ChartAttack reviews Toronto

[LaurieBlue]

http://www.chartattack.com/damn/2005/10/2011.cfm

LIVE: My Morning Jacket Rock Out Southern Style
Thursday October 20, 2005 @ 03:00 PM
By: ChartAttack.com Staff

October 20, 2005
The Guvernment
Toronto, ON
By Mike Armitage


Seeing My Morning Jacket in a large venue was a test to determine whether they could translate their music into a live setting without compromising quality. More specifically, it was a test to see whether lead singer Jim James could reproduce his angelic howls in front of a bigger audience.

When the lights dimmed, the five musicians took to the stage and began the haunting chords to "Wordless Chorus," the opening track from Z, their recently released third studio album. With the aid of only three strobe lights, James sung the sombre first verse, eventually breaking into the powerful chorus with a series of "woooooooo ah woooooo ah wooooooooo." With cheers from the crowd it was clear that My Morning Jacket passed the first test.

The second test was to see how the band would mix their repertoire, which has evolved from alt.country into a more sturdy Southern-kissed rock. However, instead of changing things up, they continued with "It Beats" and "Gideon," a dark and echo-infused atmospheric number off Z.

If there was any question as to whether My Morning Jacket have lost their ability to play hard rock, the opening of "One Big Holiday" from It Still Moves proved they can turn up the heat in an instant. Suddenly the mood went from relaxed to raucous as James went from vocalist to guitar heavyweight, bringing the crowd alive.

This onslaught of blazing guitars unfortunately overshadowed more delicate songs like "Golden" which fell apart because the guitars were too quiet and the vocals seemed uncharacteristically soft.

However, "Off The Record" injected life back into the room, first by swooning with echoing psychedelic breaks, then meandering into a beautifully layered Pink Floyd-like jam session. This high-octane, no-bullshit performance continued until the epic farewell of the jam-filled "Dondante" and "Run Through."

My Morning Jacket opened the encore with a country-style version of Nick Drake's "Northern Sky" and finished with "Anytime" the most pop-rock number in their catalogue.

The band were intimate when they needed to be, loud when it was called for and near perfect during it all.

[PhOneWentDead]

...more delicate songs like "Golden" which fell apart because the guitars were too quiet and the vocals seemed uncharacteristically soft.

WTF??? - I think that's the point isn't it