I remember when “Ten” came out for this new band Pearl Jam. I was a little older(okay a lot older) than the typical PJ Fan and not one to step into the gunge movement that seemed to be taking over the music at the time. My daughter actually bought the CD and it’s playing thru the house is what finally brought me to that moment where I thought “this is serious you need to give this a closer listen”.
It’s hard to believe that is has been 33 years and 12 albums later and Pearl Jam is still able to dig deep and produce an album that seems to go back to the roots of “Ten” and the earlier albums. “Dark Matter” is definitely a rise after the sorrowful tendencies of 2020’s “Gigatron” this album has an energy. Listening to it you can feel the band feeding off each other. Where Pearl Jam has become a stadium sized band this album has the feel of a band bouncing off the walls of a small club, like I said back to the roots.
One highlight is “Waiting For Stevie” where this song could have slid right into the track list of “Black”. Vedder’s vocals soar and McCready’s solo to take us out is amazing. The title track is a heavier, riff driven song than they have done lately and it gives you an idea of what is coming throughout the album. Some other really good songs are Wreckage and Setting Sun where Vedder really takes it up a notch with his lyrics. Look not all the songs are home runs and there are a few weaker songs here (Running comes to mind) but even those seem to be better than some from their latest releases.
Overall if you’re a Pearl Jam fan your going to love this for what they seem to be reaching back for even after 33 years. If your new to the game it will be a good album to give a listen to before going back to the earlier albums.
