special is a song that could be on most PJ albums since Vitalogy…

The experience was great. Ed was there as expected and he was in emotional form. Especially when he dedicated “Something Special” to his daughter Olivia (who was also there).

But he was literally 3 feet away from us and was loving the album himself. He was having an emotional and slightly weird time…

I loved it. He fist bumped me and I’ll never ever get a more intimate PJ experience. Everyone there was in rapture and I must admit it does make me very biased about my thoughts on the new album.

Now the negative…
Remember I love it… but… I’m not so sure I love the Andrew Watt production. It’s very much like a wall of sound and felt a bit “in your face” and lacking a bit of the PJ subtlety…
Couldn’t hear Ed’s voice on many of the songs, not so sure if it was the sound system or the mix…
But for sure Matt and Mike are turned up loud and it’s a wall of sound assault on the senses.”

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now

[Jorge]

The comparison to "Brain of J" really doesn't do "Running" any favors

[Bi_3]

Now the negative…
Remember I love it… but… I’m not so sure I love the Andrew Watt production. It’s very much like a wall of sound and felt a bit “in your face” and lacking a bit of the PJ subtlety…
Couldn’t hear Ed’s voice on many of the songs, not so sure if it was the sound system or the mix…
But for sure Matt and Mike are turned up loud and it’s a wall of sound assault on the senses.”

TRAG VINDICATED