Pearl Jam: "Dark Matter" Review

Pearl Jam – “Dark Matter” (2024)

1.     “Scared of Fear” (8.5/10) – Within the first 10 seconds, I hear Bon Jovi, Dire Straits, and then Pearl Jam. These seemingly odd transitions and mergers become quite commonplace throughout the album. In this case, it works rather nicely. Overall, the feel of this song is a mesh of late-‘70s/early-‘80s rock with ‘90s Pearl Jam. Solid vocals, and what seems to be trends throughout “Dark Matter” are excellent guitar work and a progressive structure – as the song gradually grows in intensity until a climactic end. Excellent opening track.

2.     “React, Respond” (9/10) – Ever thought to yourself, “I wonder if there’s a lost track from ‘Vitalogy,’ where Thom Yorke was the songwriter; Eddie Vedder was the singer; and Flea played bass”? Well, if so, you’re in luck – because this is THAT song. Love it or hate it (I’m in the former camp), “Vitalogy” was a strange album – probably the most experimental in the band’s catalog. Regardless, there were some bangers, and this would have fit right in. It initially sounds like an odd Radiohead tune (yes, redundant, I know), where Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, for whatever reason, decides to make an appearance. Eddie’s vocals are straight out of 1994 and the Flea-like outro may be one of the band’s very best. While, like a lot of songs off “Vitalogy,” this one may be an acquired taste, but once the bitterness absconds, the taste is quite delicious.

3.     “Wreckage” (6.5/10) – Things slow down a bit for this one, which, at times, sounds an awful lot like Tom Petty’s hit, “Learning to Fly,” in between hybrids of Hootie and the Blowfish and Matchbox 20. It’s a solid track, but may be my least favorite, given how closely it mirrors the aforementioned Petty number.

4.     “Dark Matter” (9.5/10) – Now, this one is a banger from beginning to end – definitely one of my favorites off the album. The catchy beat played throughout is reminiscent of a hybrid of Muse’s “Eternally Missed” and Nothing But Thieves’ “Phobia.” Eddie’s vocals – particularly his scream – haven’t sounded this great in years. Rock on!

5.     “Won’t Tell” (8/10) – Things slow down again with “Won’t Tell.” If I had to describe this track in one word, it’d be “grower.” I honestly wasn’t crazy about it the first time I heard it. I immediately told myself, “Here it is – my least favorite song off the album.” After the second and third listens, my tune changed to, “Okay, it’s not bad. Still won’t listen to it much, though.” Upon hearing it for the fifth, sixth, and seventh times, I kind of chuckled and thought, “You know what? This is a pretty good song.” Who knows if the aforementioned trend will continue, but I’ve grown to quite like it – especially the chorus. It reminds me of a hybrid of the 2002 Def Leppard album “X” and U2. While “X” is probably my least favorite Lep album, there are a number of catchy pop-rock tracks, and this would rank right up there with the best of them – with a U2-esque guitar to boot.

6.     “Upper Hand” (7/10) – I’m having trouble making up my mind on this one. Nothing really grabs a hold of me during the first half, outside of maybe the intro. It moves from a “Where the Streets Have No Name” intro, to a Pink Floyd-esque verse, and a blues-rock chorus, before a “Free Bird”-type of close. Not bad, but the contrast in sounds don’t smoothly coalesce like they did on “Scared of Fear.” Once the guitar solo kicks in on the back half, though, the song becomes a completely different animal. Decent song overall. I just wish the front half was as pleasing to my ears as the back half (that’s what she said).

7.     “Waiting For Stevie” (7.5/10) – This may be a grower. It almost sounds like an ode to Chris Cornell, as the song very much has a Soundgarden feel. Even Eddie’s vocals are more reminiscent of the former Soundgarden singer than usual. It’s a good song, and I enjoy the piano at the end, but is a bit too monotonous at times for me – at least to this point. As I mentioned at the outset, though, it has the potential of being a grower. Regardless, I’d like to echo the sentiments of the Pearl Jam army: “Who the f*ck is Stevie?”

8.     “Running” (8/10) – Oh, holy Bad Religion! Mix in a bit of contemporary Green Day, and you have “Running.” Aptly titled, as it’s fast; makes you break out in sweats; and it typically takes a couple of minutes to catch your breath after listening to it. Minor exaggeration. Fun, quick, rocking tune.

9.     “Something Special” (8/10) – When I first heard what this song was about, I may have cringed. The cringe likely became more noticeable after I read the lyrics. But then I heard the song, and slowly but surely, the double-cringe, and single-cringe vanished. It’s actually incredibly catchy. If you want to cringe at my lack of cringe, so be it.

10. “Got to Give” (8.5/10) – This song goes from a “Hard to Handle” beat to a John Mellencamp riff to a David Bowie “Changes” teaser, all before the chorus. It then climaxes with a Bruce Springsteen-ish sound. Like “Scared of Fear,” this song succeeds in its fusion of numerous sounds, in creating smooth, catchy transitions throughout its duration. Solid track from start to finish.

11. “Setting Sun” (8.5/10) – Just as “Scared of Fear” was an excellent album opener, “Setting Sun” is a perfect album closer. The intro goes back to the sounds of the ‘60s, maybe even ’50s. It sounds like a song you’d hear on your mom’s favorite radio station back when Pearl Jam first started. But, like with several other tracks on the album, “Setting Sun” progresses nicely, into an epic, goosebump-inducing climax.

Overall: 89/110 (4 out of 5 stars, with room to grow)

This is a very strong album from start to finish. There isn’t a weak track on it. I think that’s the first time I’ve been able to say that since the band’s debut, “Ten.” Each song is catchy at some point and has the potential of getting stuck in your head for hours on end. Vedder sounds great; the guitar work is phenomenal; and I really dug the progressive structure of most the songs. The only complaint I might have is how similar many portions of the songs sounded. From the seeming homage to Tom Petty on “The Wreckage” to the Red Hot Chili Peppers-esque bass on “React, Respond,” and beyond, there were times “Dark Matter” came across as a hybrid of Pearl Jam and a covers album. Regardless, for a band’s 12^th album, 33 years after their debut, to not possess a weak link amongst its 11 tracks, is quite the feat.