singing on Upper Hand reminds me a bit of Crown of Thorns

Man I just can't do Buckle Up or RiverCross. That run is intolerable for me .

“You can be loved by everyone and still not feel loved” could end up being the central theme here

Part of me wishes the band would have found Watt after Yield.

Of course he was probably a preteen.

More of a lurker here in general but definitely check in more when a new album is out.. ....I love the album but also enjoying seeing the old school hard to pleasers professing joy over this!

Well done Pearl Jam - that is a feat worth more than anything else!

There’s a feeling of appreciation that the band kept going anyway that had to, to survive, but man if they had this kind of focus after Yield……what could have been.

To be clear I will always be eternally grateful for all the music made throughout the years. It’s been a ride. And right now we are feeling the exhilaration of going up the rollercoaster and coming down! It’s wonderful

Alright, time to go long on this album. I very much consider myself a "lapsed" Pearl Jam fan. The height of my fandom was from the Binaural -> S/T era. Between 2000 and 2007, I saw the band 30+ times, was a 10 clubber, and collected all the shit. But after that, I just sort of stopped paying attention. Got into different more modern indie music and/or heavier or weirder stuff. Pearl Jam practically fell out of my rotation completely. I did check in on them from time to time when new music dropped. But after cursory listens, Backspacer did absolutely nothing for me. And I really, really did not like Lightning Bolt at all. Even to go so far as to say it was cringe-worthy at times. I did see Pearl Jam once in 2018 just for nostalgia's sake (the only time I've seen them since 2007), and it was a good show. They are still a great live band.

But when Gigaton dropped right at the beginning of the pandemic, I gave it more than a chance. Not sure if because the world was all crazy, but I found a certain comfort in that album. Not to say I liked it holistically. I'm still not a fan of DOTC and the latter half is a slog, but Who Ever Said, Take the Long Way, and Never Destination were pretty good latter-era PJ tunes, IMO. Probably the last time I was also active on here until Dark Matter (the single) dropped earlier this year.

But I will admit I was very skeptical when Dark Matter (the song dropped). The over-production, the whole "heaviest album in years" was nearly the same talking point when the S/T was released 18 years ago. Running didn't help my original thoughts. I did not think this one would top Gigaton, but after a few listens, I genuinely think this is probably the best full-on batch of songs they've put together since S/T...maybe even Riot Act?

They're well-crafted and none are complete snoozers or embarrassing. Still haven't been able to wrap my head around Won't Tell or Got to Give, which, to me, are the weaker moments, but they are still at least interesting unlike Sirens or Let the Records Play crap. React / Respond is Pearl Jam doing their best post-punk impression in a while, and at their age, that's admirable and Upper Hand is smooth as hell (even though I still don't really think the over-the-top outro adds much). Wreckage and Waiting for Stevie are just legit great tracks with some of the best hooks they've written this side of the year 2000. That being said, still not overly enthused on the production. The drums aren't my thing (just listen to the drums on Gigaton is you want to hear what real drums in a studio should sound like).

But overall, as a former hardcore-turned-extremely casual fan, I'm impressed. Not to say I'm a born-again fan, but I'm glad I paid attention this time. Did not think they have something like this in them at this point.

it is the beating heart of the album, especially bookended with the last lyric

you can be loved. you can be love.

its just dropping one letter, and completely reframes all the anxiety, insignificance, aspiration, and need the song is working through

This song is a towering achievement. It's not just that it evokes the sound and feel of the early 90s. It evokes the intent, filtered through a journey that has taken a lifetime

I’ve got the Dolby atmos version on Apple Music but I don’t know if this is the “good one”, or if it doesn’t matter because I’m listening on AirPods. But I’ve compared it to Spotify, and a couple of differences I noticed: atmos version has more room sound, more echo, and more bass. Noticeable drum difference. More distinction between left and right. However, I can hear some things better in the Spotify version. Certain second guitars are louder, and this is noticeable on react, respond and WFS; the solo is louder in the latter.

That’s what I said!

Can’t wait for your review!

What setting in the dolby atmos drop-down box found in the app settings is it set to, fattie?

If you have airpods, make sure it's set to automatic.

Also, please touch and hold the volume control in Control Center and tell me what it says...thanks

well then you were right to say it

it's mostly going to be me talking about Waiting for Stevie and then remembering there's a whole album surrounding it that's also really really good

damn it. this is exactly what I didn't want. There should be one definitive version and then you're done!

I stopped the album dead in its tracks three times last night to hear Stevie again.

Yeah, even the harshest of skeptics are feeling the mojo... love it. There are 1 or 2 more of our hard-hearted comrades I'm waiting to hear from. Not holding my breath though.

Updated to 5 stars. This is better than 4 stars.

Also increased Got to Give, Upper Hand and Scared of Fear from 4 to 5. And Wreckage from 3 to 4.

5 stars
Setting Sun
Scared of Fear
Upper Hand
Got to Give

4 stars
React/Respond
Waiting for Stevie
Wreckage
Dark Matter
Won't Tell

3 stars
Running
Something Special

Stevie feels like such a correct climax for the journey that the record has been on, and the musical piece after it ends reenforces that feeling. Then the album just goes “nah, fuck that” and starts running again.