Song of the Week: "Dark Matter"

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I am not a particularly huge Pearl Jam fan, though I have a handful of their albums, love many of their songs, and understand their place in rock history (vis-a-vis the Seattle sound). I am also aware of socio-politics and (slightly less often) child abuse and mental health.

This is Pearl Jam sounding their angriest, with a vibe closer to "metal" than even their occasionally strongly aggressive sound suggests. And, as is often the case, Vedder's enunciation and elision of lyrics leave one wondering what the song is actually about. (A reading of the lyrics suggests a socio-political theme, but what, exactly, is not clear.) In other words, this is "classic" Pearl Jam, only even more obscure and aggressive than usual.

Still, for all that, the song is a good one (and remarkably short, but complete, at just over 3:30), and bodes well for their upcoming album, of which the song is synonymous.

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