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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
2000 Oslo 2007 Venezia 2010 London 2012 Oslo 2014 Milano 2018 Milano 2018 Krakow 2019 Barolo (Ed) 2022 Berlin 2022 Frankfurt 2022 Krakow
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
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
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 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.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
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.
"Well, I think this band is incapable of sucking."
-my dad after hearing Not for You for the first time on SNL .
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.
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?
you couldn't swing if you were hangin' from a palm tree in a hurricane
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Remember the Thomas Nine !! (10/02/2018)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago 2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy 2013: London ON, Chicago; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE) 2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston 2020: Oakland, Oakland:2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana 2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville 2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana
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.
Comments
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.
2007 Venezia
2010 London
2012 Oslo
2014 Milano
2018 Milano
2018 Krakow
2019 Barolo (Ed)
2022 Berlin
2022 Frankfurt
2022 Krakow
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.
astoria 06
albany 06
hartford 06
reading 06
barcelona 06
paris 06
wembley 07
dusseldorf 07
nijmegen 07
this song is meant to be called i got shit,itshould be called i got shit tickets-hartford 06 -
-my dad after hearing Not for You for the first time on SNL .
astoria 06
albany 06
hartford 06
reading 06
barcelona 06
paris 06
wembley 07
dusseldorf 07
nijmegen 07
this song is meant to be called i got shit,itshould be called i got shit tickets-hartford 06 -
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.
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.
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
2013: London ON, Chicago; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
2020: Oakland, Oakland: 2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana
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.
Nuclear fission