With the recent release of the band's twelfth studio album, Dark Matter, we’re reminded that Pearl Jam were not only a cornerstone of ‘90s rock but continue to remain just as relevant today.
The acoustic leaning track “Wreckage,” with its powerful slow build, reminds us of their earlier records and stands in stark contrast to the breakneck pace, chainsaw guitars and shouted chants of previously released songs "Dark Matter" and "Running.”
In an interview with Spin, guitarist Stone Gossard revealed how Eddie Vedder and producer Andrew Watt built the track’s foundation:
“That one probably has the biggest build for me personally, in terms of hearing it at first and thinking, it’s kind of an Ed song. I wasn’t quite aware of its potency until later. Andrew encouraged me to play this little harmonic, acoustic part almost like a Cure melody.”
“I’ve been playing along with the song to relearn it and I’m really looking forward to playing it live. It’s a really powerful lyric and I think we did a really great job of taking something and really pushing it to its limit.”
In an interview with the U.K.’s Sunday Times, Vedder said of the song: “There is a guy in the United States who is still saying he didn’t lose an election, and people are reverberating and amplifying that message as if it is true. Trump is desperate. I don’t think there has ever been a candidate more desperate to win, just to keep himself out of prison and to avoid bankruptcy. It is all on the line, and he’s out there playing the victim — at least they’re doing this to me, because if not they would be doing it to you — but you haven’t falsified your tax records. You don’t have classified information in your basement. So the song is saying, let’s not be driven apart by one person, especially not a person without any worthy causes.”
WFPK's Kyle Meredith also spoke with Stone Gossard about the new album.
WFPK Song of the Day spotlights a song we love - weekdays at 11:10.
