{3,000 Views Special Pt.4} This DARK album might have MATTERed a lot this year if it were released on any other day

                                                 

Hi! Wow, only one album left in my five-part 3,000 views special series after this... and then one bonus album review for the huge new album that comes out on Friday that I don't even need to say the title of because everybody already knows I'm doing it. So this album that I'm reviewing now is one that you probably had no idea I'd do an in-depth review of. And it might be because you didn't know it existed. It's an album called Dark Matter, by Pearl Jam. This album most likely would've been somewhat of a hit, if only it was released on literally any other day. For some reason, they decided to release this album on April 19, 2024... the same day as Taylor Swift's TTPD. I wanted to review this album since it's a slightly less popular album, and one that I hadn't listened to until recently because I was admittedly much more excited by TTPD, but also because it's a genre that I don't typically do album reviews of, so I thought this would be an interesting one to include in my pentalogy. Also, I just noticed that I'm already almost to 4,000 views (an obvious sign that I was really late getting these last two "3,000 Views Special" posts out). Obviously I won't do a 4,000 views special because that would be too soon and too much unnecessary work, but I already have a little something planned for 5,000 views... and it's gonna be Taylor Swift-related because apparently the crowd was chanting "more!" You'll see when I get to it. But anyway, let's get into this review.

1. Scared of Fear

My rating: 5/5 Great

So, unlike literally all three of the other albums I've reviewed for this 3,000 views series, this album starts with a very strong song. This is one of my favorite songs from the album. The lyrics are really well-written. The songwriting on this album is stronger than I expected, and a lot of it seems to be about the end of a long relationship, specifically when the other person is hurting themselves. I don't quite understand the title because it's never mentioned in the lyrics and doesn't seem to be directly connected to anything. But maybe there's just something about it I'm not getting. The production here sounds really cool, and it's got nice evolution as it goes along. I'm glad this is the album opener rather than any of these next three songs.

2. React, Respond

My rating: 4/5 Good

This one's okay, but I don't love it. So I get what the song is going for, but it just feels a bit weird to me. It's really repetitive, and the production sounds okay but it's honestly not too different from a lot of their other songs. The many... interesting ways Eddie sings the titular line also sound kinda weird, which seems to be a popular opinion about this song. Of course, a lot of these are pretty small things for me. I still like the concept of the lyrics here and it's got some good lyrics, but it's easily not one of the best songs on this album.

3. Wreckage

My rating: 3/5 Decent

This is probably my least favorite song on the album, but I guess it's still alright. I hardly ever complain about song lengths, and this album has some great long songs on it, but this one is five minutes long and that almost feels kinda forced. It's extremely repetitive, which is often not great for long songs like this. Production-wise, it starts out sounding pretty good but it doesn't evolve much at all. But it's not a bad song by any means. Most of the lyrics are still decently written and everything here sounds alright, this is just the type of song that would have been more effective if it was shorter.

4. Dark Matter

My rating: 4/5 Good

So, this seems to have been the lead single, but I can definitely think of songs that would have been much better choices. The production sounds cool, but I don't know what it is about it but it sounds just like some other song to me. There also seems to be some kind of weird vocal effect in the chorus that just kinda gets in the way of the actual song. The lyrics are fine but not the best on the album. I don't understand why this is the lead single... when it should have been this...

5. Won't Tell

My rating: 5/5 Great

Come on, this really should have been a single. This is one of my favorites on the album. The lyrics, although they're different from the common themes on the album, have actually some of the best songwriting on here. It's very relatable too. It's about unrequited love, but fearing rejection so he doesn't tell anyone. It's an interesting concept, and while the lyrics are the highlight, this song does a great job with production as well. I will never understand why this wasn't a single, because this could have easily been the biggest hit from the album... that is, if this album had any songs that become "big hits", which it unfortunately doesn't seem to.

6. Upper Hand

My rating: 5/5 Great

I think this is actually my favorite song from the album. Some of my complaints about previous songs was that the production felt too generic or sounded like other songs, but this one has a unique sound to it that's part of what makes it so amazing. It starts with a slow synthy sound, and evolves as it goes along, and it sounds wonderful. Once again, this album also has great songwriting, which shines a lot here on one of the more reflective and darker songs on here. Fantastic song, probably my favorite.

7. Waiting for Stevie

My rating: 5/5 Great

Interesting title. Apparently it's a reference to how they waited in the studio for Stevie Wonder so he could play harmonica on one of their previous songs. Don't know how that's related to this song, but it's a great song nonetheless. This is one of those songs where the lyrics are very simple but it works so well, with repeated chorus lines like "You can be loved by everyone and not feel, not feel love". In terms of production, this song is kind of split into two parts, where the ending sounds completely different. I love how the ending sounds, even though it's a transition into this next song...

8. Running

My rating: 3/5 Decent

Okay... when I listened to the album for the first time, I legit thought this was an interlude, but I looked it up and... it's a single? It's only two minutes long. Usually if I ever complain about a song length, it won't be related to the length itself as much as just whether it feels like it goes somewhere in the duration of the song. A lot of (but certainly not all) short songs tend to fail that, as they don't quite have enough time to properly evolve. While I understand why this song is a lot shorter, it would have been better if they did more interesting things in that time. Otherwise, it literally just feels like an interlude. Like with Wreckage however, it's not terrible just because it doesn't change much. There are still good things to be found here, like obviously the lyrics, which I keep mentioning because they're kinda a highlight of this entire album. But still, it falls a bit flat and could have been much better.

9. Something Special

My rating: 4/5 Good

So, this one's fine. It's definitely not a great song, but it's not bad at all. I like how the production sounds here, and it's a lot different from the other songs here. However, it mostly falls short in terms of lyrics. While I like the message here, the songwriting just feels kinda basic and not in the best way. But I guess there's nothing all that bad about it. I really don't have much to say about this one, so let's move on.

10. Got to Give

My rating: 5/5 Great

Alright, we're already almost done, and the last two tracks are great. Sure, this one may not be the most memorable song out there or anything, but it feels like a great almost-end of the album. The lyrics are, once again, pretty simple, but it works in a way similarly to Waiting for Stevie. So obviously I like the writing here a lot. The production seems to support that pretty well also. Again, not much to say, but it's just a solid song overall.

11. Setting Sun

My rating: 5/5 Great

Well, we've reached the album closer. This is another personal favorite of mine, and I can't think of a better song to end the album. This is one of those songs on this album that's really long but doesn't get boring. It starts with some quiet drums but it picks up by the end and doesn't feel repetitive. The vocals are interesting here, as Eddie seems to stay mostly in a lower register here, which I haven't heard him do often, and it sounds great. The lyrics are well-written, the length doesn't take away from anything... one of my favorite songs from the album for sure.

Conclusion

Overall album rating: 87% (Great Album)

So it may be on the lower end of the "great" category for me, but the important thing is that it's still great. Every song was at least somewhat decent, and a lot of them were amazing. It's a weird album for me to review, and just a weird album in general, but I'm glad I reviewed it because... well, it was completely overshadowed by the other album that came out the same day and I thought it deserved a few listens so TTPD doesn't steal all the attention ever.

Favorite songs: Scared of Fear, Won't Tell, Upper Hand, Waiting for Stevie, Got to Give, Setting Sun

"Least" favorite songs: Wreckage, Running

That's all for now! Byeeeeeeeeee!