| Dark Matter | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 19, 2024 | |||
| Recorded | 2023 | |||
| Studio | Shangri-La, Malibu, California | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 48:21 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Andrew Watt | |||
| Pearl Jam chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Dark Matter | ||||
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Dark Matter is the twelfth studio album by American rock band Pearl Jam. It was released on April 19, 2024, through Monkeywrench Records and Republic Records.
Dark Matter was recorded over three weeks in 2023 [2] at Shangri-La in Malibu, California and, according to a press release, "channels the shared spirit of a group of lifelong creative confidants and brothers in one room playing as if their very lives depended on it". [3] On November 29, 2023, drummer Matt Cameron revealed that they finished a record with assistance from Andrew Watt and that it was "mastered, mixed, ready to go" at the time. [4] On January 5, 2024, guitarist Mike McCready described the album as "a lot heavier" than one might expect, saying that recording was less time-consuming than for their previous record Gigaton , mostly thanks to the involvement from Watt, who was said to have "kicked [their] asses". [5] Later that month, on January 31, the band and Watt debuted Dark Matter in front of a group of fans at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, California, without revealing lyrics or song titles. During the event, Eddie Vedder opined that this is their best work to date and how he could not be prouder of the band. [6]
The album’s packaging features light painting art by Alexandr Gnezdilov. The album cover art was crafted using a large self-made kaleidoscope. Each letter visible on the cover was individually captured and handwritten midair with a specially designed flashlight to create the pearlescent effect. [7]
On February 13, Pearl Jam announced the album alongside the release of the title track as a lead single. [8] The single was Consequence of Sound's album of the week. [9]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.7/10 [10] |
| Metacritic | 81/100 [11] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Pitchfork | 6.4/10 [12] |
| Classic Rock | [13] |
| The Independent | 9/10 [14] |
| Kerrang! | 5/5 [15] |
| Mojo | [16] |
| NME | [17] |
| Rolling Stone | [18] |
| Spin | A− [19] |
| Uncut | 8/10 [20] |
According to the review aggregator Metacritic , Dark Matter received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 81 out of 100 from 17 critic scores. [11] Ultimate Classic Rock said "With cutting lyrics and slicing riffs, Eddie Vedder and the band delivered their most satisfying album since the '90s." [21] Uncut called it "a fretful and ferocious record, lyrically much preoccupied with things having ended or appearing about to end, but musically much more blaze of glory than any kind of funeral pyre". [20]
Pitchfork's Zach Shonfeld offered measured praise of the album, stating that "Dark Matter plays like another solid late-era Pearl Jam record, reliable but not revelatory" and highlighted "Wreckage" and "Upper Hand", the latter of which he said "ranks among the best Pearl Jam songs this century". Shonfeld described “Waiting for Stevie” (which Vedder said in a Howard Stern interview had originated when he and Watt were idly waiting for Stevie Wonder to show up and record a harmonica part for Vedder’s solo album Earthling) as a "meaty, anthemic rocker of the kind the band has largely shied away from this side of Y2K" that had "already become a favorite in the PJ fan community". [22]
On February 13, 2024, Pearl Jam announced they would embark on a 2024 world tour in promotion of Dark Matter. On April 16th, 2024, Pearl Jam made a promotional visualization “experience” in select movie theaters featuring the album being played in the dark with the album being played again in a visualization sequence, for one night only. [23]
All lyrics are written by Eddie Vedder; all music is composed by Pearl Jam and Andrew Watt, except "Something Special" by Pearl Jam, Watt and Josh Klinghoffer.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Scared of Fear" | 4:25 |
| 2. | "React, Respond" | 3:30 |
| 3. | "Wreckage" | 5:00 |
| 4. | "Dark Matter" | 3:31 |
| 5. | "Won't Tell" | 3:28 |
| 6. | "Upper Hand" | 5:57 |
| 7. | "Waiting For Stevie" | 5:41 |
| 8. | "Running" | 2:19 |
| 9. | "Something Special" | 4:06 |
| 10. | "Got To Give" | 4:37 |
| 11. | "Setting Sun" | 5:45 |
| Total length: | 48:21 | |
Pearl Jam
Additional contributors
| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA) [24] | 2 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [25] | 2 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [26] | 3 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [27] | 2 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [28] | 13 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [29] | 2 |
| Icelandic Albums (Plötutíðindi) [30] | 7 |
| Irish Albums (OCC) [31] | 2 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI) [32] | 3 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) [33] | 29 |
| Japanese Digital Albums (Oricon) [34] | 25 |
| Japanese Hot Albums ( Billboard Japan ) [35] | 27 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [36] | 3 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) [37] | 2 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [38] | 21 |
| UK Albums (OCC) [39] | 2 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC) [40] | 1 |
Eddie Jerome Vedder is an American singer, musician, and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and one of three guitarists for the rock band Pearl Jam. He was previously a guest vocalist for supergroup Temple of the Dog, a tribute band dedicated to the late singer Andrew Wood.
Ten is the debut studio album by the American rock band Pearl Jam, released on August 27, 1991, through Epic Records. Following the dissolution of their previous band Mother Love Bone in 1990, bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Stone Gossard began rehearsing with new guitarist Mike McCready. The group recorded a five-song instrumental demo tape which included contributions from Matt Cameron on drums. Copies of the demo were eventually given to drummer Dave Krusen and vocalist Eddie Vedder, both of whom were invited to audition for the band in Seattle. Many of the songs on Ten were instrumental jams or reworked Mother Love Bone songs for which Vedder provided lyrics.
Live on Two Legs is the first major live album by the American alternative rock band Pearl Jam, released on November 24, 1998, through Epic Records. The album has been certified platinum by the RIAA in the United States.
"Alive" is the debut single by American rock band Pearl Jam. It was released on July 7, 1991, 51 days before the release of the band's debut album, Ten, on which "Alive" appears. Written by guitarist Stone Gossard, the song originated as an instrumental titled "Dollar Short" and was included on a demo tape circulated in hopes of finding a singer for the group. Vocalist Eddie Vedder obtained a copy of the tape and wrote lyrics that describe a somewhat fictionalized account of the time when he was told that the man he thought was his father was not actually his biological parent.
"Even Flow" is a song by the American rock band Pearl Jam. Featuring lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music written by guitarist Stone Gossard, it was released in 1992 as the second single from the band's debut album, Ten (1991). The song peaked at number three on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The song was included in Pearl Jam's 2004 greatest hits album, rearviewmirror . A remixed version of the song was included on the 2009 Ten reissue.
"Spin the Black Circle" is a song by American rock band Pearl Jam, released on November 8, 1994, as the first single from the band's third studio album, Vitalogy (1994). Although credited to all members of Pearl Jam, it features lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music primarily written by guitarist Stone Gossard. The song peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100. It additionally charted at number 10 in the UK Singles Chart, giving them their only top-10 hit in that country. The song was later included on Pearl Jam's 2004 greatest-hits album, rearviewmirror .
Pearl Jam is the eighth studio album by American rock band Pearl Jam, released on May 2, 2006 on J Records. It was Pearl Jam's first and only release for J Records, their last album issued by Sony Music. It was the band's first full-length studio release in almost four years, since Riot Act (2002). The band commenced work on Pearl Jam in November 2004 at Studio X in Seattle, Washington and finished in February 2006.
"Nothing as It Seems" is a song by the American rock band Pearl Jam. Written by bassist Jeff Ament, "Nothing as It Seems" was released on April 25, 2000, as the first single from the band's sixth studio album, Binaural (2000). The song peaked at number three on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The song also appears on Pearl Jam's 2004 greatest hits album, rearviewmirror .
11/6/00 – Seattle, Washington is a three-disc live album and the seventy-second and final in a long series of live bootlegs that the American alternative rock band Pearl Jam released from the band's 2000 Binaural Tour. It was released along with the other official bootlegs from the second North American leg of the tour on March 27, 2001.
6/20/00 – Verona, Italy is a two-disc live album and the nineteenth in a series of 72 live bootlegs released by the American alternative rock band Pearl Jam from the band's 2000 Binaural Tour. It was released along with the other official bootlegs from the European leg of the tour on September 26, 2000.
Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder, as well as Matt Cameron (drums), who joined in 1998. Keyboardist Boom Gaspar has also been a touring/session member with the band since 2002. Jack Irons, Dave Krusen, Matt Chamberlain and Dave Abbruzzese are all former drummers for the band. Pearl Jam has outsold and outlasted many of its contemporaries from the early 1990s, and is considered one of the most influential bands from that decade, dubbed "the most popular American rock and roll band of the '90s".
"Animal" is a song by the American rock band Pearl Jam, released in 1994 as the third single from the band's second studio album, Vs. (1993). Although credited to all members of Pearl Jam, it features lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music primarily written by guitarist Stone Gossard. The song peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The song was included on Pearl Jam's 2004 greatest hits album, rearviewmirror .
"Given to Fly" is a song by the American rock band Pearl Jam. Featuring lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music written by guitarist Mike McCready, "Given to Fly" was released to radio on December 22, 1997, as the first single from the band's fifth studio album, Yield (1998).
"Hail, Hail" is a song by the American rock band Pearl Jam. Featuring lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music co-written by guitarist Stone Gossard, bassist Jeff Ament, and guitarist Mike McCready. "Hail, Hail" was released in October 1996 as the second single from the band's fourth studio album, No Code (1996). The song managed to reach the number nine spot on both the Mainstream Rock and Modern Rock Billboard charts. The song was included on Pearl Jam's 2004 greatest hits album, rearviewmirror .
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Andrew Wotman, known professionally as Andrew Watt or under the mononym of Watt, is an American record producer, singer, songwriter and guitarist. As a songwriter he signs Wotman, while as a producer he signs Watt.
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Earthling is the third solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Eddie Vedder. The album was released on February 11, 2022, by Republic Records and Seattle Surf.
