Dark Matter: Pearl Jam Still Going Strong at 35

We’ve heard it all before with bands that have been around for a while. The new album is a “return to form” or “their best since …” Pearl Jam’s latest is getting that kind of talk. I’ll admit to being a big fan since Ten, but have they ever really lost their form? (Ok, maybe Binaural.) Dark Matter is similar in tone to Gigaton, their last release in 2020 (see my review Rock N’ Roll in the 2020s (cont.)- Wolf Parade and Pearl Jam – poptransmission). Their 12th album is another agreeable mixture of raging rockers, Tom Petty-like mid-tempos, and lush ballads.

Dark Matter explodes out of the gate with a one-two punch: “Scared of Fear” and “React, Respond.” The first highlights guitarist Mike McCready’s riffs while the next spotlights Matt Cameron’s pounding drums. “Wreckage” conjures Tom Petty in the same vein as “Long Way” from Eddie Vedder’s 2022 Earthling album (Earthling Review: Eddie Vedder Finds Inner Peace in Excellent New Album). The title song is edgy and vibrating with Vedder’s voice muffled and opaque. “Upper Hand” is slow and moody, defined by delicate guitar. “Waiting for Stevie” (yes, as in Wonder) is a fun anthem. “Running” starts out mellow and then…BAM! it’s sprinting. The Ramones couldn’t keep up this pace. Vedder expresses love for his daughters in “Something Special” and his favorite band The Who in “Got to Give” where the power chords ring of Pete Townshend.

Vedder’s piercing lyrics offer persistent optimism in a disintegrating world. However, at times the band overwhelms his moving voice. Producer Andrew Wyatt, who helmed recent albums by Ozzy, Iggy, and the Stones, has buried that definitive baritone in the mix. It’s a shame, but I suppose you can turn it around and say that it highlights the band’s musicianship like never before. On the melancholy closer, “Setting Sun,” Vedder has the last word, “let us not fade.” Dark Matter is proof that the sun hasn’t set yet on Pearl Jam.

D² Rating: ◼◼◼◩☐

Trivia: Pearl Jam formed in 1990 after the demise of what two bands with Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament?

Answer below

Answer: Green River and Mother Love Bone