a review from a college newspaper

[igor]

not one mention of neil on this one, i promise.  ;)

http://www.spectatornews.com/news/461639.html


Music review: My Morning Jacket unleashes ethereal sound

By Aaron Vehling

"It Still Moves" was released Tuesday.


In the middle of the night, when the crickets deliberate over important legislation and the diligent are sleeping soundly in their well-kept beds, an ethereal sound begins to emerge within the minds of the most obdurate night owls.

As this sound emerges more clearly, it is evident that someone, somewhere, at some proximity is playing just loud enough to be audible, the best CD of the year, "It Still Moves," the latest release from My Morning Jacket.

Guitars ring as if borne of cavernous composition. Their chimes lubricate the cavities of the brain with a bouncy, reverberated sound.

The country-tinged vocals of lead singer/songwriter Jim James soar hauntingly over the instruments like specters surveying a desolate British castle.

His croon is most easily described as a marriage betwixt Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips and Roy Orbison, the genius behind "Pretty Woman" and "Cryin.'"

The record opens with "Mahgeetah," a song that tastes like the honey of the gods. James' Thom Yorke-esque wail rests on top of a laid-back but passionate musical tapestry.

The guitars slither about while the drums march along with the laziness of the most sluggish late-August siesta.

The album reaches its apex with the slow, but enchanting nine minute opus, "I Will Sing You Songs."

"Songs" evokes a tension between the glacial orchestrations of Sigur Ros and the elegant, extended guitar musings of Pink Floyd.

As James' delicate wail climbs above the music, the ornate composition of the instruments comes crashing down into the mix.

His simple uttering of the opening line, "I will sing to you of greater things," is positively the most beautiful vocal expression I have heard in years.

"Run Thru" opens with a Lynyrd Skynyrd-style guitar solo that leads the listener to believe that the song will rock like said band.

Instead, the song reverts to the dreamy, laid-back jam sound that permeates the entire album.

"It Still Moves" is the kind of album that sneaks up behind you, puts a gun to your back and demands attention.

Its stunning musical composition and ethereal vocals are a testament to the effect that this record will have not only on 2003, but also for years to come.