Review Summary: The band seems to enjoy playing together again.
After the decent, but mostly forgettable and ponderous
Gigaton, Pearl Jam recruited producer Andrew Watt to create a more spontaneous, powerful record. Recorded in three weeks,
Dark Matter manages to avoid the meandering paths of its predecessor. The guys seem focused and eager to rock again. In the short, collaborative songwriting sessions, everyone pitched in, crafting a less demanding, cohesive LP. Matt Cameron received more room to expand his drum patterns amid the prominent guitars, which is always a plus. At the same time, Eddie Vedder was toned down a bit, allowing the other members to find their spot in the mix. Since nobody expects the quintet to reinvent themselves at this point in their career, the best they could do is deliver a solid record.
Thankfully, they did. You can hear pretty much everything they have explored since the 2000s on
Dark Matter. Starting strong with two rockers, “Scared of Fear” and “React, Respond”, the former boasts twangy chords and urgent vocals, whereas the latter pumps out heavier riffs with a smooth guitar solo at the end. Both are fine examples of what you’d come to expect from the punchy side of Pearl Jam. Meanwhile, the title track benefits from Cameron’s drumming, again raising the question of why can’t he lead the band into more complex sonic territory? The stop-start rhythm works well, but the instrumental could have led to more than this. Also, “Running” harkens back to the
Vitalogy era, albeit in a more polished fashion. These punk rock inspired riffs are arguably the heaviest recorded by them in over 15 years or so. In between these tracks, we can find the usual melodic or moody numbers too. For example, “Wreckage” and its lush, classic radio rock sound gently plays along Vedder’s weathered croon, while “Won’t Tell” shares bluesy licks and grooves among uplifting choruses. Luckily, the meaty production helps these cuts to not fall into the tired, mid-tempo category of their catalog. Same goes for “Waiting for Stevie” and its grandiose progressions and vocal hooks. Moreover, “Upper Hand” is one of the more interesting experiments here, growing from an extended ambient intro into a effective ballad. The late night atmosphere soon gives way to a harder hitting coda where Mike McCready’s solo takes off. It flows quite nicely throughout its 6-minute span. As per usual, political and social content is peppered throughout the album’s lyrics, however, Eddie kept his stories slightly ambiguous, compensating with introspective subjects as well.
Overall,
Dark Matter ended up as the most interesting and energized record since
Backspacer. It seems pushing the band to work fast in the studio yields better results. Of course, most of the material here sounds familiar, but the members feel once more invested in it. As Andrew Watt is on the path to become the current generation’s Rick Rubin, rejuvenating veteran acts, for Pearl Jam he was indeed a good match. They should give it another try in a few years.
