Philadelphia CityPaper.net

[LaurieBlue]

http://www.citypaper.net/articles/2005-10-13/list_cap.shtml

My Morning Jacket
ROCK/POP

It begins and ends with creepy reverberating dub and wailing vocals, while the middle has some of the most ripped '70s guitar solos played since, well, the '70s. Always an eclectic combo, My Morning Jacket wakes up in a bed of sleepy psych-Americana and makes one of its strongest offerings with the new Z (ATO/RCA), smartly pacing itself to convince listeners things haven't changed when they're livelier than ever. "Gideon" has an anthemic crescendo of ringing piano and voice, but masks the fervor with a tempered buildup and letdown. A gritty guitar lead buzzes like static on the reggae-punk "Off the Record," a major key "Watching the Detectives," if you will, that breaks down from a gripping first half into an extended coda of Hammond organ solos and genteel echo tricks. Jim James marches his bandmates like a drunken grand marshal through the clanging "Into the Woods," a nice midtempo path leading into the buoyant '80s pop-rock of "Anytime." It sounds like a schizoid set, even for My Morning Jacket, but is actually held together by fantastic volume. There's such an arc built around Z that you don't really notice the energy until about five minutes into the jammy "Lay Low," where the 16th-note string bends have your head bobbing so much your neck snaps. We're hoping the TLA set is paced the same way.

Fri., Oct. 14, 9 p.m., $18, with Kathleen Edwards, The TLA, 334 South St., 215-922-1011, www.theateroflivingarts.net.