Naturally, as time passes, so do musical styles. Pearl Jam’s latest release, Dark Matter, is a testament to this.
PJ’s sound has remained fairly consistent throughout their discography, but their new sounds seem to stray further away from the original intentions of the grunge genre.
Out of the four horsemen of the ’90s grunge movement – Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, and Pearl Jam – PJ has always been the least hardcore. The seemingly diluted sounds on their latest release may be a stretch from original sounds of the movement, but they complement the band’s catalog well.
This being said, Pearl Jam is, very literally, the only band out of the four that is still alive.
While PJ has most definitely passed their peak and are quickly losing popularity, listeners can tell they had fun making the album and are still passionate about creating music. It is clear Dark Matter exists purely as a passion project, not a fleeting attempt to regain popularity, which sets it apart from many new rock releases.
With that being said, the album’s content isn’t exactly phenomenal. Multiple songs, like the track “Something Special,” seem much softer than the band’s trademark “Even Flow” sound.
Some tracks do stand out, though.
“Setting Sun” creates a great summarizing track, showcasing Eddie Vedder’s voice and conveying the message that Pearl Jam is still capable of creating trademark grunge music. And the guitar on “Waiting for Stevie” is definitely a highlight of the album, especially since it is followed by an amazing outro and transition into “Running”.
At the end of the day, Dark Matter is nowhere near the revolutionary grunge revival album many fans have been waiting for, but it definitely embodies Pearl Jam’s usual dad-rock tendencies.
