You can see why Watt’s work is so appealing to rock stars of a particular vintage. With last year’s Hackney Diamonds he coaxed the Stones back to their classic sound while deftly steering them away from self-pastiche. They sounded like the Stones of yore – but never to the point of parody.

He conjures similar magic on Dark Matter, a slab of rock’n’roll protein self-consciously in the tradition of the early Pearl Jam classics Ten and Vs. Although nowhere near as urgent as those LPs – this is audibly the work of wealthy men in late middle age – it nonetheless lands its blows with gusto.

“While the band only really operates in two gears - fast and not fast - they continue to find nuance and room to explore within them. Although, McCready proves to be the outlier - and MVP - of the band by being firmly stuck on turbo-mode whenever he gets the nod to start soloing no matter what’s going on around him.

The heavier songs are undoubtedly the strongest parts of the album, immediately eliciting a visceral response. The slower songs do require a little more bedding-in time but get more appealing with each spin. And no matter what, you’re never too far away from a blistering solo or anthemic chorus.

This is the most ‘Pearl Jam’ that Pearl Jam has sounded in years and I’d be happy to hear any number of the album’s songs in their live set come November. And while those space scientists may be stuck in disagreement, here Pearl Jam has done more than enough to justify Dark Matter’s existence.”

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/the-verdict-on-pearl-jams-new-record-dark-matter-karl-puschman/ESFWFNZU4ZFHHDWWITBZI4PODQ/

bicyclejoe said:

https://www.scenepointblank.com/reviews/pearl-jam/dark-matter/

7/10

ALBUM REVIEW – PEARL JAM ‘DARK MATTER’

Posted on April 12, 2024 by Oran

Pearl Jam return with an album that showcases the bands’ exceptional ability to create raw, sincere, and undoubtedly, great alternative rock music. ‘Dark Matter’ is a return to form that, I for one, did not see coming…

… ‘Scared of Fear‘ gallops out with burning intensity.

Overall, there is a tremendous live sound across all eleven tracks, specifically Jeff Ament’s bass mix, which gives songs such as the punk-infused, ‘React-Respond‘, title track, ‘Dark Matter‘, ‘Waiting for Stevie‘ (where Vedder gives huge Chris Cornell vibes), and the barn-burner that is ‘Running‘, giving the impression that this is a hungry band in the mid-twenties, ready to take on the world… once again.

‘Dark Matter‘ is devoid of ‘fat‘! In fact, I wonder if the band (conscious of the criticism towards ‘Gigaton‘) trimmed the songs multiple times, stripping back to the very core intensity of each track? If this is the case, then it’s the best decision Pearl Jam have made in their recent recording history. What we are left with is an album where each track seamlessly floats into the next, each with their own huge, anthemic presence.

With focus on exceptional songwriting, which has sadly become somewhat of a lost art when comparing bands of this vintage, Pearl Jam have knocked it out of the park here, and long may it continue. 4/5

alexross42 said:

Also from the NZ Herald as posted above, this in particular stuck out as the Radiohead and Verve references seem a little at odds to everything else being said about this song:

"McCready also steps up to save Waiting for Stevie, a song that recalls The Bends-era Radiohead or Urban Hymns-era The Verve, until the guitarist’s scorching fretwork pulls it into a double-time sprint"

🤔

(https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/the-verdict-on-pearl-jams-new-record-dark-matter-karl-puschman/ESFWFNZU4ZFHHDWWITBZI4PODQ/)

mookeywrench said:

Dang, this might even get a 6.2 in pitchfork