He's warning people not to see MMJ in Carolina

[thebigbang]

If he went to the show I bet he' change his tune:

By Jay Hardwig
http://www.smokymountainnews.com/issues/01_04/01_14_04/art_gordos.html

My Morning Jacket
Orange Peel, Tuesday, 1/20


I'm going to have to take one of my periodic swims against the critical tide here. Yes, folks, My Morning Jacket is one of those bands everyone else thinks you should see — famous rock critics, the guy at the record store, our own Hunter Pope — but I don't.

Oh, I know that their latest release, It Still Moves, littered Top 10 lists across the land this year. Yes, I saw that The Oxford American called them "the greatest band in the world." I've read that the modest media stalwart Maxim gave their album five fat stars and labeled it a "Must Buy!"

It seems that being a My Morning Jacket fan has become one of those semi-obscure cultural calling cards, signifying a knowing, hip, and indie-minded vibe... but as badly as I want that vibe as my own, I just can't take a shine to It Still Moves. (Does that title remind anyone else of a George Costanza line? Just checking.)

The album is a collection of dreamy, drawn-out evanescent emo-country-pop excursions, chock full of glammy art-rock pretensions and hewing close to the central tenets of the Neil Young School of Flaccid Ballads. They're mournful, fuzzy, sprawling things, they all sound alike, and none of them stick with you two minutes after they're done.

While I rarely find myself in the position of defending pop, I find that the songs on It Still Moves could stand to have a little more of a pop sensibility, in the best sense of that phrase: a distinct sound, a cleaner vocal mix, a little more attention to melody, perhaps a hook or two you could hang your hat on. Instead we get a series of long, wandering songs that smack of self-indulgence.

I know that music albums are by nature self-indulgent; without that dirty little mix of self-indulgence and ambition, there would be no records in the stores and we would all be sitting on our couches wondering why it was so quiet. But to my ears, My Morning Jacket smacks of the wrong kind of self-indulgence, where misty artistic whims outweigh the needs of the song. (Granted: I myself smack of self-indulgence, and have been known to traffic in misty artistic whims, but at least you're not paying $12 to read this.)

Perhaps I'm being too harsh; perhaps I need to give it a few more listens; perhaps this will be a great show. But after 12 songs, I can honestly report that frontman Jim James' voice sent shudders up my spine ... just not the good kind.

The show starts at 9 p.m. and tickets are $12. Asheville's own Wayne Robbins and the Hellsayers open. Call 828.225.5851 for more info.

[peanut butter puddin surprise]

chock full of glammy art-rock pretensions

Wow.  What a near-deaf, Creed-listenin' tool this dude is.
Pretensions?!?  Whatever.

They're mournful, fuzzy, sprawling things, they all sound alike, and none of them stick with you two minutes after they're done.

Riiiiiiiiiight.  Golden and Master Plan, oh yeah...exactly the same thing.  One and the Same and One Big Holiday, same song, different lyrics.  Get a hearing aid!

I want this guy's job.  Obviously, he gets paid to not know shit about good music, AND he's virtually deaf in the process.

I'd be more pissed off about this, but opinions are like assholes...everyone's got one, and some just stink worse than others...this one stinks like rotten kiwi baked in a catcher's mitt.

Boo! >:(  

[lfish]

Hey John don't mind this noob.  It's just somebody with a different taste, maybe bad taste, but nevertheless taste.

If that's his opinion well, let it be, but that doesn't mean that we guys shouldn't have an opinion regarding his job as a journalist. And I believe that our opinion is.....

Yes indeed, he sucks big time!

[Oz]

Blah, blah, blah... Well, the people, they're just too dumb to hear, right? Next!

[danilove]

Dude-
I'm really having trouble fighting the urge to send this guy some hate mail. If he actually listened to "It Still Moves"(which I doubt), he conveniently made no specific illusions to any of the songs on the album. No surprise that this review focuses on ranting about hipsters, critics, the writer's distaste of dreamy soundscapes and everything else that's peripheral, if not irrelevant, to MMJ's music. It's obvious that this guy is too hip and too wankerish to listen to a band that has been miraculously discovered and has abundent talent.

Nevermind the fact that the boys in MMJ don't have a pretentious bone in their body...The Dipshit's comment about their need to focus more on melody couldn't be more outrageous and unfounded. I get the impression that he's the kind of Dipshit who thinks that melody must be some kind of magical "radio-friendly" sound. Ugggghhhh!!!

Suffice to say, my ultimate conclusion is that the Dipshit is a weiner.

Love.

[peanut butter puddin surprise]

I wish I could have had your restraint, Dani... :)

As in, I sent somethin'...that's all I'm sayin!

[DD]

why would you send a guy hate mail for not likeing a band that you DO like.  what would you send him a letter bomb if he talked shit about your religion.

jesus fuck, they get one bad review out of every 10 and people freak out about it.  its just rock n roll, lighten the fuck up.

[ycartrob]

(Does that title remind anyone else of a George Costanza line? Just checking.)
Once you reference someone from a sitcom in your rock review, you lose. George was the bald guy on Seinfeild? Is that right? It helps me to know that Christina Aguileria sells millions of CDs every year. All music is not for everyone, we all have different tastes.
 See you in Knoxville on my 40th Birthday!! ;D ;D

[peanut butter puddin surprise]

why would you send a guy hate mail for not likeing a band that you DO like.  what would you send him a letter bomb if he talked shit about your religion.

jesus fuck, they get one bad review out of every 10 and people freak out about it.  its just rock n roll, lighten the fuck up.

yo, i wouldn't talk shit unless i thought he deserved it.  was it HATE mail...hardly.  if he can't hack a few pings here and there, he's in the wrong business.  shit, i take a few pings and i'm NOT in the business.  

am i "freakin' out"?  no way!  if he's talking shit, i'm talking shit back.  that's all i'm sayin'.  :)

[otter]

Pop sensibility? Do any of us want MMJ to do the records with pop sensibilty in mind?

He's entitled to his opinion, but with writing like that he might want to re-think his job.

[Wiehls]

Sounds like this guy comes from the "listen to the album once and write a review" school of music journalism.

[Oz]

I personally think that MMJ is one of the poppiest bands around. They´re all fabulous pophits that could easily be on the radio. Now I know my opinions about music often don´t fit with the rest of the world, but I  haven´t a clue what this guy means when he  says  they´re not pop or melodic...

[Oz]

Oh, and John, do you have a copy of that mail? Could you post it here? Oh, and has he answered yet?  ;D

[peanut butter puddin surprise]

wasn't even an email.  on their site, they have a "feedback" section, and I sent them some "feedback", to be sure!

[Lieven]

Hey, maybe he just needs a new cd-player or some new spreakers?? Could that be the problmen  ;D

[The_Link]

I for one think that there are way too many music critics out there anyways.  These guys get paid to tell US what we should think of an album or band.  Who the fuck do these people think they are?!  I mean, do any of us really care if a critic hate our new favorite album?  If their opinion matters to anyone at all, I feel for ya.  Anyways, I find that a very fair music review can usually be found on Pitchfork.com.  I have been looking up albums on this site for the past 4 years, and I have to say that they are usually right on.  Well, all I can say is that I strongly disagree with this person's weak analysis of a great album.

[Tooth]

SOUNDS LIKE SUMBODY JUST GOT BUMPED TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE TO MEET MY ROTOTILLER!!

YEEEEEE-HAW!!!  

It's on tomorrow night, bitches!  MMJ in tha hizzy!

[kevinjanes]

To quote High Fidelity: "How can it be bullshit to state a preference?"

Don't sweat bad reviews, it's a Pepsi or Coke debate ultimately, not worth arguing over...

Everyone knows that Mojo writes the only worthwhile reviews!  :)

[otter]

Just in case, if anyone wants to have a debate on Coke or Pepsi. I'm in. Pepsi rules.

[peanut butter puddin surprise]

I'm with Otter, Pepsi over Coke.  (esp. Vanilla Pepsi)

As for not sweating one bad review, my comments were not necessarily based on the MMJ review;  rather, they were based upon the writer's ability/inability to express themselves properly, the writer's nonfactual take on what he implied that he listened to, and various other philosophical banter that I could bore y'all with to tears...but, again, they were my comments, and if I wanted to tell him to take a freakin' leap, well....

That's my perogative!  Muwhahahaaaa!