Crazewire reviews Z

[LaurieBlue]

http://www.crazewire.com/features/20060117511.php

My Morning Jacket - Z
Louisville outfit gets an A on Z.
by Chad Beck
Austin, TX

Even more so than their last full length, It Still Moves, My Morning Jacket construct an amazingly subtle trap for the listener on Z – a record as transient as steam, yet as impacting as a blast of concrete to the head. Rather than bludgeoning the listener with aural assault tactics, My Morning Jacket deftly implement top-notch detail to songwriting over the long haul, resulting in a strangely satisfying record.

Opening with the a song true to its title, "Wordless Chorus" envelopes the listener in a balanced mix of synths, percussion and inarticulate "ooohs" and "ahhs." Drawing on their Louisville, KY roots, My Morning Jacket create a modern soul music that is both universal and deeply personal. "Gideon" plays like a traditional song by hallucinogenic conquerors, invading the home of the free and the land of the brave for the first time – ignoring flaws and exalting undeniable beauty. Heights like this are hit quite often during Z, most notably during "Knot Comes Loose" and the closing "Dondante" – where tragic beauty spills into the recording studio, flooding the subconscious recesses of the brain with thoughtful lyrics and haunting melody.

A song among a bevy of great songs, it's the Clash by way of the Black Crowes feel of "Off The Record" that firmly places Z among the year's great ROCK records. My Morning Jacket might hail from Louisville, KY, but the rock-steady vibe that hits head-on with the Tarantino-soundtrack-esque guitars on "Off The Record" gives a rather salty impression of this midwestern quintet. Craftily switching from wild drumming to a smooth drum-machine driven Hammond solo during the song's epilogue, MMJ make brilliance sound effortless. "Off The Record" is one of t he very best songs of the year and makes Z more than worth the money.

[peanut butter puddin surprise]

gives a rather salty impression of this midwestern quintet

aha!  someone finally agrees with me that Louisville is more midwestern than southern!  you can see flippin' Indiana from Louisville... 8)

[cmccubbin25]

why does every critic have to say they are from Louisville?  do people outside Kentucky think Louisville is some mysterious place?

[LaurieBlue]

why does every critic have to say they are from Louisville?  do people outside Kentucky think Louisville is some mysterious place?

I often wonder the same thing!  I don't get it at all.

[peanut butter puddin surprise]

interesting question.

I think it's a nod to Louisville's odd place in not only geography, but history as well.  For example, during the Civil War, Kentucky was a "border" state, but Louisville was controlled largely by Union troops.  This created a historical/cultural dichotomy of sorts, that I think still exists today.   Kentucky is largely rural, and any state's largest city is seen as "different" than the rest of the state...so Louisville is no different.    But people mention "Louisville, Kentucky" and not just "Kentucky" because the world at large knows this, if only subconsciously, that Louisville is definitely different that the rest of the state.

Don't get me wrong;  Kentucky is an awesome place to live, and I love my home here.  It's just different here than in the state at large.  Not better, or more elite, or any other nonsense, just different.  

[cmccubbin25]

that makes sense....i am from a small town, Magnolia, Kentucky...population 250...but we are only about an hour south of Louisville and as a kid i loved making the trip to the big city of Louisville!  back then i thought it was the biggest city (obviously things have changed!)...

but i think you are right...if you say oh they are from Kentucky then people have a different idea than if you say they are from Louisville, Kentucky...but then again if critics don't want to make characterize them as too southern, then why all the "southern-fried" BS?  critics...

[LaurieBlue]

Speaking of Louisville and its history and music...

John (and others)..You may be interested in a themed CD put together by one of our favorite bands of all time from the Charlotte area - Cast Iron Filter.  The lead singer/songwriter (Dustin Edge) was a classmate of Jim's as a matter of fact in Louisville.  Small world.  Anyway, the CD is called Falls of Rough and features stories and songs about the town of Falls of Rough, KY, its history and characters.  GREAT STUFF!

http://www.fallsofrough.com/

(ps - feel free to move this to Other Music eventually if need be ;-))

[saki]

http://www.crazewire.com/features/20060117511.php

"Gideon" plays like a traditional song by hallucinogenic conquerors, invading the home of the free and the land of the brave for the first time – ignoring flaws and exalting undeniable beauty.

Was it Frank Zappa who said, "writing about music is the same thing as dancing about architecture"?

Why do all reviewers when mentioning "off the record" say something about the Clash?  Was the clash the only rock/reggae band or what?  

I think off the record sounds more like Bob Marley, you know, "stir it up, little darlin, stir it up..."

[ali]

there should be more dancing about architecture... gotta love a bit of "interpretative dance"  :)

[MMJ_fanatic]

aha!  someone finally agrees with me that Louisville is more midwestern than southern!  you can see flippin' Indiana from Louisville... 8)

I always thought of KY as more gentrified  and less "hillbilly" than most of the states further south...maybe it has something to do with the people I've dealt with from there over the years.