My Morning Jacket (the album)

[oistheone]

I'm so in LOVE with Never in the Real World!!!
I feel like it's the only song where there really unleash Patrick.
That jam at the end is something special
I can imagine for future live shows, that the bell ring after the first verse will be like the bird screech in Off the Record

Totally agree! Had in my notes after the initial listen "Never In The Real World -- Pat bringing some fuckin' HEAT on this one!!!"

[rkwedge]

I'm so in LOVE with Never in the Real World!!!
I feel like it's the only song where there really unleash Patrick.
That jam at the end is something special
I can imagine for future live shows, that the bell ring after the first verse will be like the bird screech in Off the Record

Totally agree! Had in my notes after the initial listen "Never In The Real World -- Pat bringing some fuckin' HEAT on this one!!!"

They unleashed it live in Seattle, it blew me away how good it was. I couldn't wait to hear it on the album, and it does not disappoint.  I'm in love with the entire record, Penney for Your Thoughts is such a retro sounding song that I like a lot too.

[MMJCOBRA]

Listening to the album for the 1st time now and Never in the Real World seriously affected me. I was bawling like a baby towards the end.

[sabretoothcowboy]

I don't post a ton in here but had to get my thoughts out!

Like most Jacket albums, this has a mix of tunes I immediately dug on the first listen, and some that will surely be slow growers after multiple listens and after appreciating within the context of the full record. I liked knowing going in that this was all them - no other help or influences in-studio. We're getting it exactly how they wanted it. It's something I've missed a bit on the last few albums. Stuff has been pretty cleaned up and packaged almost too nicely and sometimes I just want the raw, over-cranked shit from these boys which we get here a bit. Seems like maybe leftover attitude from UD, which I dig. This also shows up in the track lengths. They aren't sacrificing pacing and structure to make something fit the neat, 4-minute package, and it's refreshing to hear. It gives me ISM tingles.

Initial track thoughts:

RSP: Good Opener. Like it more in the context than I did as a single.

LLL: Not a bad tune, but I kinda yearn for something bigger and badder here coming off track 1. I DO like that they don't skimp on the scorchy solo stuff on the back half. I feel like if this tune was on Waterfall, they might have left that out.

In Color - I kind of get what I wanted here, though. Goddamn, this song rules. And I love it so early on the record. This is just a perfectly-crafted Jacket tune. Not rushed, great build. I like that they went with sort of a retro MMJ vocal effect too. That organ + The guitars just fully cranked on that long solo crescendo. Love it all. Maybe closest they've come to replicating their live sound. This is a beauty.

Least Expected - I don't initially like this as much as some others seem to. I suspect this will be a slow grower for me. It's fun, and a little different. Groovy bass stuff on here and kinda gives me Moody Blues-ish/Marvin Gaye vibes. This is one where the lyrics get a tad on-the nose and preachy for my taste, but it fits the song's vibe for the most part.

Never In The Real World - This song is really fun. I was surprised to see not many people mention this one at all. It's one of my faves on the album. Love the melody and the slightly wacky Jim on this one. It's in their The Who-adjacent realm. Kind of reminds me of what I always wished "Outta My System" was. The full band coming in at 1:04 made me smile more than any other moment on the album. It's just fun. And again, they don't end it too early, they give that fun riff the time it deserves at the end.

The Devil's In The Details - Not my cup of tea. It's unfortunate 'cuz I saw 9 minutes and was very intrigued. But it's fairly meandery and a little try-hard. The lyrics get kind of cringey on this one with the mention of "Stranger Things" and "Sephora." I appreciate the bizarre, jazzy ending a little but overall may be one I end up skipping.

Lucky To Be Alive - Another fun one. The jammy back half of this saves this one for me and vaults it into something more interesting than a Climbing the Ladder, for example.

Complex - Good straight forward rock tune. Kind of a Remnants/Highly Suspicious hybrid. Could see this one coming to life live.

Out Of Range - Solid, mellower number a la slow tune. This is one that's different but so very MMJ at the same time and it fits where it needs to fit, but ultimately doesn't move the needle much for me.

Penny For Your Thoughts - Another solid one. I get I'm Amazed vibes from this. I think they go a tad heavy on that UD vocal fuzz effect here. Makes some of the lengthier Jim yells sound odd.

I Never Could Get Enough - Cousin of both "Knot Comes Loose" and "The First Time." This type of number is becoming a closing staple for them and I don't mind. A mellow, patient fade into the sunset works for them, especially on this record. I enjoy the thematic callback/juxtiposition to RSP with the "Had Enough" echoes under the chorus. I also like the rare acoustic, almost Spanish-sounding solo wanderings (En La Ceremony style) before letting Bo kinda glide out on that synth wave.

Overall, this record made me (and should make most fans) very happy. It really does feel like a full-on goulash of all the styles they've previously fucked with across their whole catalog, while somehow fitting as its own cohesive collection. These guys continue to do what they want, innovate, and switch things up while still maintaining the sounds and style that made people dig them to begin with.

[Lucius]

I love reading everyone's takes on the album

Penny For Your Thoughts gets better with every listen. I want to like The Devil's In The Details, creepy meandering lo-fi indie is totally my ballpark (huge Beach House fan) but I've already skipped it once or twice. I might come to appreciate it but I'm really in a place right now where I love chaotic, BUSY songs. This album has PLENTY of that so it's no loss!

My ears are slowly adjusting to the studio version of In Color. But it does miss one thing and that's Jim yelling IN COLOR like he does live instead of the whisper on the album. The song needs it. Especially later on during the key change and last chorus.

[sabretoothcowboy]

I love reading everyone's takes on the album

Penny For Your Thoughts gets better with every listen. I want to like The Devil's In The Details, creepy meandering lo-fi indie is totally my ballpark (huge Beach House fan) but I've already skipped it once or twice. I might come to appreciate it but I'm really in a place right now where I love chaotic, BUSY songs. This album has PLENTY of that so it's no loss!

My ears are slowly adjusting to the studio version of In Color. But it does miss one thing and that's Jim yelling IN COLOR like he does live instead of the whisper on the album. The song needs it. Especially later on during the key change and last chorus.

Dude, I'm with you. I wish it had the yell on the record version. Same with "Never in The Real World." I kept waiting for the up-an-octave chorus scream and never got it. Ah well.

[slappymoe]

2 listens.  which means a lot of album-flipping.  i'm too lazy and spoiled by modern tech to be getting out of the recliner every 12 minutes. sure wish my record store vinyl came with a digital download. can't import vinyl into i-tunes.

i'm digging the first few songs, haven't warmed up to that middle run of devil's in the details, lucky to be alive.....then complex is a pretty good rocker.....and out of range (part two, that is).

penny for your thoughts is great. don't hate the closer, nice song, but could do with something a bit more feisty for a change.

don't really get the need for the altered vocals.  what's the added value?  there are times when it's just annoying and hard on the ears.

really good effort overall.  maybe best since evil urges, imho. can't wait to hear these songs live in chicago

[ranyart]

We were able to listen in full today in the car while returning from fall break and first impression is Bo got some serious PF/Richard Wright chops from his time touring with Roger Waters that are loud and clear on this album.

Love the album's jammy feel and can't wait to hear it live and in person!

[RobRoy286]

This album is SO GOOD. I'm so happy!

[Lonndown27]

I feel MMJ have made a better album than Waterfall I or II and an LP that has more intriguing ear candy than CIRCUITAL but is it better?
I don't know and I'm not gonna really compare records. What I wanna discuss is what the band has accomplished here.
1/1/18.
Chels and I are in Denver, it's 430am and we're about to get on a 730am flight after the NYE show, and following three nights of bliss, she asked me "do you think we've seen their final American shows and 4th to last show ever?"
I said I'm not sure.
She asked "they'll probably never make another album".
Sadly, knowing what we knew was going on at the time, I agreed.
It was a sorrowful moment but a powerful one, too. Then I realized the power they've had on my life, and being able to see such special shows, I felt lucky.
Just under 4 years later and here we are....MMJ have not only reconvened in the coolest way possible, they've made an album that's not just some songs to tour behind, a product to sell.....this is art.
MMJ is an album with many moods, while some have dubbed WATERFALL II their Houses of the Holy, this could pass as well.

RSP seems more anthemic now, it takes its place at the front....doesn't totally move me but I love it live.

LOVE LOVE LOVE is one i didn't get. Couldn't stand. Now I'm kinda digging its poppy bliss. Still a song I would pass for others

IN COLOR standing tall as a studio version is a mighty success. They're able to nail the key changes, haunting vocals, guitar shreddery....it's all here. Not a stark difference to the incendiary Forest Hills debut. While I joke about the song's "tears of a liberal" message (one i agree with obviously), Jim's lyrics are able to take a song that could really be ridiculous with ultra literal spoonfed references etc....no....Jim delivers universal magic. The guitars scald and cook, Bo's a funeral Bernie Worrell here. Drums from Patrick are nuts.

LEAST EXPECTED is one of the least discussed songs coming into the release and yet I find it to be a really cool mix of Just one Thing and Still Thinkin mixed with something new and all its own. I love it.

NEVER IN THE REAL WORLD: I wasn't a fan of this...seemed like a plodding, Dylan-esque outcry of cruising chill. Now, I hear the defined beauty in those chorus guitar harmonies or the Excalibur greatness of Tom's subtle melodic pulls. This song becomes a weird jammed out Americana ruckus that I very much appreciate.

THE DEVIL'S IN THE DETAILS was one i had heard a slight portion of a while back and had no clue what it was, where it came from or what the fuck was going on. I still don't know who sent it. 0 posts on MMJ. net weird. Either way, I knew it was gonna be one of the coolest MMJ tracks in a long time, purely due to the experimental push here.
This song doesn't really ascend or descend it just continues and revolves and i love that. Some of the lyrics are kinda clunkers....talking about drafting people to war (which hasnt happened since the early 1970s) and a repeated mantra of the shopping mall eroding our culture....and now even the mall can't stand on its own....now, even the mall is a dead place of lost souls.....the emptiness of the song is its strongest point. This one will keep working on all of us.

LUCKY TO BE ALIVE....I dig the vibe, but not the melody. Great to see the old style of sad or dark lyrics combined with a happy melody but it's too circusy. That final part is a great jam, but what the hell is it there at the end for? Odd but ok, I'll take it and run.

COMPLEX is most MMJ fans least favorite of the album, and while it may be one of mine too,  I must say it's stuck in my head.

OUT OF RANGE PT. 2 has some of Jim's greatest vocals on record. I really love this one. One of my favorites here.

PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS is one of the best pure rockers the band has ever committed to wax. I LOVE IT. I love the way the distortion on Jim's vocals brings out a kind of crazed fury that Jim can't naturally bring out, due to him being such a nice guy and all.
Blistering guitars, great chorus, the right lyrics, Tom and Carl in sync, Patrick beastagod....what more could a guitar-swilling Jacket fan want?

I JUST COULD NEVER GET ENOUGH was one i fell in love with quick. It spoke weird languages to me. Now, I find myself a little disappointed by its emptiness. It deserves a waterfall to fall down and then a ladder to climb back up....but it stays in somber tones and mystery, languid and minimalist. I keep going back and forth on this song. It is yet to fully reveal itself.

The album is still working its magic.
Give it as much time as the band gave us in making it.
If these songs deserve patience, well then i can't think of a better compliment on day one of a new Jacket release.
I love the vocal effects btw. Love it.
The reverb returning is huge. Huge. HUGE. It's how Jim is meant to be heard.

ISSUES:
-Not even close to enough moments to showcase Patrick on drums
-Not enough Carl moments, even the guitar is very Jim-Centric.
- More songs: album needed one more dark rager
-the band are still yet to really go for it in the case of putting their live sound to record. This is as close as they've come though

All in all.....WHAT A DAY.

YOUR THOUGHTS??????

[Stevie]

Well, i'm a bit conflicted.  I've listened to the new one about 5 or 6 times now and i thought i really liked it.. 

I threw a round of disc golf today after work, came home, had dinner, had some red wine, and then i popped on Waterfall 2 just for fun.  I haven't listened to it in months.  Loved it when it first came out.  I also thought.. it may be fun to combine all the songs from WF2 and the self titled on a spreadsheet and then rank them to see how things stack up.. 

I'm not saying this to rain on anyone's parade, but there's a cohesive spirit on WF2 that seems to be missing on the new one.  I know this is subjective, but when i listen to WF2 i just feel exactly how i want to feel.  It scratches an itch on my soul.  As a result, my rankings are pretty lopsided. 

Then again, the WF2 is much more fresh momentarily.  I also haven't listened to the new one while in the midst of the warm wine cocoon where everything is perfect and tomorrow's headache is still very far from reality.  I owe it one more shot.  Back to back. 

I'll report back with my findings and the rankings that no one asked for. 

[dustinrr]

Lonndown27, I think you missed the point or meaning of the "draft ... war" part of The Devil's In The Details". It goes, "Send the children off to War, drafted by poverty. The Senator's son is safely sound asleep. Ah, but let us forget the War and buy something pretty. Change the channel, create illusion of real safety. ...". I'm sure he's speaking about the way Society has brainwashed all of us (most of us) into forgetting we are currently conducting Warfare on many, many foreign lands and peoples around the World and killing innocents in the process (daily). It's common knowledge these days that the US Military is primarily made up of people who had little to no other opportunities in life and saw the Military as a way out. The following line of the song is mocking the upper crust or the elites of Society ... a (Senator's son) would never let their own become a common "grunt" in the Army or a "deck ape" in the Navy, just to go off to War and die a commoner's death (the Navy's where I spent most of my 20s - from 1987 to 1993) mainly because I too was trick-fucked by Society into believing that that was my only way out after I failed at my first attempt at college (wasting money my family didn't really have to waste). ... Let's just do some channel surfing instead of thinking about life's tragic inequities and the damage done to the poor of our Nation and of the World by our lifestyle.

Not mad or upset with you Lonndown27. I'm just pissed at the World in general these days.

Enough of my shit ...

Love the song.

Listen to the Music.

Music Heals

Couldn't agree me more, these lyrics stood out to me on first listen, very powerful IMHO. I imagine "senator's son" is a nod to Fortunate Son (probably already pointed out, haven't read the entire thread).

Still in the afterglow of my first listen. This is a special album. Really captures the magic of their live shows.

[Nikkogino]

Well, i'm a bit conflicted.  I've listened to the new one about 5 or 6 times now and i thought i really liked it.. 

I threw a round of disc golf today after work, came home, had dinner, had some red wine, and then i popped on Waterfall 2 just for fun.  I haven't listened to it in months.  Loved it when it first came out.  I also thought.. it may be fun to combine all the songs from WF2 and the self titled on a spreadsheet and then rank them to see how things stack up.. 

I'm not saying this to rain on anyone's parade, but there's a cohesive spirit on WF2 that seems to be missing on the new one.  I know this is subjective, but when i listen to WF2 i just feel exactly how i want to feel.  It scratches an itch on my soul.  As a result, my rankings are pretty lopsided. 

Then again, the WF2 is much more fresh momentarily.  I also haven't listened to the new one while in the midst of the warm wine cocoon where everything is perfect and tomorrow's headache is still very far from reality.  I owe it one more shot.  Back to back. 

I'll report back with my findings and the rankings that no one asked for. 

Glad someone else loves WF2 like I do.  It really just clicks for me and I always want to listen to it.  It is 4th best to me (after At Dawn, ISM, and Z) but I find myself going back to it more than any other album as of late.  I am really enjoying the new S/T album, but the urge to throw on WF2 has already hit me.

[dookie shoot bandit]

Well, i'm a bit conflicted.  I've listened to the new one about 5 or 6 times now and i thought i really liked it.. 

I threw a round of disc golf today after work, came home, had dinner, had some red wine, and then i popped on Waterfall 2 just for fun.  I haven't listened to it in months.  Loved it when it first came out.  I also thought.. it may be fun to combine all the songs from WF2 and the self titled on a spreadsheet and then rank them to see how things stack up.. 

I'm not saying this to rain on anyone's parade, but there's a cohesive spirit on WF2 that seems to be missing on the new one.  I know this is subjective, but when i listen to WF2 i just feel exactly how i want to feel.  It scratches an itch on my soul.  As a result, my rankings are pretty lopsided. 

Then again, the WF2 is much more fresh momentarily.  I also haven't listened to the new one while in the midst of the warm wine cocoon where everything is perfect and tomorrow's headache is still very far from reality.  I owe it one more shot.  Back to back. 

I'll report back with my findings and the rankings that no one asked for. 

Glad someone else loves WF2 like I do.  It really just clicks for me and I always want to listen to it.  It is 4th best to me (after At Dawn, ISM, and Z) but I find myself going back to it more than any other album as of late.  I am really enjoying the new S/T album, but the urge to throw on WF2 has already hit me.

I will need a little bit to digest this album
But I definitely put Waterfall 2 up there as well!!
Ttf means a lot to me so will always be way up there
Z is everything to me
At dawn and ISM are just complete perfect albums
So with that said albums 1-4 will always remain 1-4 in my world.
But after that... I feel like evil urges, Circuital, WF 2, and this new album will make there rounds as 5-8 in different parts of my life.
(As much as I like certain songs, WF 1 will still remain last in my book)

[RobRoy286]

Just wanna say again that I personally love the vocals and effects on this. I was telling a friend that it's like the opposite of most bands, where they studio version is THE clean and perfect version. With Jacket these songs are gonna sound even cleaner live. I like the distortion and effects in the studio. I think it goes so well with Jim's voice. Can't wait to listen again this morning!

[sweatboard]

I Love This Record So Freakin Much!!  Epic......Masterpiece
Seriously....just mind-blowing

[shumatec1012]

Thoughts after 6 listens:

I believe this is the best studio testament to who this band is.Bands often talk about wanting to capture their live energy in a studio release; I truly believe that they succeed with this album, perhaps more so than any other release I can think of ( certainly among the " jam" bands).

As far as the songs go I think there at least 3 that you could make a strong argument could be included in " 20 best Jacket songs" ( understanding that list would be highly subjective); In Color, Least Expected and Never in the Real World.

Not a stretch for me to say that this is their best record since Z- and after another year or two worth of spins I may rank it even higher!

Lyrically I like Jim's work throughout- we see his signature style of simple writing that packs a philosophical/spiritual punch- and I really like the stream of consciousness beat vibes of Devil in the Details.

If someone had never heard My Morning Jacket this record would be a great introduction- making the self tittle perfect     

[Nikkogino]

After way too many listens, Out of Range is my favorite track. 

[Come Closer]

I thought it was sequenced pretty well given what they included, but I think my ideal tracklist would be something like

RSP
Least Expected
In Color
Real World
Details
Lucky
Penny
Out of Range
Enough

[Lucius]

The 90s Karaoke Machine vocal effect on Never In The Real World has really grown on me. Wasn't keen on that song at all when we just had the live recording but - I get it now. I think a subtle horn section during the tail end of the song wouldn't have killed it though! Nothing extravagant, just some padding.

Just figured what else I Never Could Get Enough reminds me of. Ready To Be Called On! (Which I know isn't a fan favourite but I actually really like)

I can honestly say there's not a single song I strongly dislike on this record. Our boys did good. A few songs would have benefitted from Jim singing in more than one octave but I know come the live shows all hell is gonna break loose.

Broken record alert but I don't care - any murmurs on a European tour yet?!