music blog with MMJ review

musicturtle · Jan 24, 2011, 01:00 PM

hey yall...check out my music blog with a review of my morning jacket today:

http://musicturtle.wordpress.com

enjoy!

mahg33ta · Jan 25, 2011, 10:10 AM

Since you invited us to check it out, I did. thanks.

I'm curious what tracks on the album you think are "you sold out" tracks to attract new fans. That seemed like a, frankly, dumb thing to say. Sorry but that's my reaction.

johnnYYac · Jan 25, 2011, 11:19 AM

I read it, too, and appreciate the effort to spread the word. It Still Moves may be the best place for newbies to start. It marks a transition from the reverb-soaked first two albums and the more progressive last two.

I imagine, like Kyle above and myself, you're gonna hear a lot of disagreement regarding some of your opinions regarding this masterpiece. I won't tear you a new one, but prepare yourself for some corrective surgery. ;)

Case in point, regarding the "unmistakable underwater dream sequence reverb voice/effect of frontman Jim James": "He's probably not the best singer in the world, but this effect is unique and it covers any flaws that may be there. Kinda like a rockabilly autotuner haha."

Uh, no one here is laughing. Would I call Jim James "the best singer in the world"? I couldn't. But his voice is regarded as a primary force behind our love of MMJ.

Still, your writing is generally positive and I understand where you're coming from in most of it. Thanks for sharing.

musicturtle · Jan 25, 2011, 12:55 PM

hey guys...thanks for the feedback! if i was writing that blog for MMJ fans, or for music geeks like myself, i would have written it differently as i agree with much of what you said. my target audience is the uninformed droids out there who only get their music info from ryan seacrest...trying to spread the word about great bands like MMJ who rarely get any play in those circles. i promise that if you re-read with that mindset, you'll get my perspective

i love listening to jim james sing, and as a fan i think his voice is cool as hell. but if we're talking about technical "singing" that the average american listens to (usher, american idol, etc) then jim is not in the same category and that's what i meant. i suspect that many of those kind of fans would find his singing style boring (not that i agree at all, just the truth). perhaps i could have chosen my words differently, but in the interest of keeping it short i said it that way.....only a MMJ fan would be interested in this long of an explanation haha

as far as the "you sold out" stuff, i remember vividly when this album came out that many fans were pissed about some of the music being more upbeat and tailored toward radio airplay. i don't remember specifically which ones, but i would guess that "dancefloors" and "easy morning rebel" were more upbeat and different than anything we'd heard from the guys before then, and may have been the target of this criticism (where tracks like "golden" and "run thru" were much more in line with the traditional MMJ sound). i would hesitate to put "mahgeeta" in that category because it's such a masterpiece, but objectively i will say that it's structured a little differently than most prior MMJ stuff. those tracks are more palatable for new fans of MMJ than some of the older albums/songs. i share a lot of my music with friends, and that forms a large part of my opinions that i share on the blog, and in my experience with MMJ i couldn't get anybody to dig them until 'it still moves' came out, especially "mahgeeta" which my friends really got into

again, if i would have written that with MMJ fans or general music enthusiasts in mind, it would have been written differently. i really do appreciate the feedback (even when folks disagree with me) as it will help me write in the future. hopefully overall you still appreciate the positive outcome of some readers learning about a great band they may have never heard before. i'm averaging about 40 readers a day right now from a variety of sources, so i'll do whatever i can to spread the good word! i don't think there has ever been a music review written in the history of reviews that every fan agrees with, so i know that comes with the territory. i'll certainly be writing about MMJ again in the future, so feedback like yours goes in the memory banks forever, and will hopefully help to craft the next review i write. thanks for reading!

mike · Jan 25, 2011, 01:58 PM

So how in the world did My Morning Jacket pave the way for the Drive By Truckers?

Ruckus · Jan 25, 2011, 02:05 PM

Quote from: mike on Jan 25, 2011, 01:58 PM
So how in the world did My Morning Jacket pave the way for the Drive By Truckers?

;D I was wondering when/if someone would comment about that.

musicturtle · Jan 25, 2011, 02:26 PM

you would have to ask drive-by truckers, because i recently read an interview where they said they aspire to have the kind of career that MMJ has (paraphrasing, i don't remember the quote but i will look for it). i know DBT have been around for a while, but in general most folks have only heard of them in the last couple of years. they have collaborated with MMJ on a project or two if memory serves me correctly. in general, MMJ and other artists in this genre who are experiencing success with rock fans are helping the other artists like DBT to get some play/recognition, even though their sound is different

musicturtle · Jan 25, 2011, 02:29 PM

here's a link to the interview i was thinking of....see the last line where he mentions MMJ as an inspiration:

http://www.azcentral.com/thingstodo/music/articles/2010/02/01/20100201drivebytruckers.html

it's a good article overall too...sounds like a band who is struggling with their identity/structure, but doesn't let that distract them from their desire to churn out good tunes!

mike · Jan 25, 2011, 02:43 PM

Okay and thanks for the article. I am not sure what Patterson is even getting at in the article.Neither MMJ or Wilco are such huge commerical successes that they can do whatever they want. Other than that both are great bands who do pretty much do whatever they want. Of course the article was written right before the release of the last DBT record which at last look has sold less than 60,000 copies. So I am still unclear how MMJ has paved any path.

el_chode · Jan 25, 2011, 03:22 PM

I will herein refer to as your "mainstream audience who gets their information from Ryan Seacrest" as Entertainment Weekly fans because they will like whatever EW says.

With that said, trying to make music like this appeal to the EW fan is like convincing a Vegan to have a big mac.

musicturtle · Jan 25, 2011, 03:33 PM

@mike - i hear ya, and won't argue the semantics of "paved the way" because certainly DBT is nowhere near the success level of MMJ. band of horses is a much better example but only because of the similarities in sound and their mainstream success

@ el chode - right?! i agree, but the reason i started the blog was actually by requests from a bunch of my friends who convinced me that my music obsession was worth sharing. not everyone will appreciate every album/concert i talk about, but hopefully somewhere along the way i will cause someone to buy an album that they wouldnt have ever heard before. i know i'm fighting a losing battle but it's fun so what the hell haha

Penny Lane · Jan 25, 2011, 03:39 PM

They've both had more commercial success than DBT, so they have a little more flexibility.
DBT are the hardest working band on the planet, they've been turning it out for years. As far as I know, Patterson and Jim are friends and have mutual admiration (or kindred spirits, or friendly, not sure where i heard or read that?) so Patterson's reference to MMJ isn't that misplaced. As for the blog, AWESOME. I just would never put DBT on that level down with BOH, who were clearly influenced by MMJ. DBT have been slinging it out musically for as long as MMJ, have 3 different songwriters at any given time, and are a lyrically driven band-lots of differences.

i don't mind the comparisons because they both have integrity and they're both doing something that's never been done (in my mind)..along with Wilco. These three bands hang the moon as far as I'm concerned...spin it any way you want.

musicturtle · Jan 25, 2011, 03:42 PM

cool, thanks penny lane! perhaps you've captured my thoughts and written them better than i have haha

musicturtle · Jan 25, 2011, 03:45 PM

oh and while i have yall's attention, i was thinking that MMJ would be an AWESOME guest of daryl hall's show that i mentioned earlier on the blog:

http://www.livefromdarylshouse.com/

seems like the room where they play might have decent enough acoustics to capture the sound if mic'ed properly

Penny Lane · Jan 25, 2011, 03:46 PM

Quote from: musicturtle on Jan 25, 2011, 03:42 PM
cool, thanks penny lane! perhaps you've captured my thoughts and written them better than i have haha

no problem turtle, keep spreading the word!

Penny Lane · Jan 25, 2011, 03:47 PM

Quote from: musicturtle on Jan 25, 2011, 03:45 PM
oh and while i have yall's attention, i was thinking that MMJ would be an AWESOME guest of daryl hall's show that i mentioned earlier on the blog:

http://www.livefromdarylshouse.com/

seems like the room where they play might have decent enough acoustics to capture the sound if mic'ed properly

okay, how did i not know about that? i've been saying for years they should cover H&O!
need to catch this...thanks, turtle.

mahg33ta · Jan 26, 2011, 08:51 AM

I did not want to be that guy that divebombs with "you wrote something dumb" then disappears. Kudos for coming back here and sticking up for what you wrote. The fun of music is the debate and the passion. Good luck w your website.
ps. if you think Dancefloors is a sell-out song you've clearly never seen it live

musicturtle · Jan 26, 2011, 11:01 AM

thanks dude, and like i said before i appreciate the feedback positive or negative! you're actually right that i haven't seen dancefloors live, and hopefully when i do it will change my mind. i'm in KC these days and hoping the next tour heads out here...it's been a while for me