NOW Magazine

[EC]

My Morning Jacket Z
(NN) [The same as two stars)

Even if nobody else saw it, Dave Matthews must've known that with the right production enhancements and a few extended guitar bits, My Morning Jacket had a real shot at being the Eagles of the backpack generation – if not the Pink Floyd. To give the Z album just the right echo of 80s radio rock, they've enlisted John Leckie (Grapes of Wrath, Kula Shaker), whose mixing job ensures everything's up to Hotel California standards. Somehow the group managed to sneak in the enjoyably ragged What A Wonderful Man, but otherwise the whole album sounds horribly over-egged and bloated. The ill-advised attempt at saddling Off The Record with a reggae groove is just one of the many silly prat transgressions committed on Z in the name of beard-rock.

MMJ make like Henley at the Guvernment Wednesday (October 19).
Tim Perlich

[EC]

I am ashamed to be a Torontonian today. :(

[peanut butter puddin surprise]

Gee, he sounds bitter and angry, like many critics.  

Just go "meh" and blow it off.  Obviously, his taste in music begins and ends with Bachman Turner Overdrive... ;)

[EC]

Gee, he sounds bitter and angry, like many critics.  

Just go "meh" and blow it off.  Obviously, his taste in music begins and ends with Bachman Turner Overdrive... ;)

I know.  It runs deeper than that, though.  But, heh, I shouldn't really rant about that here. ;)

[peanut butter puddin surprise]

oooooooooooohhh a mystery eh?  c'mon, i love mysteries!!

 :)

[LaurieBlue]

I am ashamed to be a Torontonian today. :(

Oh don't be!  I love Toronto.  Of course, I haven't been since about 1978, but we sure loved our visit there. :-)

Laurie

[JacketGal]

He's probably one of those that needs to go against the grain...because it ain't cool to be in agreement with too many folks!

I don't get the bloated comment at all really, it sounds perfectly produced, even sparse at times...??

[LaurieBlue]

You know, when I see these types of reviews, I think about all the reviews we've seen, professional and personal, where people had to listen a few times before they "got it" and then it stuck with them.  I think some of these reviews are written too quickly, "Z" listened to once and then discarded before fully realizing the total piece of artwork they're experiencing from beginning to end.  Their loss.

[Jaimoe]

You know, when I see these types of reviews, I think about all the reviews we've seen, professional and personal, where people had to listen a few times before they "got it" and then it stuck with them.  I think some of these reviews are written too quickly, "Z" listened to once and then discarded before fully realizing the total piece of artwork they're experiencing from beginning to end.  Their loss.

I agree with you Laurie. The first few times I listened to ' Z ', I was going to write a middling review of the album for Jambands.ca. Now I'm going to wait since the album is getting to me.

I don't disagree with some of the negative criticisms of ' Z ', but on a whole, the album deserves praise.

[TheLink]

can a generation be summed up by the word "backpack?"  wtf?  who the hell is he talking about.  ok, who hear has a backpack, be honest?

I certainly do not kind criticism, but the Eagles?  that is going way too far!  fuck him. >:(

[ycartrob]

that was a review? That reminded me of when I took that creative writing class in Jr college during the Budweiser years and I had a paper due and I wrote it while driving to school after getting 30 minutes of sleep b/c I was at the Iron Maiden show the night before...

A 4 sentence review? yikes  :-/

[peanut butter puddin surprise]

that was a review? That reminded me of when I took that creative writing class in Jr college during the Budweiser years and I had a paper due and I wrote it while driving to school after getting 30 minutes of sleep b/c I was at the Iron Maiden show the night before...

A 4 sentence review? yikes  :-/

Maiden!  Maiden!   [smiley=rock.gif]

[ratsprayer]

why mention grapes of wrath and kula shaker as john leckie's credits?  for fucks sake, thats a clue to this guys knowledge right there.  it may be overplayed, but the man has done many more important things production-wise than kula shaker.  ill just leave my bitching to this focus of the article.   :-/

[fitzcarraldo]

Exactly ratsprayer!  :-/
& I agree with the Dude "I fuckin Hate the Eagles!"  ;D
Hotel California my ass.

[EC]

Everything that has been said here was running through my brain.  My sadness lies in the fact that this is the Toronto paper that everybody reads.

And John, there's no mystery, I just think I shouldn't shoot myself in the foot in public. ;)

[ycartrob]

I didn't know this was the generation that was heavy into backpacking....that's interesting  ???

[RyanCorpse]

our task now is to hide all the now magazines in the city so the boys don't get there hands on one before they play. i'm up for doing it. anyone else?

[ratsprayer]

Exactly ratsprayer!  :-/
& I agree with the Dude "I fuckin Hate the Eagles!"  ;D
Hotel California my ass.

i think in covering tom waits' ol 55, they prove they can ruin even the best of songs.  

[LaurieBlue]

I was going to question the Eagles reference as well..which that alone gives you an idea of the mindset and credibility of this particular writer.  I mean really..oh..I just better stop now.

I'm not saying that all reviews have to be stellar, and of course everyone has their opinion..but .."My Morning Jacket had a real shot at being the Eagles of the backpack generation.."  Is that supposed to be something to aspire to?

[ratsprayer]

I didn't know this was the generation that was heavy into backpacking....that's interesting  ???

i like to hike, and i wear a backpack when im out in the woods.  im such a god damn hippy.   :-/