Episode nine is titled “Crimson Sky” and it follows Mariko as she arrives in Osaka for “the fight of her life.” The episode will premiere at 3 a.m. EST on April 16 on Hulu in the U.S. before airing on FX at 10 p.m. EST later that day.
Check out the teaser below:
This is the last episode before the show’s finale. Even though the hit show has been dubbed a “limited series,” many fans are hoping for another season, after this one wraps up in two weeks. We’ve seen it before!
Unfortunately, showrunners Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo told The Hollywood Reporter that they feel the story is done. “We took the story to the end of the book and put a period at the end of that sentence. We love how the book ends; it was one of the reasons why we both knew we wanted to do it — and we ended in exactly that place,” Marks said.
But all hope is not lost: the 1980 miniseries of the same name is currently free to watch on The Internet Archive! Sure, the effects aren’t as cool, but it does have Richard Chamberlain.
On Monday morning, April 15, Gunna confirmed everyone’s collective hunch. One Of Wun, his fifth studio album, is “on the way.” While the specific release date has not yet been revealed, a press release details that Gunna “will also be touring in support of his new album this spring,” so it would make sense to assume that it will drop before May 4 — or maybe on May 4 — which marks opening night for his The Bittersweet Tour in Columbus, Ohio. In the meantime, Gunna satiated his fans’ mounting appetite with a video for “Bittersweet.”
Gunna previously released “Bittersweet” and “Prada Dem” featuring Offset as singles in February and March, respectively. Gunna’s last album release was A Gift And A Curse in June 2023.
Gunna’s One Of Wun Album Cover Art
Calvin Clausell Jr.
Gunna’s 2024 Tour Dates: The Bittersweet Tour
05/04 — Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center
05/06 — Detroit, MI @ Fox Theatre
05/08 — Chicago, IL @ Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom
05/10 — Minneapolis, MN @ The Armory
05/12 — Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
05/16 — Seattle, WA @ WAMU Theater
05/18 — San Francisco, CA @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
05/21 — Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Financial Theatre
05/24 — Irving, TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
05/25 — Houston, TX @ 713 Music Hall
05/28 — Nashville, TN @ Nashville Municipal Auditorium
05/29 — Charlotte, NC @ Bojangles’ Coliseum
06/01 — Boston, MA @ MGM Music Hall at Fenway
06/02 – Philadelphia, PA @ Roots Picnic Festival
06/06 — Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center
06/09 — Orlando, FL @ Kia Center
06/11 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
Gunna’s The Bittersweet Tour Poster
Gunna is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Alongside a massive Super Bowl trailer reveal, the latest Deadpool sequel revealed its official title as Deadpool & Wolverine cementing Hugh Jackman‘s return as a major part of the film. In a new interview with Shawn Levy, the director shared why the film isn’t called Deadpool 3, and it has a whole lot to do with that sweet Wolvie action.
“As far as crafting the Deadpool and Wolverine story, I just felt privileged every day because you’re talking about two massive movie stars in their most iconic roles,” Levy told ScreenRant. “It also gave me an opportunity. It’s the third Deadpool movie, but it’s not Deadpool 3. It’s a different thing that’s very much Deadpool & Wolverine. And it’s not trying to copycat anything from the first two movies. They were awesome, but this is a two-hander character adventure.”
According to Levy, the most important element in the movie is giving audiences a “gnarly” experience that goes far beyond anything fans have seen from both Deadpool and the MCU. In fact, it’s the only MCU movie dropping in 2024, and Levy knows the stakes are high.
“I’ll tell you that the guiding thought in crafting the movie was audience joy,” Levy said. “That was always the North Star. Yeah, it’s going to be gnarly. Yeah, it’s gonna be funny. That’s a given. But we wanted to build a great time at the theater for audiences, and that’s our goal.”
Speaking of a great time at the theater, Marvel head honcho Kevin Feige recently revealed that Deadpool & Wolverine will jump on the popcorn bucket craze. “While some are unintentionally gross, this one will be intentionally gross,” Feige told a CinemaCon crowd last week while debuting a whopping nine minutes from the highly-anticipated sequel.
Deadpool & Wolverine slashes into theaters on July 26, 2024.
Remember when everyone thought Taylor Swift was going to announce Reputation (Taylor’s Version) at the 2024 Grammys in February? That would have been swell, but instead, she did something even better: Swift revealed the title and release date of her 11th studio album (and 14th album overall), The Tortured Poets Department. That release date has finally almost arrived.
Here’s everything you need to know about The Tortured Poets Department, including the tracklist and cover art.
Release Date
The Tortured Poets Department is out 4/19 via Republic. Find more information here.
Tracklist
1. “Fortnight” Feat. Post Malone
2. “The Tortured Poets Department”
3. “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys”
4. “Down Bad”
5. “So Long, London”
6. “But Daddy I Love Him”
7. “Fresh Out The Slammer”
8. “Florida!!!” Feat. Florence + The Machine
9. “Guilty as Sin?”
10. “Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me?”
11. “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)”
12. “Loml”
13. “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart”
14. “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived”
15. “The Alchemy”
16. “Clara Bow”
With a runtime of 65 minutes, The Tortured Poets Department is tied with Red as Taylor’s second longest album (among non-deluxe editions), behind Speak Now.
Features
Every Taylor Swift album since 2014’s 1989 has featured at least one feature with another band or artist. The Tortured Poets Department has two: Post Malone appears on album opener “Fortnight” (not the video game), while Taylor enlisted Florence + The Machine for “Florida!!!.”
Artwork
republic
Singles
No singles from The Tortured Poets Department have been released in advance of the album coming out.
Tour
The Eras Tour will resume on May 9 at the Paris La Défense Arena in France, hopefully with a dedicated “era” for The Tortured Poets Department. Following months of shows throughout Europe, Taylor will return to North America in October for the (as of now) final dates on the record-breaking tour.
Those stops are:
10/18 — Miami, FL @ Hard Rock Stadium
10/19 — Miami, FL @ Hard Rock Stadium
10/20 — Miami, FL @ Hard Rock Stadium
10/25 — New Orleans, LA @ Caesars Superdome
10/26 — New Orleans, LA @ Caesars Superdome
10/27 — New Orleans, LA @ Caesars Superdome
11/01 — Indianapolis, IN @ Lucas Oil Stadium
11/02 — Indianapolis, IN @ Lucas Oil Stadium
11/03 — Indianapolis, IN @ Lucas Oil Stadium
11/14 — Toronto, ON @ Rogers Centre
11/15 — Toronto, ON @ Rogers Centre
11/16 — Toronto, ON @ Rogers Centre
11/21 — Toronto, ON @ Rogers Centre
11/22 — Toronto, ON @ Rogers Centre
11/23 — Toronto, ON @ Rogers Centre
12/06 — Vancouver, BC @ BC Place
12/07 — Vancouver, BC @ BC Place
12/08 — Vancouver, BC @ BC Place
Uproxx had Aaron Williams and Philip Cosores on the ground at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California for Weekend 1 of Coachella 2024, and among their main takeaways was that the festival had “plenty of surprises.” In a literal sense, Coachella 2024 Weekend 1 staged several surprise guests who easily could have headlined their own sets.
Below, check out the best surprise performances from Coachella 2024 Weekend 1.
Billie Eilish With Lana Del Rey
Friday night’s (April 12) headliner was Lana Del Rey. Billie Eilish made a surprise appearance — although the rumor mill was busy earlier in the day, so it really wasn’t much of a surprise — during the set. They performed Eilish’s “Ocean Eyes” and Del Rey’s “Video Games” together. Eilish showered Del Rey with praise, telling the crowd, “This is the reason for half you b*tches’ existence, including mine.” (Eilish later held a surprise Coachella party of her own, where she debuted music from her forthcoming album, Hit Me Hard And Soft.)
Lana Del Rey and Billie Eilish sing “Ocean Eyes” at #Coachella.
Elsewhere on Friday night, Shakira made a she-wolf entrance during Bizarrap’s set. Of course, she performed their Billboard Hot 100 top-10 hit “BZRP Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” but she really stole the show by announcing her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour.
Becky G, Arcángel With Peso Pluma
Earlier on Friday, Peso Pluma and Arcángel released the video for “PESO COMPLETO.” It was all a set up for Pluma’s Friday night Coachella set, where Arcángel joined him for the live debut of the song. Becky G also joined Pluma to perform “Chanel.”
Olivia Rodrigo With No Doubt
It had been nearly a decade since No Doubt last performed before the iconic Gwen Stefani-led band reunited for Coachella 2024. The nostalgia-jammed set on Saturday night, April 13, hit all the right notes — including several “Just A Girl” callbacks (as chronicled by Billboard.) But one brand-new element for the ska band was inviting Olivia Rodrigo to the stage, where Rodrigo and Stefani sang “Bathwater.”
Juvenile With Jon Batiste
Jon Batiste is among music’s most ubiquitous collaborators, so he presumably had plenty of options when deciding who to bring out during his first-ever Coachella set. He landed on Juvenile and Willow to perform “Back That Azz Up” and “Be Who You Are,” respectively.
This one is mostly a joke, but we learned in 2023 that we are not allowed to ignore when Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce appear anywhere. Swift is on her The Eras Tour hiatus, so she did not perform, but she was notably in the crowd (dancing, kissing, singing, swooning) with Kelce for Bleachers and Ice Spice. X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok house unlimited footage.
ASAP Rocky, Charlie Wilson, Donald Glover, And Kali Uchis With Tyler The Creator
It is truly Reneé Rapp’s world right now. She was introduced by the OG The L Word cast and brought out Kesha for an updated rendition of “Tik Tok” in which they shouted, “F*ck P. Diddy!”
Kesha was also spotted going down a gigantic slide with Paris Hilton, so that’s fun.
J Balvin has been a part of several notable moments in the past — as he shared on Instagram ahead of his set on Sunday, April 14 — so why stop now? The Colombian supernova was joined by Will Smith for an all-out performance of “Men In Black.” It was perfectly camp.
if I was dehydrated in the desert at Coachella and I saw Will Smith walk out in a Men In Black outfit I’d 100% think I was hallucinating pic.twitter.com/sNfKITDN4J
Justin and Hailey Bieber enjoyed Coachella 2024 from the crowd (and from Hailey’s Rhode pop-up) like everybody else — until Bieber (and Wizkid) made a surprise cameo with Tems on Sunday night for “Essence.” (Wizkid’s “Essence” featuring Bieber and Tems peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 2021.) Bieber’s performance felt especially surprising because he has mostly kept a low profile since canceling his Justice World Tour in February 2023 after several postponements due to health concerns.
Tems, Wizkid and Justin Bieber perform “Essence” at #Coachella2024
21 Savage, ASAP Rocky, And Teezo Touchdown With Doja Cat
Weekend 1’s explosive finale came courtesy of Doja Cat on Sunday.
“This year, you brought a full-size Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton to your headlining set,” Uproxx’s Aaron Williams wrote in his review. “Bless you, you demented genius. You are the best.”
Doja also brought out 21 Savage, ASAP Rocky, and Teezo Touchdown. 21 was there to perform “N.H.I.E.,” his track with Doja from his American Dream album, while Rocky (“URRRGE!!!!!!!!!!”) and Teezo (“MASC“) each helped deliver live debuts from Doja’s Scarlet deluxe album.
The Phoenix Suns haven’t had the season they hoped in 2023-24, but even with some ups and downs they managed to find their way into a guaranteed playoff spot in the West. The Suns will take on the Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs, which has been a favorable matchup for them as they’ve won all three meetings by double digits with Minnesota this season.
Phoenix built this team around a trio of stars — Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal — and their biggest issue this year has been figuring out who in the rotation beyond those three they can trust. While Beal was the most notable addition of the offseason, it’s been Grayson Allen who has emerged as their most reliable “other” offensively. Allen is shooting a rather ridiculous 46.1 percent from the three-point line, leading the league in that area by a healthy margin this season, and having a serious shooting threat around their star trio is vital to making their offense as dangerous as possible.
Given their cap situation is tight, to say the least, going forward, figuring out how to get and keep quality players on the roster is the biggest challenge for this front office. On Monday, the Suns decided that Allen was too good and too important to allow him to hit free agency this summer, and gave him a 4-year, $70 million extension (with a player option on the final year).
Phoenix Suns guard Grayson Allen has agreed on a four-year $70 million contract extension with a player option, Mitch Nathan, Aaron Mintz and Steven Heumann of @CAA_Basketball tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/RWX8VVsxGR
It’s a nice payday for Allen, who clearly valued the opportunity to stay in Phoenix where there’s an extremely comfortable role for him rather than testing the waters of the open market. While it’s possible he could’ve gotten a bit more, the Suns situation is ideal for him and he also had some leverage in extension talks given his importance to them, so he certainly didn’t have to take much of a discount to stick around. This takes at least one concern off the table for the Suns this summer, but they’ll also now be banking on Allen keeping his form for the long haul.
X-Men ’97 episode 5 tore the roof off the animated series and left fans devastated by the shocking final moments. What started as a seemingly innocuous episode focused on the brewing love triangle between Gambit, Magneto, and Rogue turned into one of the most tragic events in X-Men history. It was so devastating that fired X-Men ’97 creator Beau DeMayo came out of the woodwork to explain why he just put the mighty mutants (and anyone who watched) through hell.
We won’t spoil what happened, but fans are no doubt on the edge of their seats waiting to see what happens next. Marvel has already dropped a teaser for the back half of X-Men ’97 season 1, and there is clearly a war coming. (Plus Captain America!)
However, it appears that X-Men ’97 episode 6 will take a slight detour. It’s titled “Lifedeath Part 2,” which means it will pick up the Storm thread from episode 4 where she’s working with Forge to hopefully restore her powers. That said, episode 5 has taught viewers that literally anything can happen, so who knows what’s in store for our mutant friends.
When Will ‘X-Men ’97’ Episode 6 Be On Disney+?
X-Men ’97 episode 6 will start streaming at 3:00 a.m. EST/12:00 a.m. PST on April 17. New episodes stream every Wednesday on Disney+ until the sure-to-be-epic season 1 finale drops on May 15.
Here’s the official synopsis:
Marvel Animation’s X-Men ’97 revisits the iconic era of the 1990s as The X-Men, a band of mutants who use their uncanny gifts to protect a world that hates and fears them, are challenged like never before, forced to face a dangerous and unexpected new future.
X-Men ’97 streams new episodes Wednesday on Disney+.
Reacher is woke, and the MAGA dads are not having it.
OK, that extremely silly collection of words could use some context. Earlier this month, The Hollywood Reporterpublished a feature about Ace Ventura-lovingReacher star Alan Ritchson, who called Donald Trump “a rapist and a con man.” The devout Christian also said he “can’t for one second support the Catholic Church while there are still cardinals, bishops and priests being passed around with known pedophilic tendencies.” This went over about as well as you might expect from the sunglasses-in-trucks crowd.
Ritchson recently responded to the MAGA backlash on X.
“Hey folks, I’ve been seeing a lot of chatter about people saying they won’t watch Reacher anymore because of something I did or said. Look, I get it, but let’s put things into perspective here. Am I supposed to prioritize my job over my personal beliefs?” he wrote. “The worst accusation thrown at me is that you won’t watch Reacher anymore. But come on, let’s keep it real. If you’re claiming to make morally sound choices, start by being honest. Don’t trade one form of wrongdoing for another. Remember, being a killer who doesn’t steal doesn’t automatically make you better than a thief.”
Hey folks, I’ve been seeing a lot of chatter about people saying they won’t watch “Reacher” anymore because of something I did or said. Look, I get it, but let’s put things into perspective here. Am I supposed to prioritize my job over my personal beliefs?
The worst accusation thrown at me is that you won’t watch “Reacher” anymore. But come on, let’s keep it real. If you’re claiming to make morally sound choices, start by being honest. Don’t trade one form of wrongdoing for another.
Ritchson’s outspokenness about Trump and the church lost him a lot of followers, but he gained thousands of new fans, too. “My X account went through a major cleanse recently. Lost a bunch of followers about a week back, but gained over 5k new ones since then. Feels good to know my followers are quality people with a positive mindset, folks who aren’t afraid to confront their truth head-on and own it,” he wrote.
My X account went through a major cleanse recently. Lost a bunch of followers about a week back, but gained over 5k new ones since then. Feels good to know my followers are quality people with a positive mindset, folks who aren’t afraid to confront their truth head-on and own it.
Keeping up with new music can be exhausting, even impossible. From the weekly album releases to standalone singles dropping on a daily basis, the amount of music is so vast it’s easy for something to slip through the cracks. Even following along with the Uproxx recommendations on a daily basis can be a lot to ask, so every Monday we’re offering up this rundown of the best new music this week.
This week saw Future and Metro Boomin still unable to trust us and Dua Lipa continue her exemplary Radical Optimism album rollout. Yeah, it was a great week for new music. Check out the highlights below.
Future and Metro Boomin — “All To Myself” Feat. The Weeknd
Drake just can’t catch a break, especially not from Future and Metro. Kendrick Lamar dissed Drake on the pair’s album We Don’t Trust You, then he was the target of separate lyrical barbs from ASAP Rocky and The Weeknd on We Still Don’t Trust You. On “All To Myself,” The Weeknd seemingly thanks his lucky stars that he didn’t sign with Drake’s OVO Records back in the day.
Dua Lipa — “Illusion”
Radical Optimism is less than a month away now and Dua is crushing it once again with another album preview, the dance-ready “Illusion.” Dua crafted the track with an all-star lineup, as it’s co-written by Caroline Ailin, Danny L. Harle, Tobias Jesso Jr., and Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker.
Maggie Rogers — “The Kill”
Less than two years after Maggie Rogers’ sophomore album Surrender, she’s back with a new one, Don’t Forget Me. The project sees Rogers pursuing a relatively organic sound this time around, like on the propulsive, mid-tempo folk-rocker “The Kill.”
Sabrina Carpenter — “Espresso”
Carpenter just spent her weekend at Coachella, but before she headed out to the desert, she unveiled “Espresso,” which is actually more of a warm and sunny vibe than a caffeinated energy shot (in a good way).
Chlöe — “Boy Bye”
Chlöe describes her new song as “an anthem for anyone who needs to get rid of someone toxic and draining from their life,” and indeed, “Boy Bye” is a confident tune that spits venom atop a folk-inspired instrumental.
Tinashe — “Nasty”
Tinashe will continue her BB/Ang3l series later this year with Quantum Baby, a new EP. Last week, she unveiled “Nasty,” a smooth number on which he wants a suitor to match her nasty.
Lil Nas X — “Right There”
Lil Nas X is gearing up to deliver Nasarati 2 in the near future, and he’s been doing it old-school by debuting new tracks on SoundCloud. The latest is “Right There,” on which Nas issues a reminder to a suitor that he’s a busy guy with little time to waste.
Peso Pluma and Arcángel — “Peso Completo”
Pluma was a highlight at Coachella this past weekend, and Uproxx’s Aaron Williams wrote of his performance, “The award for ‘Most Dramatic Set’ undoubtedly goes to Peso Pluma, who enraptured social media with a seemingly incongruous combination of traditional Banda music and hip-hop-influenced dancing. Bookended by verbal interludes by MORGAN FREAKING FREEMAN, Peso illuminated an oft-overlooked and misunderstood cultural artifact. What is more hip-hop than that?”
Fred Again.., Berwyn, and Gesaffelstein — “BerwynGesaffNeighbours”
Every now and again, Fred Again.. goes ahead and tacks new music onto his compilation album USB and has been doing so for the past couple years. The project got a new entry last week with “BerwynGesaffNeighbours,” a collaboration with Berwyn and Gesaffelstein that’s actually a rework of “Destinations,” from Gesaffelstein’s debut album Aleph.
Girl In Red — “I’m Back”
Girl In Red, it would seem, is back. The Norwegian singer-songwriter just dropped her second album, I’m Doing It Again Baby!, and among the highlights is “I’m Back,” a swelling anthem that balances intimate moment with peaks of catharsis.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
It’s a pointed question, but a necessary and relevant one nonetheless. Though they likely would never admit such a thing publicly, I suspect the band members have pondered it among themselves more thoughtfully than any fan or music critic. In the past 20-odd years, as their recorded output slowed to an irregular trickle, new music has taken a backseat to performing live. The shift made sense: Pearl Jam remains an elite arena-rock attraction known for marathon shows that balance loose playfulness with well-honed instrumental firepower. But in the studio, they can come across as stiff and uncomfortable. All of the joy they exhibit on stage instantly evaporates. Take their 2020 effort, Gigaton, which was assembled over several years from a mountain of material that each PJer worked on individually. On paper, it scans as a laborious effort. As music, it was scarcely more fun.
You know who I bet has never questioned whether the world needs a new Pearl Jam record? Andrew Watt, the 33-year-old super-producer who has earned a reputation as a record doctor for aging rock bands. He’s the AARP Antonoff, the Doogie Howser of Rick Rubin’s, the guy who puts the “child” back in Desmond Child. Last year, Watt helped The Rolling Stones deliver their first studio effort in 18 years, and it was way better than anyone other than Mick Jagger could have expected. The year before that, he worked with Ozzy Osbourne and the relatively fresh-faced 50something-year-old Eddie Vedder on their respective solo records. The latter partnership — Watt subsequently joined Vedder’s solo band — ushered the producer into the Pearl Jam fold, and the result is Dark Matter, the band’s 12th LP due Friday.
In the past, I’ve expressed mixed feelings about Watt. His fan-boyish methodology — such as wearing a different band T-shirt corresponding with the group he’s currently working with each day in the studio — verges on corny. (“We ignored that,” Vedder later said of Watt’s sartorial-oriented cheerleading.) And the plastic-y, slicked-up sound of his records is more Max Martin than Brendan O’Brien. But I don’t doubt his sincerity, or the vitality of the music he’s able to glean from his patrons. He’s a rock-star whisperer with a knack for inspiring his heroes to rekindle the lost magic of their distant primes, as well as a proxy for all of the frustrated fans who haven’t given up on the hope of one more (last?) great record.
How does this translate for Pearl Jam? Let’s talk about “Waiting For Stevie,” a highlight of Dark Matter and my favorite Pearl Jam song since Barack Obama’s first administration. The title refers to Stevie Wonder, one of the many guest stars corralled by Watt for Vedder’s 2022 solo LP, Earthling. While they were literally waiting for the iconic legend to show up to the studio, Vedder and Watt cooked up a number than can only be described as an amalgam of all the stirring moments you remember from every great early-’90s Pearl Jam anthem. If the song didn’t work, I would dismiss it as cynical, quasi-A.I. nostalgia. But “Waiting For Stevie” absolutely does work as a screamingly effective revival of this band’s strengths. The guitar part is chunky and catchy, like the lick from “Black” played 25 percent faster. Vedder’s vocal soars like like a surfer navigating the waves off the coast of San Diego. As the song hits the climax, Mike McCready steps forward and rips an extended outro guitar solo like he’s reinventing “Alive” in real time. It’s more rousing and (yes) joyous than this band has sounded on wax in years.
“Waiting For Stevie” is such a likable, immediate song that it should come as no surprise that Pearl Jam did not put it out as Dark Matter‘s first single. The band opted instead for the title track, a lumbering and riff-heavy grinder that conforms with the advanced promises about the record being “a lot heavier than you’d expect.” (A misguided impulse to prove their “heaviness” has hampered Pearl Jam from their earliest days. Remember that “Spin The Black Circle,” and not “Corduroy” or “Better Man,” introduced the public to Vitalogy.)
A truism of late-period PJ records is that the songs that attempt to rock the hardest are usually the least compelling, and that’s true of “Dark Matter” and the album’s other consciously “heavy” tracks. (I refer to the second single, “Running,” as well as the nondescript album openers “Scared Of Fear” and “React, Respond.”) The difference with Dark Matter is that even the weakest material still sounds pretty great. And that’s due entirely to Pearl Jam working with relative quickness and leaning on their chemistry as a live band. (It was recorded in just three weeks at Rick Rubin’s Shangri-La studio, where Martin Scorsese filmed interviews with The Band for The Last Waltz, a bit of trivia that naturally appealed to Vedder’s “classic-rock nerd” sensibilities.) The secret sauce of Pearl Jam’s classic albums in the ’90s was the presentation of their raw live sound with only a bare minimum of studio refinement. While Dark Matter never affects the raggedness of Vitalogy and No Code, it does approximate the flinty energy of those records in ways that their 21st-century output typically does not.
Above all, it sounds like Pearl Jam actually enjoyed themselves this time. Which might be why the best tunes often sound like homages to their favorite artists (as well as their former selves). “Wreckage” is another song worked up by Vedder and Watt that falls in line with the Tom Petty heartland-rock tributes that dot Earthling. “Won’t Tell” is a mid-tempo number from Jeff Ament that cross-pollinates the uplifting pop-rock of Yield with the stadium-sized sweep of aughts-era U2. “Got To Give” similarly reworks “In Hiding” as a Who’s Next-style browbeater, while “Upper Hand” evokes the slow-boil surge of “Present Tense.” All of these tunes will be welcome debuts on any future Pearl Jam setlist.
Dark Matter isn’t a complete return to form. The reliance on outside writers is kind of alarming — along with Watt’s significant contributions, touring member Josh Klinghoffer also played a major hand in composing the charmingly bouncy parenthood ode “Something Special.” It’s not checked-out or craven like a late-period Aerosmith album, of course, but the extra help does underline how challenging it’s been for Pearl Jam to make Pearl Jam records in the past 15 years. But for now, I’m choosing to focus on the very real pleasures that Dark Matter provides. After all these years, it’s still a delight to hear these five guys gather in a room and lock into the kind of invigorating rock song that elevates your heart an extra inch or two.
Dark Matter ends with exactly that kind of song. “Setting Sun” opens like a textbook downbeat Pearl Jam album closer, in the vein of “Indifference” or “All Those Yesterdays.” But over the course of nearly six minutes, it pivots toward a different sort of Pearl Jam number, the kind that simultaneously puts a lump in your throat and a pump in your fist. As the rhythm section of Ament and Matt Cameron slams against McCready and Stone Gossard’s majestically weaving guitars, Eddie once again lifts his voice and dares you to lift yours. “Let us not fade,” he bellows, and it feels like a prayer and a promise. If Pearl Jam can keep up their end of that bargain on Dark Matter, what’s our excuse?
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