okay, you know what. I can hear that now

I agree it takes a bit of trying haha.

Maybe it’s simply the power of suggestion but, I don’t know, I do get tinges of both.

As an aside, new KOL track split screen - just listened. Really like it. Much better than the mustang song!

Back to PJ. Man I hope those first two tracks just SLAY like Go into Animal (speaking of).

https://www.stereogum.com/2257306/prema ... valuation/

Shockingly, out of all the ways Pearl Jam have previewed Dark Matter, the promise of a return to their early essence often feels the most apt. Perhaps it is partially attributable to the band’s assessment of Watt as a lifelong fan who urged them to lean into sounds and quirks he’s loved in their music since he was a kid. More scholarly Pearl Jam listeners may find ways to tie a song like “Wreckage” to a blearier Binaural or Riot Act-era ballad, but its autumnal guitars are one of those elements that scream “’90s Pearl Jam.” And there are tiny moments like that throughout Dark Matter, from the casually anthemic chorus Vedder spins on “Got To Give” to the reverbed percussion that opens “Setting Sun.” One of the album’s most striking tracks is “Waiting For Stevie,” one of the first songs completed in the initial Watt session. It feels not like a track beamed in from 1991, but an honest-to-god proper descendent of that iteration of Pearl Jam, fittingly weathered by time but still gleaming.

Man these reviews are making me edgy, but in a good way

What's an "autumnal guitar" btw?

arpeggiated chords that are lusher than 1-3-5

I can see how that would work on a "bleary Binaural-era ballad"

Too many good reviews…we need the inevitable Pitchfork 4.8/10 to provide some perspective lol.

Feels high

Stop it

"Autumnal." Give me moar.

Fall or None

Leafin' Here

Orange, Red, Yellow

Rake the Long Way

Although I must admit that when it comes to raw thrashing I much prefer the slightly more sophisticated grit of Ministry to Husker Du’s head on straightforwardness

Farmer's Market in the Sand

I was curious, so here are all the Pitchfork review scores for Pearl Jam:

Vs./Vitalogy Reissue: 7.6
Ten Reissue: 6.7
Gigaton: 6.2
Rearviewmirror: 5.9
Self-Titled: 5.5
Lightning Bolt: 5.0
Riot Act: 4.9
Backspacer: 4.6

"While not exactly a complete apology for Gigaton, the comments the band have made thus far have an implicit undertone: If you didn’t like reflective aging Pearl Jam, don’t worry, we turned the guitars back up." Oh geez, don't say it ain't so. My worst nightmare.