MMJ album could be perfect gift

[LaurieBlue]

http://www.myplainview.com/n2w/parsed/stories/11172005Musiccolumn.shtml

MMJ album could be perfect gift 11-17-2005
By JASON JOHNSON
Herald Music Reviewer

Since I didn´t have a review in the paper last week, I´ll try to make it up to everyone this week by covering a little more than usual this time. After all, Thanksgiving is next week and it´s time to start thinking about Christmas shopping!

....

Next on the list is the new release "Z" from My Morning Jacket. I know most of you (if not all) have never heard of My Morning Jacket, but broadening your horizons is a good thing, isn´t it?

"Z" finds a new and reinvented version of My Morning Jacket since the release of their last album two years ago. No longer should we hear comparisons of MMJ to Lynyrd Skynyrd, but Jim James´ falsetto vocals still remind me of Neil Young -- no matter how much reverb they slap on top of them.

Speaking of reverb -- if you love your bands to sound like they´re singing from far away in the bottom of a well, then My Morning Jacket is for you! I´ve always been a big fan of lush, warm reverb such as Mazzy Star, The Sundays or Chris Isaak, but sometimes you just have to know when to not turn that dial up to 11.

Once again though, we find a decent album in the middle of a major controversy when it comes to content/copy protection. Now, not only are they preventing you from downloading your album to your iPod or other MP3 player, but when you put their media player on your hard drive so you can listen to the album it installs a rootkit.

From what I´ve read on the net about it, this rootkit can shorten the life span of your hard drive by scanning your computer´s processes every 1.5 seconds, slow down your operations, leave your hard drive open to virus infection, and transmit information back to Sony.

Sony was actually sued over the use of this software and infecting user´s computers, and has recently announced that it will halt using this XCP technology for now.

It´s about time! I was beginning to think I was the only one that felt this was an infringement on my rights as a consumer.

Back to the MMJ album for a brief moment, if you have a music buff on your list that listens to music you´ve never heard of before and turns their nose up at what´s played on the radio these days -- then write this down. Buy them My Morning Jacket´s "Z" album for Christmas.

You´ll get some coolness points -- even if you have no clue what the difference is between My Morning Jacket and My Chemical Romance.

(Jason Johnson reviews music for The Herald.) Posted to MyPlainview:   NOVEMBER 17, 2005 13:59 CST

[SMc55]

That's a cool review, and from an unusual angle. Thanks Laurie.

[Easy Morning Rebel]

that's a really cool review! :)