Feature: My Morning Jacket

A few weeks ago My Morning Jacket released their fifth full-length album, ‘Evil Urges’. Coinciding with this latest missive ATO Records are reissuing two studio recordings, ’It Still Moves’ and ’Z’, a live album, ‘Okonokos’, and a live EP ‘Acoustic Sitsuoca‘. Each release is a vital piece of the MMJ jigsaw. ‘Evil Urges’ is just another great big piece in that ever expanding jigsaw.

MMJ formed in 1998 in Louisville, Kentucky naming themselves after a discarded jacket singer/guitarist/songwriter Jim James found in the ruins of his favourite bar after it burned down. Embroidered on the coat were mystical letters MMJ. Alongside James, "Two Tone" Tommy on bass, J. Glenn on drums, Johnny Quaid on guitar and Danny Cash on keyboards helped the band became firm favourites with music critics and music aficionados with their reverb heavy Southern rocking, psychedelic jam band, and alt-country indie friendly noise.

“Inside the oceanic reverb that soaks every twang and sigh on ‘It Still Moves‘, the third album by the Louisville, Kentucky, quintet My Morning Jacket, is a first-class acid-country Radiohead swimming slowly to the surface.” - David Fricke, Rolling Stone

"Jim actually has a chemical imbalance where he cannot survive without reverb. It's like oxygen to him.” Guitarist Johnny Quaid talking to Pop Matters

After two highly acclaimed records the band signed to a major label. Their ATO debut, the raw and raucous ‘It Still Moves’, eased every wary fan’s nightmare of their heroes selling out. There were no expensive orchestras or gospel choirs or any other major label hard rock cliché to be found. ‘It Still Moves’ is a sprawling, hypnotically atmospheric and even spiritual guitar rock record. Guitars rage and roam creating vortexes of chaos. When James’ piercing voice, sometimes a primal unearthly howl, sometimes a plaintive croon, isn’t driving the songs it blends into the instrumentation becoming another instrument.

The wonderfully titled ‘Mahgeetah’ is probably five of MMJ’s most pure and moving minutes of freewheeling soulful cosmic country-psyche R’n’R. Everything that is great about the band can be found in this majestic song. ‘Dancefloor’s’ sexy country rocking twang and shimmy is given extra spice with the introduction of some Memphis Horns. The finger picking Byrdsian country-pop of ‘Golden’ is a tender and delicate moment of respite from the sprawling expanses of sound that surround it.

The likes of ‘One Big Holiday‘ and ‘The Masterplan‘ are a big and beautiful hard rock anthems soaked in reverb filled with bid drums, duelling guitar solos and James‘ enigmatic voice. ‘Run Thru’ begins sombrely and slowly but a few minutes in and it soon breaks loose erupting into some loose and funky proto-metal before fading away to what sounds like prime Sabbath riffing their way to oblivion. ’It Still Moves’ isn’t all fire and fury though. There is a lot of rambling downtime. ‘I Will You Songs’ drifts along prettily if a little pointlessly. At 74 minutes in length it is an album that takes its time getting to the point.

“To hear these songs presented on record without the pools of reverb that My Morning Jacket's albums tend to float in is intriguing; they hold up very nicely.” - Joe Tangari, Pitchfork

MMJ followed this up with a live acoustic EP. The ’Acoustic Citsouca EP’ was recorded in three different nights in 2003 at two shows in Texas and one in Atlanta, Georgia. Without abandoning their ambition and scope the band cut back on the volume and magnitude of their noise somewhat. It strips away the reverb and feedback and offers a short few moments of well defined intimacy. The pure loveliness of the songs shines through unabated. This EP was to signal a change towards an even bigger and brighter future for the band.

“‘Z’ sounds like a band going into a studio and making a really good album. Take it on those terms and it won't let you down; in fact, it'll put in hard time on your car stereo.” - John Bergstrom, Pop Matters

"I think we've always tried to progress," says bandleader/songwriter/singer Jim James. "Each album sounds different -- from the recording quality to the songs to the new things we try. I think it's definitely the most different album we've done but not radically so. I think we've always tried to do weird things." - Jim James talking to Pop Matters

‘Z’ saw the band working with an outside producer for the first time. Stone Roses/Radiohead producer John Leckie replaced Jim James. On ‘Z’ the production is slightly clearer, a little less hazy, the songs are shorter, and there is a little bit more eclecticism and even a couple of stone cold pop songs. The band even eased back on the reverb a tad. It also saw new members guitarist Carl Broemel and keyboardist Bo Koster replace Johnny Quaid and Danny Cash. The first half of the record whilst undoubtedly MMJ adds new and exciting accoutrements to their all encompassing rock ‘n’ roll. Even though the second half takes us through more familiar MMJ territory, the meandering ‘Dondante’ aside, ‘Z’ is a much tighter and more focussed affair.

‘Wordless Chorus’ opens the album with a sensual swoon. Squelchy synth blurts and a steady booming beat smother James’ sweet soulful falsetto before the synths begin to trill and the wordless chorus sets in and James’ multitracked cooing is transformed into an angelic choir. ‘Gideon’ is as honest and beautiful as modern rock anthems get without getting its feet stuck in stodgy post-Coldplay posturing. ‘What A Wonderful Man’ and ‘Anytime’ are joyous power-pop explosions while ’Off The Record’ adds reggae to the MMJ mix with surprising success. The expansive ‘Into The Woods’ is a whimsical psych-rock journey that sounds like Mercury Rev reinterpreting The Pretty Things circa ‘S.F. Sorrow’.

“The sheer musicianship that My Morning Jacket put on display on this intense, diverse, and focused live show is rather astonishing.” - Thom Jurek, Allmusic

Allmusic declared ‘Okonokos’ one of the greatest live albums of the last thirty years. MMJ have that scope, ambition and tightness often associated with U2 without ever sounding like them thankfully. This live album reveals the band to be a true force of nature. Everything that makes the band great is here louder and prouder, bigger and better. ‘Run Thru’, ‘Dancefloors’ and ‘Mahgeetah’ are even wilder, more explosive psyche-rocking freak outs. ‘What A Wonderful Man’ is even more ragged and ‘Gideon’ is even more heart wrenching. ’Okonokos’ is a great summation of their history up to that point, paving the way for the band to move onwards and upwards resulting in this years splendidly ambitious ’Evil Urges’.