BC Review of Z

[LaurieBlue]

http://www.nsnews.com/issues05/w110605/112305/pulse/112305pu6.html

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MY Morning Jacket played a magnificent show at the Commodore Ballroom Thursday, Nov. 3. Their new album, Z, is out now on ATO Records.

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Brilliant Z a wonder to behold

My Morning Jacket - Z (ATO Records)

Rating: 9 out of 10

One of the best facets to Louisville, Ky.-based quintet My Morning Jacket is Jim James' unique vocal range.

A high-and-lonesome falsetto, a lung-crunching, arena-rock scream or a soft balladeer's whisper - James has a little bit of everything in his sonic bag of tricks. He can curl up like a frightened animal or lash out with a lightning-quick ferocity.

Wordless Chorus, the opening track on MMJ's fourth full-length outing, shows James' versatility behind the mic. Tiptoeing slowly on bass, the song builds through a series of sugary, euphoric harmonies as James' vocals catapult the song skyward.

Topping the brilliant southern-rock jam vibe of 2003's It Still Moves was going to be a tall order for the James gang, but Z is a whole other wonder to behold: a much-tighter album crafted around a pop-rock esthetic, it meanders all over the musical landscape and gives James an opportunity to really strut his stuff.

Like the opener, Gideon is a similarly slow roller, a Pearl Jam-influenced call to arms that crashes down on skins and echo-chamber vocals from some far-off plateau, giving a frantic, immediate feel to lyrics that seem increasingly and overtly political with each listen.

What a Wonderful Man is a jubilant splash of straight-ahead guitar-rock frenzy, while Off The Record is a brilliant experiment in reggae-dub that careens off onto a spacey, surreal landscape as the song progresses - a funk-jam feast that will keep longtime fans of the band pleased.

How much of MMJ's new sound is due to producer John Leckie or the fact that the band underwent a lineup change recently - longtime members Johnny Quaid and Danny Cash left and guitarist Carl Broemel and keyboardist Bo Koster joined the fold - is up for debate, but you can certainly hear a new focus on synths and piano on Z.

Into The Woods, which features a vocals-and-guitar guest spot by M. Ward (who returns the favour of James providing the ethereal background vox on One Life Away, off Ward's Transistor Radio) has an Alice-through-the-rabbithole feel, bumping along in time to a crazy carnival waltz beat. But there's a message behind the madness: put in more than you get out, and don't be afraid to open your heart.

While the final song, Dondante, is a great eight-minute romp, the two choice cuts are the Supertramp-meets-R.E.M. feel of Anytime and the standout ballad When The Knot Comes Loose, which takes its place in the catalogue of James' great heart-rending tunes. Tender, soulful and honest, it's a great piano-driven strummer that floats effortlessly.

Try on My Morning Jacket. It's warm, stylish and there's plenty of room to grow into. In fact, it should be a perfect fit.

- Jan-Christian Sorensen