Dark Matter (California Indies)＜Purple & Yellow Galaxy Vinyl＞

Dark Matter arrives relatively quickly on the heels of Gigaton, an urgent warning call coincidentally delivered at the dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic. Teeming with apoplectic energy, Gigaton activated Pearl Jams collective muscle memory, tapping into the messianic fervor that ran through the bands earliest records. Dark Matter doesnt traffic in that sense of righteousness, choosing instead to concentrate on replicating the sound and form of their 90s heyday. The conduit for this conversion is Andrew Watt, a producer who wasnt yet a year old when Pearl Jam released Ten, who nevertheless cultivated a reputation as a classic rock rejuvenator partially due to records like Earthling, Eddie Vedders bright and colorful solo record from 2022. After Earthling, Watt managed to shepherd records by Ozzy Osbourne, Iggy Pop, and the Rolling Stones that felt like their iconic work while also still sounding fresh. He repeats that trick on Dark Matter, crafting a record that hints at the heights of Ten and Vs. without precisely sounding like either -- theres too much sonic separation, too much punch, too much digital sheen to be mistaken for a Brendan OBrien production. Pearl Jam is older, too. Not only are they not as interested in exorcising demons, but theyre also unlikely to stray from their chosen path. Lacking the aimless detours that gave Vs. and Vitalogy an off-kilter charm, Dark Matter is streamlined and purposeful, never overstaying its welcome on either the ballads or rockers. While that can be a slight detriment on the albums loudest number -- combined, the sleek sound and concise compositions give the faintest suggestion of restraint -- the efficiency is ultimately to the bands benefit, highlighting their empathetic interplay by pushing melodies and hooks to the forefront. "Scared of Fear" and "React, Respond" provide a bracing opening to the record but Dark Matter is at its most compelling at its quietest moments ("Setting Sun" provides a suitably contemplative closer) and on "Waiting for Stevie," a song that summons Pearl Jams inherent sense of majestic melodrama. "Waiting for Stevie" suggests the days where the horizon seems boundless, an aesthetic that used to be the unifying force on Pearl Jam records, but here its used as an effective flair on an album that, above all, aims to please. That impulse is rare for Pearl Jam and its satisfying to hear them play to their strengths throughout Dark Matter. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine