I have to admit

smile6680 · April 27

I was close to giving up on any new Pearl Jam albums. Dark matter is by far their best album since their self titled (avocado) album. This one is well done and I'm finding myself listening to more older Pearl Jam daily.

KV4053 · April 27

I never came close to giving up. The last three were good, but DM is stellar. Definitely the best since avocado

smile6680 · April 27

KV4053 said:

I never came close to giving up. The last three were good, but DM is stellar. Definitely the best since avocado

I guess giving up is a little too strong. This album feels more like an entire band working together to make each song better.

KN219077 · April 27

on par with avocado at least

PJNB · April 27

I lost interest in new music coming out after the last 3. Very happy with this album and can’t wait to see some songs live.

dwjmu84 · April 27

The trend with BS and then, ugh, LB was worrisome. Things turned around with Gig, which was the perfect record for what was going on in the world in spring 2020.

DM just reeks of quality. It doesn’t TRY to be any other record, it’s just the five guys being their very best selves in 2024 (‘23).

I think there’s more to peel back before all is said and done and can’t wait to watch it all unfold.

cincybearcat · April 27

I decided to rate every song on all studio albums on a scale of 1-10. Then take the average song score for the album score. So this ranking isn’t favorite albums but most good songs on albums. Dark matter slotted pretty high:

Album Score

Ten 8.59

VS. 8.50

No Code 8.19

Vitalogy 8.18

Dark Matter 8.18

Yield 8.12

Gigaton 7.83

Binaural 7.69

PJ (Avacado) 7.58

Lightning Bolt 7.38

Riot Act 7.33

Backspacer 7.2

BF25394 · April 27

cincybearcat said:

I decided to rate every song on all studio albums on a scale of 1-10. Then take the average song score for the album score. So this ranking isn’t favorite albums but most good songs on albums. Dark matter slotted pretty high:

Album Score
Ten 8.59
VS. 8.50
No Code 8.19
Vitalogy 8.18
Dark Matter 8.18
Yield 8.12
Gigaton 7.83
Binaural 7.69
PJ (Avacado) 7.58
Lightning Bolt 7.38
Riot Act 7.33
Backspacer 7.2

If I used this methodology, it would distort my true feelings about the albums. For example, "Bugs" would get a zero, which would drag down the average for Vitalogy, which might be my favorite album. But it's an interesting approach.

JV267526 · April 27

BF25394 said:

cincybearcat said:

I decided to rate every song on all studio albums on a scale of 1-10. Then take the average song score for the album score. So this ranking isn’t favorite albums but most good songs on albums. Dark matter slotted pretty high:

Album Score
Ten 8.59
VS. 8.50
No Code 8.19
Vitalogy 8.18
Dark Matter 8.18
Yield 8.12
Gigaton 7.83
Binaural 7.69
PJ (Avacado) 7.58
Lightning Bolt 7.38
Riot Act 7.33
Backspacer 7.2

If I used this methodology, it would distort my true feelings about the albums. For example, "Bugs" would get a zero, which would drag down the average for Vitalogy, which might be my favorite album. But it's an interesting approach.

Given a situation like what you mention and that albums have a different number tracks, maybe looking the top 10 tracks from each weighted against each other could be a way that works since.I think all albums have at least 10 songs.

demetrios · April 27

KV4053 said:

The last three were good, but DM is stellar.

HK103094 · April 27

For me Pearl Jam has 4 different periods:

1 The grunge period: ten, vs and vitalogy
2 The mytical period: no code, yield, binarual and riot act
3 The mediocre period: avocado, backspacer and lighting bolt
4 The return to form period: gigaton, dark matter ...

There are no bad records in their catalogue and all albums have som great songs. But it feels so refreshing to have them back in form, where the creativity has returned. Gigaton was a great leap forward in quality and Dark Matter is standing there among the best albums.

cincybearcat · April 27

BF25394 said:

cincybearcat said:

I decided to rate every song on all studio albums on a scale of 1-10. Then take the average song score for the album score. So this ranking isn’t favorite albums but most good songs on albums. Dark matter slotted pretty high:

Album Score
Ten 8.59
VS. 8.50
No Code 8.19
Vitalogy 8.18
Dark Matter 8.18
Yield 8.12
Gigaton 7.83
Binaural 7.69
PJ (Avacado) 7.58
Lightning Bolt 7.38
Riot Act 7.33
Backspacer 7.2

If I used this methodology, it would distort my true feelings about the albums. For example, "Bugs" would get a zero, which would drag down the average for Vitalogy, which might be my favorite album. But it's an interesting approach.

Yup this isn’t the only way. Just wanted to see what it showed. No code is the album I would choose if I could only pick one

cincybearcat · April 27

JV267526 said:

BF25394 said:

cincybearcat said:

I decided to rate every song on all studio albums on a scale of 1-10. Then take the average song score for the album score. So this ranking isn’t favorite albums but most good songs on albums. Dark matter slotted pretty high:

Album Score
Ten 8.59
VS. 8.50
No Code 8.19
Vitalogy 8.18
Dark Matter 8.18
Yield 8.12
Gigaton 7.83
Binaural 7.69
PJ (Avacado) 7.58
Lightning Bolt 7.38
Riot Act 7.33
Backspacer 7.2

If I used this methodology, it would distort my true feelings about the albums. For example, "Bugs" would get a zero, which would drag down the average for Vitalogy, which might be my favorite album. But it's an interesting approach.

Given a situation like what you mention and that albums have a different number tracks, maybe looking the top 10 tracks from each weighted against each other could be a way that works since.I think all albums have at least 10 songs.

I gave n/a to aye davinata, stupid mop and stuff like that. I did rate bugs but I like it a lot

MikeDigs · April 27

cincybearcat said:

JV267526 said:

BF25394 said:

cincybearcat said:

I decided to rate every song on all studio albums on a scale of 1-10. Then take the average song score for the album score. So this ranking isn’t favorite albums but most good songs on albums. Dark matter slotted pretty high:

Album Score
Ten 8.59
VS. 8.50
No Code 8.19
Vitalogy 8.18
Dark Matter 8.18
Yield 8.12
Gigaton 7.83
Binaural 7.69
PJ (Avacado) 7.58
Lightning Bolt 7.38
Riot Act 7.33
Backspacer 7.2

If I used this methodology, it would distort my true feelings about the albums. For example, "Bugs" would get a zero, which would drag down the average for Vitalogy, which might be my favorite album. But it's an interesting approach.

Given a situation like what you mention and that albums have a different number tracks, maybe looking the top 10 tracks from each weighted against each other could be a way that works since.I think all albums have at least 10 songs.

I gave n/a to aye davinata, stupid mop and stuff like that. I did rate bugs but I like it a lot

Bugs is a banger, fits well between songs where it's placed. And it's uniqueness adds to its charm

PJ_Soul · April 27

MikeDigs said:

cincybearcat said:

JV267526 said:

BF25394 said:

cincybearcat said:

I decided to rate every song on all studio albums on a scale of 1-10. Then take the average song score for the album score. So this ranking isn’t favorite albums but most good songs on albums. Dark matter slotted pretty high:

Album Score
Ten 8.59
VS. 8.50
No Code 8.19
Vitalogy 8.18
Dark Matter 8.18
Yield 8.12
Gigaton 7.83
Binaural 7.69
PJ (Avacado) 7.58
Lightning Bolt 7.38
Riot Act 7.33
Backspacer 7.2

If I used this methodology, it would distort my true feelings about the albums. For example, "Bugs" would get a zero, which would drag down the average for Vitalogy, which might be my favorite album. But it's an interesting approach.

Given a situation like what you mention and that albums have a different number tracks, maybe looking the top 10 tracks from each weighted against each other could be a way that works since.I think all albums have at least 10 songs.

I gave n/a to aye davinata, stupid mop and stuff like that. I did rate bugs but I like it a lot

Bugs is a banger, fits well between songs where it's placed. And it's uniqueness adds to its charm

I love Bugs. Great lyrics, totally unique, it's a whole vibe. I always loved it. Vitalogy is the album that really made me realize they are creative geniuses.

HH140540 · April 28

I have to admit. I cannot stop listening to the Stern live version of Scared of Fear. Close to being in my top three PJ songs of all time.

lastexitlondon · April 28

HH140540 said:

I have to admit. I cannot stop listening to the Stern live version of Scared of Fear. Close to being in my top three PJ songs of all time.

I too can't stop

Dr Emmett Brown · April 28

Anywhere us UK residents can hear this?

SomethingCreative · April 28

HK103094 said:

For me Pearl Jam has 4 different periods:

1 The grunge period: ten, vs and vitalogy
2 The mytical period: no code, yield, binarual and riot act
3 The mediocre period: avocado, backspacer and lighting bolt
4 The return to form period: gigaton, dark matter ...

There are no bad records in their catalogue and all albums have som great songs. But it feels so refreshing to have them back in form, where the creativity has returned. Gigaton was a great leap forward in quality and Dark Matter is standing there among the best albums.

Thank you. Gigaton seems pretty trendy to hate on, but I see it as the studio side of this band awakening from a very long hibernation.

spankyMP · April 28

lastexitlondon said:

HH140540 said:

I have to admit. I cannot stop listening to the Stern live version of Scared of Fear. Close to being in my top three PJ songs of all time.

I too can't stop

Same here!

hihobibo · April 28

I don't understand the Lightning Bolt hate. I love that album, it is what really got me back into the band. Hearing Sirens (again, another song that gets so much hate here) on the radio, I was drawn right back, like where have they been? I was casually listening to Backspacer/and the self titled Avocado, but not on regular rotation.

igotid88 · April 28

Never had any doubt it will be good

lastexitlondon · April 28

Dr Emmett Brown said:

Anywhere us UK residents can hear this?

YouTube.

kmcmanus · April 28

igotid88 said:

Never had any doubt it will be good

I never doubted it’d be good, I think all the albums are at a minimum “good”.

I did not anticipate it being this good. It’s really incredible.

yosi · April 28

hihobibo said:

I don't understand the Lightning Bolt hate. I love that album, it is what really got me back into the band. Hearing Sirens (again, another song that gets so much hate here) on the radio, I was drawn right back, like where have they been?

I think Lightning Bolt is the tale of two albums. A lot tracks are great, but just as many are pretty… what’s the polite way to put it?

Go Beavers · April 28

If we had social media in 1994, people would be burning this place to the ground when Vitalogy came out. So many people were done with the band because they hated a lot of the album.

BF25394 · April 29

igotid88 said:

Never had any doubt it will be good

Same here. I'm bemused by the whole premise of threads like this, i.e., that a member of the Pearl Jam fan club is surprised that Pearl Jam is still good.

HH140540 · April 29

spankyMP said:

lastexitlondon said:

HH140540 said:

I have to admit. I cannot stop listening to the Stern live version of Scared of Fear. Close to being in my top three PJ songs of all time.

I too can't stop

Same here!

Still can’t stop. Everything about this song is 🔥. My only concern is I may get asked to leave a show if I rock out as hard to it live as I have been at home. I don’t remember being this enamored with a new PJ song so quickly in a long time.

mace1229 · April 29

hihobibo said:

I don't understand the Lightning Bolt hate. I love that album, it is what really got me back into the band. Hearing Sirens (again, another song that gets so much hate here) on the radio, I was drawn right back, like where have they been? I was casually listening to Backspacer/and the self titled Avocado, but not on regular rotation.

Thats how I feel about Backspacer. There's a lot of hate for that one, but I think it's decent.
But LB, there just aren't any songs I am excited to hear when they are played. I might not hate most of them, but none of them I am excited for. Sirens just has too long of an intro that kills the song for me.

Gern Blansten · April 29

mace1229 said:

hihobibo said:

I don't understand the Lightning Bolt hate. I love that album, it is what really got me back into the band. Hearing Sirens (again, another song that gets so much hate here) on the radio, I was drawn right back, like where have they been? I was casually listening to Backspacer/and the self titled Avocado, but not on regular rotation.

Thats how I feel about Backspacer. There's a lot of hate for that one, but I think it's decent.
But LB, there just aren't any songs I am excited to hear when they are played. I might not hate most of them, but none of them I am excited for. Sirens just has too long of an intro that kills the song for me.

BS is my least favorite but I always state that if we are ranking the PJ albums something would have to be last.

It is my 22 year old daughter's favorite PJ album most likely because we were on vacation when it was released so I played the shit out of it all week.

Last summer we were hanging around outside and I put it on and listened to the whole album. It's a good listen for sure.

Vedd Hedd · May 1

Go Beavers said:

If we had social media in 1994, people would be burning this place to the ground when Vitalogy came out. So many people were done with the band because they hated a lot of the album.

Or when No Code came out.

I remember hearing Who You Are and liking it, but most of the people I knew were saying, "They're done!"

Even back then, people didnt let things marinate. Today, attention spans are at an all time low.

And people are so quick to rip things apart.

I have to admit

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