Current Events > New Pearl Jam album is great

(+) Yeah! (+)

Always hard to rank their stuff, but so far seems better than their last few. Some of the tracks sound eerily similar to Ten and Vs, but still fresh.

Which are the hits?

They play the title track Dark Matter pretty often on the radio at work.

I don't mind it as a radio song, but it doesn't interest me enough to go and check out the full album on my own time.

SrRd_RacinG posted...

Which are the hits?

This sounds like trolling. But the title track was their first #1 US Mainstream Rock track in 26 years

sounds like boomer musics to me

Dakimakura posted...

sounds like boomer musics to me

I mean, if anyone likes 60s and 70s rock, that's boomer music

I'll have to give it another listen. Seemed like a fairly mean, lean sort of album.

Shotgunnova posted...

I'll have to give it another listen. Seemed like a fairly mean, lean sort of album.

Definitely. Especially compared to Lightning Bolt and Gigaton

Im admittedly stuck in the past on music and generally stopped following new music past 2000 and just keep listening to the 50s through the 90s that I loved.

Some bands I checked out on a little earlier or they had albums fall through the cracks when I was in the Navy from 94-99. I actually had this conversation with my friend recently how many bands I followed while in high school from 90-94 that I stopped following but even though they kept making albums they never had a hit past the years I followed then. Pearl Jam has had hits. Im not saying that about them, but its weird how so many of the other bands I stopped following never really had chart success after I tuned out.

Anyway Pearl Jam is yet another one of those bands I just stopped following for whatever reason. I still remember Ten coming out in 91 vividly. I was never a massive Pearl Jam fan but I did like them quite a bit on Ten. Two years later when Vs. came out my senior year I thought it was a good follow-up album and I thought it solidified them as a solid band.

Vitalogy came out when I was in boot camp. listened to it after getting out of boot camp and didnt really care for it. I basically never followed them after that and the stations I listen to on Satellite radio thst play them basically only ever play the hits from Ten or Vs.

I give them credit for staying active. They put out a handful of albums every 2 years until the 2000s. Then they slowed down some but still put out a lot of albums. They are a huge band. I have nothing against them. I just simply stopped following them about 30 years ago. It happened to me with a handful of bands from that era.

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Pearl Jam were never truly grunge musically, but simply part of the scene. They were too indebted to 70s rock. And yeah, post grunge sucks ass.

Thanks for the heads up. It's tough to keep up with new releases in this modern music industry and I love Pearl Jam.

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They sound nothing like The Grateful Dead to me though

I hope none of this is coming across as shitting on you or anything, please like what you like; Pearl Jams success is just baffling to me.

Nah, tis good

I liked it a lot, but Pearl Jam is one of my two all-time favorite bands, so I'm a little biased. I'd probably say it's their best one since Riot Act, but I feel like I need to listen to it a few more times, and really let it sink in before I figure out where to rank it.

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Outside of concerts with a fluid setlist and plenty of jamming, they're really not like the Grateful Dead at all.

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You want people to explain and define personal preferences?

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Why would you want something that ridiculous?

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Well, now you are being rude

bsp77 posted...

Well, now you are being rude

There are always ***** when it comes to entertainment

Listen to this guy shitting on Pearl Jam. Dude probably likes Blink-182.

Their first 3 albums are still the best, but after many listens, the new album may be the best since then. But that would be saying it is better than Yield and Backspacer, and I am not sure.

Black is literally one of my favourite songs ever, but man they've been bleh for a while. I liked Avocado a bit, but before that its maybe Vitalogy as the last album of theirs I think is worth my time

Not very hyped

haloiscoolisbak posted...

Black is literally one of my favourite songs ever, but man they've been bleh for a while. I liked Avocado a bit, but before that its maybe Vitalogy as the last album of theirs I think is worth my time

Not very hyped

You could try listening...

I always liked Avocado more than Backspacer until recently. I realized Avocado is a little clumsy, especially throughout all the middle tracks. First 4 tracks are great, as are the last 2. Backspacer is just high energy and a little different - more power chords, more pop punk, more rock n roll.

i woke up with "dark matter" stuck in my head

whr;ookjhsae;lrtihjta;sehjr oooooo DARK MATTER

Robot2600 posted...

i woke up with "dark matter" stuck in my head

whr;ookjhsae;lrtihjta;sehjr oooooo DARK MATTER

There was a SNL skit in the 90s (maybe part of the news segment) where it made fun of how unintelligible he is in Evenflow.

I loved their Ten album

Lightning Bolt and Gigaton had really great songs, but they felt like Pearl Jam on autopilot. Looking forward to Dark Matter.

Pearl Jam is still the best live show Ive ever seen. I saw them during the Lightning Bolt tour. No opener, they played for 3 hours, and Vedder did a 6 song acoustic set in the middle.

Lightning Bolt had a few songs I liked

Havent checked out anything of theirs since Backspacer, but will definitely check this out.

Yield was the last of theirs I enjoyed thoroughly.

bsp77 posted...

Their first 3 albums are still the best, but after many listens, the new album may be the best since then. But that would be saying it is better than Yield and Backspacer, and I am not sure.

I still maintain that Yield is PJ's best album, and I don't think the new album surpasses it, nor do I think it surpasses Riot Act. Having listened to it a few more times since posting yesterday, I do think it's easily their best since Riot Act, though.
radical_rhino posted...

Lightning Bolt and Gigaton had really great songs, but they felt like Pearl Jam on autopilot. Looking forward to Dark Matter.

Pearl Jam is still the best live show Ive ever seen. I saw them during the Lightning Bolt tour. No opener, they played for 3 hours, and Vedder did a 6 song acoustic set in the middle.

I liked both Lightning Bolt and Gigaton, but I agree, they felt more like autopilot albums for them.

And PJ is easily one of the top 5 live acts I've ever seen.

a-c-a-b posted...

They play the title track Dark Matter pretty often on the radio at work.

I don't mind it as a radio song, but it doesn't interest me enough to go and check out the full album on my own time.

The first half of the album seems like elevator music. I listen to the whole album while playing MLB 24. its not Vitalogy or Ten in terms of greatness, its just kinda "eh".

LeadPipeCinche posted...

The first half of the album seems like elevator musis

Damn, you must be in some pretty kick ass elevators

SrRd_RacinG posted...

Which are the hits?

Best tracks for me (in order) are:

1) Wreckage
2) Won't Tell
3) Waiting for Stevie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-UaEQHA704

I wasn't too enthused with their previous album, Gigaton, but I love this one and agree that it's one of their best.

Dakimakura posted...

sounds like boomer musics to me

My parents are boomers. I assure you they dont listen to Pearl Jam

Derwood posted...

My parents are boomers. I assure you they dont listen to Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam is like the definitive Gen X band

bsp77 posted...

Pearl Jam is like the definitive Gen X band

People who use the word "Boomer" as a pejorative are generally too ignorant to care about such distinctions.

So far, I think it may be my favorite since the self titled which has a special place for me since it was their first "comeback" album, which they put out not long after I discovered their music beyond the songs I'd heard as radio staples as a kid. I also really liked Gigaton as a return to the adventurous but still melodic side of the band so that one probably ranks not much lower. Backspacer and Lightning Bolt were a bit weaker releases in almost opposite ways, as the former seemed unnaturally poppy for them, while the latter was a bit dry and hard to keep attention to after the one song I remember well from it, Sirens. I'm a bit surprised Backspacer is remembered fondly because I recall sentiments being more toward the side of embarrassment for fans around the time The Fixer was getting radio play as the band's last moderately successful adult contemporary anthem.

As for this album, I think it's funny the band seem to suggest this one is their heaviest yet when it has at least as many soft songs as Vs., but with more polish to everything. It reminds me of when Foo Fighters promoted Wasting Light as their heaviest album, despite their self titled and The Colour and Shape (I suppose Walking After You is a pretty good degree softer than Walk) existing. That said, I really like the energy of this album, as it reminds me of the same raw excitement as their self titled but more hooky and less raw. Scared of Fear, the title song, and Waiting for Stevie were also easy to like and recognize as classic Pearl Jam tracks on first listen.

To be fair, I like Backspacer, as do many critics, but I am aware that a lot of fans don't like the power chords and punk pop sound. Only recently did I grow to appreciate it more.

I would say it isn't heavier than their first three, but likely since. Even Yield and Avocado have more slower songs.

bsp77 posted...

To be fair, I like Backspacer, as do many critics, but I am aware that a lot of fans don't like the power chords and punk pop sound. Only recently did I grow to appreciate it more.

I would say it isn't heavier than their first three, but likely since. Even Yield and Avocado have more slower songs.

Backspacer was a good album with some great songs on it, but as a whole, it didn't quite feel like a Pearl Jam album with how it plays it safe the whole way through before clocking in well under 40 minutes. Eddie's voice is probably what mostly keeps it sounding like a Pearl Jam album. Yield, on the other hand, felt like Pearl Jam going full pop-rock without losing the identity of their sound. As for the self titled, it starts hard before going heavy, but instead in a more raw emotional direction. Then this album has the most feel of "everything you love about Pearl Jam in one album!" to emphasize past sounds that have earned them critical and fan favor put in a more condensed format. I agree that it may be the heaviest album if you ignore the first three, especially Vs.

The only real issue I heard about Backspacer from Pearl Jam fans back when it came out was that it was a Target-exclusive release.

I don't mind the more "pop-rock" aspect of it (again, I think Yield is their best album), but the songs on it weren't as memorable as what had come before.

radical_rhino posted...

Lightning Bolt and Gigaton had really great songs, but they felt like Pearl Jam on autopilot. Looking forward to Dark Matter.

Pearl Jam is still the best live show Ive ever seen. I saw them during the Lightning Bolt tour. No opener, they played for 3 hours, and Vedder did a 6 song acoustic set in the middle.

I've seen them live 5-6 times over the years including on the Lightning Bolt tour and they're always incredible shows. Love that they focus on 1-2 particular albums per tour so they can dig into their deep cuts.

My problem with Lightening Bolt is that the songs are actually good. During that tour, they were playing the songs with so much energy they sounded fantastic. For whatever reason that energy was no where to be found on the album.