The Art of Letting Go: Review of Pearl Jam’s “Dark Matter”
The Iconic Band’s 12th Album Offers Hope in Troubled Times
By Pepijn Oosterhuis
Released on April 19th of 2024, Pearl Jam’s twelfth studio album Dark Matter represents a triumphant and energetic return to form for the legendary Grunge band. Whilst it certainly distinguishes itself from their past work, it simultaneously feels reminiscent of the energy and attitude presented by their 90s work. Whether it truly lives up to the quality of their greatest works: Ten, Vs, and Vitalogy, remains to be seen, as the album has not had the time to fully simmer and make an imprint. But on initial impressions this album certainly seems like it will have a place amongst the best works the band has ever produced.
In a move that is quite unorthodox for the band, looking through the lens of their past albums, much of Dark Matter revolves around a central theme, with the ideas of decline, loss, and letting go appearing as a recurring motif. Above all else in the album, this thematic throughline hits really close to home, from someone graduating and leaving ISA this year. Although the album does not continuously adhere to the theme, thereby falling short of true “concept album” status, it seems significant enough to warrant discussion.
The opening track, Scared of Fear, is arguably one of the album's strongest. Opening on an energetic drum beat followed by a truly wonderful guitar riff, the track immediately conveys to the listener that this is Pearl Jam returning to the energetic and powerful sound that has been largely absent from their albums since the 2000s. The lyrics lament the loss of a close friend to some kind of argument or irreconcilable dispute, and with lines such as “Is this what we've become? One last setting sun,” it certainly manages to strike at the heart of the idea of loss.
The subsequent track, React, Respond, takes a short detour from the theme of loss into something far more political, professing anger at the current political landscape of the United States, declaring that we need to “turn this anger into nuclear fission,” and bring about positive change. Although the song is quite impactful in its sheer levels of energy, it feels somewhat lackluster and out of place alongside the rest of the album, not terrible, but not the best the album has to offer.
Following this, track no. 3: Wreckage, effectively combines both the idea of loss and the more political edge from both previous tracks. In this far more mellow and almost dirge-like song, lead singer Eddie Vedder laments a relationship gone bad, yet describes “combing through the wreckage” to try and salvage what can be saved. As Vedder described in an interview with the Sunday Times, this song simultaneously also takes a shot at former US president Donald Trump, who in Vedder’s eyes has been unable to let his loss in the 2020 election go, going so far as being in denial that it was even a loss to begin with.
The fourth track, the titular Dark Matter, continues this political stint in a seeming further indictment (pun intended) of Mr. Trump. Although no explicit confirmation has been given, with lyrics such as “deploy the dialogues, your word against the law,” and “no sorrow for the unaccountable” it doesn’t seem like a stretch to assume Vedder is once again “taking shots” at the man. Although the lyrics are at times somewhat corny and a bit too on-the-nose, the song “goes hard” as the kids would say, and its incredible use of drum-machines really make it stand out from the rest of the album in a good way.
The middle stretch of tracks on the album, Won’t Tell, Upper Hand, and, Waiting for Stevie, all in some way return to the idea of loss and the need to let go. In Won’t Tell this comes in the form of a heartfelt ballad about someone who the song's narrator is unable to let go, with the chorus begging said person to help them in that. The music here feels quite reminiscent of Vedder’s Solo album Earthling, whilst still feeling like a solid Pearl Jam song. On the other hand, Upper Hand reads to me as being about accepting one's shortcomings and failures, but what really stands out on this track is the instrumentation, which feels like it would fit right in with the band’s 90s work. Mike McCready’s guitar solo towards the end particularly stands out and puts an exciting and thoroughly enjoyable flourish to the end of an already great song. Finally, Waiting for Stevie seems to discuss the act of letting go of your fears and insecurities to realize that “you can be loved.” This track, along with the previous two, represent what is probably the high point of the album, with each one feeling good, distinct, and yet still fully “Pearl Jam.”
The last section of the album feels a bit more underwhelming after the incredible run in the middle, but is still enjoyable overall. Running once again returns to the political side of Pearl Jam, but this time it doesn’t quite stick the landing. Once again the target for the song is quite clear, with the line “Dictator, love hater” feeling awfully reminiscent of the ways in which Vedder has described former President Trump in the past. The problem here is that this point has been made before on the album, and by now is beginning to feel stale, especially since the instrumentals of the track are serviceable, but nothing to write home about. The track isn’t bad per se, but it feels somewhat superfluous and uninteresting, especially with the incredible songs that came right before. Following this up, the track Something Special is lovingly dedicated to Vedder’s daughters, and it offers a heartfelt respite from the darker matters (pun once again intended) of the rest of the album. The song feels somewhat out of place for that same reason but it doesn’t drag down the overall quality of the rest of the album. It’s an enjoyable song, and for better or worse, that’s all there really is to say about it.
The final two tracks, Got to Give, and Setting Sun, bring the central theme of accepting loss and letting go full circle, closing out the album quite neatly. In the first, Vedder loudly proclaims that “I'll be the last one standing, I'll be the first to forgive,” but in the context of the song, the album, and his life as a whole, this statement is far less triumphant than it may appear. As the last surviving frontman of the greatest bands of the Seattle Grunge scene, with Cobain, Cornell, and Staley all having passed from unnatural causes, Vedder can be seen in many ways as “the last one standing.” This context adds another layer to the thematic core of the song, which is about moving on from tragedy, turning it from an already powerful song to a genuinely raw and emotional one. The fittingly titled Setting Sun closes out the album on a hopeful note, with Vedder singing that “We could become one last setting sun, or be the sun at the break of dawn,” imploring the listener to not get hung up in the tragedies of the past, but begin anew to try and make things better.
Despite its quite heavy themes of loss and letting go and the agitated political messaging found throughout the album, Pearl Jam’s Dark Matter provides a glimmer of hope in these dark and troubled times. Although the lyrics do suggest letting go of things and moving on, Vedder ensures that the listener understands that this does not mean that we as a society should give up, but rather that we should come together and fight for a better future. This kind of messaging is not uncommon for the band, but in Dark Matter it is perhaps the most convincing it has been in decades. Although it might not live up to the greatness of their first three albums, or even my personal favorite Binaural, the album offers not just an incredible listening experience with powerful lyrics and instrumentation, but also a thought out message that the band hopes people take with them.
