When Pearl Jam premiered Dark Matter at an exclusive listening event in January, frontman Eddie Vedder made a big claim – “this is our best work yet”. The remark raised a few eyebrows, particularly as Pearl Jam are a band so defined by their early success in the 1990s. More recent releases have been sporadic, with Dark Matter only the fourth album they have released since 2009.
However, the frontman’s early claim has not proved to be too far off the mark, with Dark Matter being their finest release for almost two decades. Previous release Gigaton came and went, leaving few deep, meaningful blows. However, in hindsight, no band would have chosen to release a record in late March of 2020, to coincide with a global lockdown and see media coverage minimal with news stories dominated by one story – the pandemic.
That said, the record has seemingly struggled to make the crossover into the live arena due to Vedder being overly verbose on the majority of songs, with themes centring on politics and climate change. With the exception of “Retrograde” there has been little demand for Gigaton songs to be featured in their ever-changing live setlists.
For their twelfth studio album, the Seattle band have teamed up with producer, and Pearl Jam fan, Andrew Watt. Having risen to prominence working alongside the likes of Justin Bieber, Post Malone, and Miley Cyrus, more recently Watt has turned his hand to revitalising rock acts such as Ozzy Osbourne, Iggy Pop and the Rolling Stones with a back-to-basics methodology. Watt previously worked alongside Vedder on his solo album Earthling, released in 2022, before being given the task of producing his favourite band.
Watt’s influence is immediately heard on Dark Matter. Opening track “Scared of Fear” offers an explosive start, teaming confrontational power chords with a catchy chorus in which Vedder reminisces how “We used to laugh, we used to sing, we used to dance, we used to believe”. The track also provides the first opportunity for Mike McCready to let loose with one of his trademark guitar solos, a prevalent theme throughout the album. There is no time to catch a breath following the opening number as “React, Respond” continues the breakneck pace with hard-hitting chords driven by guitarists McCready and Stone Gossard laid on a solid rhythm platform by bassist Jeff Ament and drummer Matt Cameron. The track sees Vedder advise that “We could be fighting together, instead of fighting ourselves” with the constant message of, “Don’t react, respond” to round off a fiery one-two opening punch.
Throughout his career, Vedder has never made any secret of his admiration for Tom Petty, and the third track “Wreckage” radiates Petty-esque vibes. The melodic number marks a step back from the eruptive hard rock of the opening two tracks, complete with the addition of keys for the first time on the album, but it still manages to leave a meaningful mark. For a band famed for their live performances, the track seems ready-made for the live arena with an anthemic outro ready-made for a singalong, with every band member combining to sing “Combing through the wreckage” as the song builds to a close.
Aside from the rock numbers, throughout the years Pearl Jam has also demonstrated they can successfully produce ballads. “Won’t Tell” is the standout ballad on Dark Matter with Vedder questioning, “Can you heal, can you feel the change in my heart” during a song that uplifts. “Waiting For Stevie” also centres on the theme of love. The driving track, written when Vedder and Watt were waiting for Stevie Wonder to arrive at a recording session, parts with the frontman reassuring, “You can be loved. You can be love”.
In the run-up to the release of Dark Matter, Mike McCready had claimed that the record will be, “a lot heavier than expected”, and it proves a record that he has been allowed to shine on. Watt had also described how “You don’t edit Mike McCready. You fucking let him play”. The producer has certainly allowed that. Enthusiasts of guitar solos will gravitate towards songs such as the titular single “Dark Matter” and “Waiting For Stevie” both of which allow for McCready solos that would not have been out of place on a release from the early 1990s.
The album is not without flaws, however. The pace of the record drops midway through with “Upper Hand.” The song builds an atmospheric platform during which Vedder laments that “something that I never had was the upper hand”, but at almost six minutes long it seems to slow the swashbuckling stride of the first half of the album. The ninth track “Something Special” is a sentimental tribute to the singer’s two daughters but it seems like it would have been more suited to a Vedder solo record. The song seems to toe the line of being overly comfortable and veers dangerously close to being cringeworthy dad-rock – not least for his two daughters. At times, the lyricism is also found lacking. The punky “Running” demonstrates exceptional musicianship that makes it hard to resist to nod along to, however after a deeper listen to the lyrics, you find that at one point Vedder discovers himself, “lost in all the shit you’re flushing” and they seemingly find themselves running due to, “… the sewage in the plumbing, cause we left the fucking water running”.
Following “Something Special” the album gets straight back on track with “Got To Give” which begins with a trademark Gossard guitar riff. For a band so associated with angst, more positive vibes have emanated from their later albums with this being heard on the penultimate track as Vedder urges, “Let’s get to the point we can believe”.
Dark Matter then, proves to be a success. It cannot be described as a “return to form”, as in truth the band have never lost their form. Although their later studio albums may not have packed the punch or made the impact, that the likes of Ten and Vs. did, each record has still provided moments of brilliance. Their newest release though provides a more concise, consistent offering with each band member being allowed to shine and play to their strengths.
The final track “Setting Sun” provides the perfect parting gift, a gentle opening makes way for an excellent breakdown outro with Vedder’s final line being, “Let us not fade”. On this evidence, there is no chance of that.
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