Album Review: Pearl Jam - 'Dark Matter'
Since blazing onto the grunge and rock scenes of the early 90s, Pearl Jam have consistently been releasing hit after hit. Their eruptive and dynamic 12th album is on the horizon – and as per usual, they don’t disappoint.
Seattle formed band Pearl Jam have been rocking out since 1990. Their untamed and raw live performances have caught the attention of millions, and 34 years later, they’re still delivering high quality memorable music and shows. Exercising their many years of experience and legendary song writing, the album Dark Matter was born in the short space of 3 weeks – an achievement within itself. Commenting on the creation of the album, legendary front man Eddie Vedder said, ‘We’re at this time in our lives when you could do it or you could not do it, but we still care about putting something out there that is meaningful’. It’s clear that the undying support from loyal fans are one of the driving forces keeping Pearl Jam so active on the alternative rock scene.
While it was down to the band members to create the substance for the album, the skills behind the production of Dark Matter lies with the brains of Andrew Watt – known for producing for well-known artists such as Justin Bieber, Dua Lipa, Ozzy Ozbourne, and Iggy Pop. Pearl Jam’s bassist Jeff Ament shows his appreciation for Watt’s work on the album: ‘His excitement was contagious. He’s a force. I just want to say thanks for keeping us on track. I couldn’t be prouder of us as a band. I feel so grateful for the fans, but mostly for my brothers and these people I’ve made music with.’
Settling at a well-sized 11 tracks, Dark Matter starts off with a grand statement song – Scared of Fear. It sets the mood, atmosphere, and tempo for the rest of the album nicely and Vedder’s vocals lull us back into the familiar iconic sound of Pearl Jam.
Coming in after the 4 minutes of excitement from Scared of Fear, the next runner ups are React, Respond and Wreckage. React Respond gives us a taste of the gnarly sounding guitars we all know and love, while Wreckage resonates as a tamer, stripped back track with dancing acoustic chords throughout. It serves as an introduction to some of the more country-fied tracks on the LP, such as Won’t Tell and Something Special.
Without hesitation, we’re plunged back into the grime with the 4th track Dark Matter. Pearl Jam unleashed this track, alongside Wreckage and Running, ahead of the release of their album to tease us with the delights that await us in the full release of Dark Matter on April 19th. They perfectly represent the two polarities of heavy guitars and softer acoustics that are scattered across the album, while still managing to master a solid and thorough sound throughout.
As we reach just over the half-way point, we venture into the lengthiest song of the album: Upper Hand, standing at nearly 6 minutes long with a delicious extended outro full of quick paced guitar riffs – a welcomed surprise from the relatively low-key guitar solos that feature in the song.
The 10th song Got to Give stands out with a rare appearance of piano in the album. The mixture of raspy guitars and bright piano chords bring out a sense of building hope and finality as we venture into the last track: Setting Sun. This brings us back down to earth after the high adrenaline pieces that we’ve been exposed to, once again touching on the country-like feel with strong acoustic instrumentals. Each track serves its own purpose in creating an LP which is nothing short of powerful.
And as the final chord on the acoustic guitar is struck in Setting Sun, leaving you with 6 seconds of fading into silence, it dawns on you that the only thing you have left to do now is to go and press play on the entire album, and do it all again.
Pearl Jam have once again served us a great rock album – gourmet and 5 stars all round.
Words by Cameron Cookson
