Pearl Jam’s ‘Dark Matter’ Is Truly Something Special
On April 16, Pearl Jam did what Pearl Jam does so well – bringing people together through music. Fans gathered from all over the world to get a first listen to their 12th studio record. Via a one-night-only special, movie theaters across the globe played Pearl Jam’s Dark Matter twice for lucky fans in attendance. The fact that a band well into its third decade can draw an audience of fans from their 20s through their 60s to a movie theater on a weeknight to simply listen to new music (which will be available later this week) shows how much Pearl Jam still means to its fanbase in 2024.
But what does a new Pearl Jam album mean in 2024? Upon listening to Dark Matter, I thought about Eddie Vedder’s comments at a pre-Grammy Awards listening event in Los Angeles back in January.
“No hyperbole: I think this is our best work,” Vedder said to guests at the Troubadour, introducing Dark Matter for the first time. There’s a reason why he feels this way. Listening to the album, you are reminded of when the “Given To Fly” lyrics were changed from “he still stands” to “we still stand,” at the band’s 2017 Rock Hall induction performance. And they’re doing more than just standing. They’re a rare Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band that still has something to say.
A lot has happened in the six years since that amazing night in New York. This includes Gigaton, the band’s 11th studio record that came out on March 27, 2020. Yes, as you recall, the album dropped right at the start of a global pandemic.
So, now it’s fair to ask the question, how does Dark Matter differ from Gigaton? My answer is that it isn’t a huge departure from that album. Gigaton will forever be that pillar of strength that many turned to while understandably being scared of the future. It’s also an album that was released just as most of us suddenly found ourselves with a lot of extra time to listen to it. Gigaton unexpectedly benefitted from unfortunate timing. We were lucky because it seemed Gigaton made a lot of sense at a time where nothing else did.
I think it’s important to acknowledge that as we now begin to embrace the new wave that is Dark Matter, and trustfully ride it where it takes us. Gigaton has it’s solid place in the history of Pearl Jam, that now has inspired the next chapter, and the lasting ripple effect it will have on bringing us together.
Pearl Jam’s ‘Dark Matter’ Marks A New Beginning
“I’m going to put these five amazing guys together in a small space where they can all see each other, and get them to play together and capture that energy of what happens on stage,” producer Andrew Watt told SPIN in a recent interview, about his strategy in recording the band. Watt has something of a magic touch with rock veterans: although he got his start producing pop acts like Post Malone and Justin Bieber, he’s more recently produced acts like Ozzy Osbourne, Iggy Pop and Elton John.
Watt, a lifelong Pearl Jam fan, wore a band t-shirt from his collection to each of their recording sessions (he apparently did the same when he produced the latest Rolling Stones album, Hackney Diamonds ). He aimed to inspire a creative process that both dipped into the power of the past and challenged the band to attempt new writing techniques. He required the band to write the songs while they were together in the studio with Watt (as opposed to bringing in pre-written songs). His gambit worked really well: what we now have a body of work that could “be the sun at the break of dawn,” to quote the new song, “Setting Sun.”
The first thing we heard in the Dark Matter era was Matt Cameron’s hard-driving heartbeat of an intro with the title track and lead single, “Dark Matter,” which was released on February 13. This song provides space for each member of the band to showcase their respective instruments.
There are crunchy and groovy guitars by Stone Gossard. An overflowing, inner-rhythm of bass tempo by Jeff Ament lays the foundation. Mike McCready then lights it all on fire while Vedder soulfully delivers a message that makes you think but, more importantly, makes you feel.
In fact, this is present throughout Dark Matter, where each band member invites you into their world of artistry. With Watt’s involvement, you wonder, was the focus for each band member to do what’s best for their playing style, as opposed to what’s best for the song? In doing, it seems that ultimately created the best version of each song possible.
Something Special
Throughout the 48-plus minutes of Dark Matter, Vedder sings the line, “If you could see what I see now,” in two different songs. That is both the opening thought in “Something Special,” and the start to what is an absolutely epic sendoff in the record closer, “Setting Sun.”
Though the vibes in the two songs are different, my hunch is that these Seattle legends, who are now going on 33-plus years together, are perhaps thanking you and each other for being there. Perhaps that line is even a self-discussion, that it’s all going to be alright. Regardless, they emphasize appreciating the present moment. We’re still alive, as it were.
Gratitude has been a major theme of Pearl Jam in the past decade. Grateful is a word Vedder often states on stage. Dark Matter is a beautiful extension of this sentiment. It will make you feel everything, if you let it.
Do you want a nod to the early ’90s that also has something to do with Stevie Wonder? Well, then crank your speakers to the stunning riffs of “Waiting For Stevie,” and start dancing. Do you want things to get so dark that “the bright lights make for dark shadows?” “Upper Hand” is your jam.
Then, there are moments of love with songs like “Something Special,” and even “Wreckage,” where you hear and feel the group’s collective harmonies, with a similar vibe the end of Lightning Bolt’s “Sirens,” where they all sang together.
Dark Matter acknowledges that, yeah, life can be tough, but it’s tough in a different way than it was on Ten, Vs. and Vitalogy. However, together we can celebrate what we do have in sharing this musical experience together – and by taking with us this idea of challenging ourselves while also following our instincts, as Pearl Jam and Watt have done with this record.
These songs are going to be fun to hear live. Furthermore, initially digesting the music via Dolby Atmos certainly sunk its sonic claws into every pore, but experiencing them live in concert will be something special unto itself.
What Pearl Jam has created here with Dark Matter is a record they seem very proud of and excited to share with their greater community. It’s a new appreciation of where we all are.
As Vedder sings on “React, Respond,” “The light gets brighter as it grows,” and that’s a great sentiment for a band three decades on. It’s also a great sentiment for all of us, who have grown with them for that entire time.
Dark Matter will be released Friday, April 19.
Record Store Day 2024: 5 Titles to Pick Up
Talking Heads - 'Live at WCOZ 77'
According to RecordStoreDay.com, “Previously unreleased in full, this celebrated live performance recorded live in 1977 for WCOZ that originally appeared on “The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads” is available as a 2LP collection. Cut at 45rpm and featuring fourteen tracks (seven are previously unheard from the original two-track tapes) recorded at Northern Studios on November 17, 1977, this blistering performances includes “Psycho Killer”, “Pulled Up”, “Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town”, “A Clean Break (Let’s Work)” and more.”
This is another RSD exclusive release, and only 8,000 copies have been pressed.
Rhino Entertainment
