Charleston Post & Courier

[LaurieBlue]

http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=52488&section=preview

Catching 'Z's a good thing for MMJ

BY DEVIN GRANT
Special to The Post and Courier


My Morning Jacket - Z - (ATO/RCA)

How good is "Z," the latest release from My Morning Jacket (MMJ)?

It is so good that the first spin caused me to forget the other stellar albums I have heard so far this year.

I'm sure the titles to those other discs will come back to me eventually, but for now I believe that I will be content to simply bask in the glow of MMJ's creativity.

After finally breaking through to a wider audience a couple of years ago with its major label debut, "It Still Moves," this Kentucky band has moved away from its familiar alt-country leanings and has produced that rare thing in this day and age - a rock album that is startlingly original from beginning to end.

Lead singer Jim James begins "Z" with the haunting "Wordless Chorus" and continues on through mildly psychedelic works to turn in a collection of songs that is part Neil Young, part Radiohead, and all magic.

Some of the better cuts include the longingly beautiful "Gideon," the waltzing "Into the Woods," and "Off the Record," which sound like the best Who song that Pete Townshend never wrote and Roger Daltrey never sang.

Indeed, James' vocals seem to morph to fit whatever style of music he is performing. The ska-influenced guitar riffs on "Off the Record," which sound almost as if they were lifted from the theme to "Hawaii Five-0," stick with you afterward.

It'll be difficult to top this album once the year-end issues begin to carry the "Best of 2005" polls. This one has already made my list. (A+)

Download These: "Off the Record," "Gideon," "Wordless Chorus."

[EC]

It is so good that the first spin caused me to forget the other stellar albums I have heard so far this year

That's pretty nice.  :)

p.s.  Soooomebody's almost on the dodgeball team, and her initials are l.b.