Oz grooving hard onto Z

[Oz]

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is now Thursday morning. Yesterday I bought my copy of the new MMJ album and as we speak, I am listening to it for the first time. And dammit, this is one groovy record. If I were to be honest: this is the next move I'd hoped they would make after the Split EP and Chocolate and ice. Somehow I think 'O is the one that is real' would have fitted perfectly on this album. But if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna dive into 'Don dante' and get back to you later...

Oz

[Oz]

So, here's my review:

If The Tennessee Fire was MMJ's melancholic ballad record, At dawn was their epic record of an increasingly ambitious band and It still moves was their rockband-on-the-road album, Z is their pop record. Pop meaning Prince, Motown, Madonna, who even gets a name check here. Pop meaning soul and fun. Z is the artistic statement of a band who covered the Pet Shop Boys and created 'Cobra', and songs like 'Somebody cares about the maestro', 'Breathin', 'Alabama comes clean'. All the early goofiness and grooviness is finally incorporated on an album. And the band obviously loved making it: Jim sounds more inspired than ever, yelling, crooning and screaming his lungs out, and the rest of the band are enjoying themselves with funky experiments. With Tommy's backwards monologue on 'Off the record' as one of the highlights.

By going pop, as we have seen, the guys have made a controversial move. Lots of the fans that were introduced to the band by It still moves, ran away again this time,  and I assume that more will follow. Fans that thought MMJ was a rock band, MMJ was Led Zeppelin, big beards, long hair and songs that all ended in 10 minute jams. Sadly, fans of that sort of music tend to be rather conservative. If a song has an extended ending, it should involve lots of guitar and drum solos. If it ends in ambient weirdnes with a drum machine, like said 'Off the record', they piss in their pants and run off, back to their Lynryd Skynryd records. However, to anyone familliar with their back catalogue, this move is not all that big a surprise. There was a time before It still moves and now we have reached the time after. 'Lay low' is the only track that reminds of that album and therefor sounds a little out of place. On the other hand, the melody of that song sounds at some points like Wham!'s 'Wake me up before you go.' Go figure.

But 'Wordless chorus' is right up there with 'O is the one that is real' as one of the catchiest MMJ-songs ever and the soul-crooning in the end is just brilliant. 'What a wondorful man', 'Off the record', 'It beats for you', the weird carnivalesque 'Into the woods', all these tunes are wonderfully crafted, beautiful pop music of rare quality. And My Morning Jacket once again reveal themselves as a band that expands and evolves, always keeping an opend mind for whatever is cool.

And however lame one might consider the Pitchfork review to be, it did raise one very good question: what will their next move be? As we've learned from Z once again, nobody knows. But if I were to choose, it would be Tommy releasing a solo album of funky bass lines and backwards talking. Whatever the odds may be.

[Oz]

I do wonder if anyone still know who I am, by the way... :)

[EC]

I do wonder if anyone still know who I am, by the way... :)

I know who you are.  And thanks for posting your review.  Good word. :)

[Clarkwork]

Not sure who you are, but that is the worst review I have read about Z.  To me it is way off the mark. But everyone's got an opinion.  

[realdeal]

yeah, had a hard time following that one.

[Oz]

Hehe, maybe I should join Pitchfork!  ;)

BTW I was formerly known as O 'round here and also as Jintro, check the tributes...

[Half]

who are you?  i'm .5

i bet MMJ scores tons of great reefer

[Angry Ewok]

I know you, Oz...  8)

I consider My Morning Jacket to be a rock band. A very good rock band. I don't think they've come much closer to "pop" with this album... but it's definately a change from It Still Moves.

I like Prince, but I haven't really picked up on anything in Z that reminds me of any of his work (although It'd kick ass if MMJ did a Little Red Corvette or Darlin' Nikki cover)...

I have picked up some on little things in Z that remind me of other bands - the Beach Boys (the start of Off the Record), Jimi Hendrix (the end of Anytime is almost exactly like the start of Foxey Lady), and even Ennio Morricone (the whistling in It Beats For You)... and I would love if MMJ did a few Led Zeppelin covers from time to time.


ps. Pulp Fiction over-rated? I disagree there, too. :P

[Oz]

Aw, c'mon people, am I really the only one who hears Prince in 'Wordless chorus'?

[ratsprayer]

Aw, c'mon people, am I really the only one who hears Prince in 'Wordless chorus'?

im with ya, thats the first thing i thought when i heard the soulful vocals at the end.  

[Oz]

And AngryEowk, yes, you might call My Morning Jacket a rock band and I'm not saying they totally abandoned that on Z. But I think they made their pop record, while still being who they are, a rock band, or whatever, giving their own approach to pop music, or soul. Like it said in some of the reviews: they make you dance and think at the same time, or something. Z is definitely their most danceable and catchy record, therefor I call it pop.

[aMillionDreams]

Aw, c'mon people, am I really the only one who hears Prince in 'Wordless chorus'?

I hear Prince throughout the album.  I thought your review had some good points, I'm just not comfortable with calling My Morning Jacket a pop band.

[EC]

I hear Prince throughout the album.  I thought your review had some good points, I'm just not comfortable with calling My Morning Jacket a pop band.

What if we took a picture of them sipping grape Fanta out of straws?
;)

[Alex]

I'm suprised no one has mentioned "Anytime" yet, it's my favourite song on the entire album. Personally, i think this album was awesome. I can definately pick up elements of their musical past, which I love. However, there's also a more defined new sound, which is just as interesting. Basically, i think album is a hearty blend of the stuff we all love from the past, and a new sound to keep things fresh. Bravo MMJ.

[Coltrane]

"Damn!"......................Mr. Show is awesome....

[Angry Ewok]

Call me nuts but I hear Elton John's Benny and the Jets at the end of Wordless Chorus.

 :-[