Louisvilles Courier Journal reviews "Evil Urges"

[antoniostrohs]

MMJ's evolution
[size=14][size=16]Band is brilliant on album infulenced by '70s soul[/size][/size]
[size=16]****[/size]
By Jeffrey Lee Puckett • jpuckett@courier-journal.com • June 10, 2008

Some bands can dodge evolution and get away with it, AC/DC perhaps being the best example in rock 'n' roll history — and why mess with perfection?

Some thrive on change, occasionally to a fault. For those who didn't drink the Radiohead Kool-Aid, "Kid A" was more of a compelling failure than a masterpiece.

Over the last few years, Louisville's My Morning Jacket has achieved the best of both worlds by finding impressive new ways to explore its core sound, which is built on a foundation of 1970s rock.

That doesn't mean the band lives in the past — all of those early comparisons to Neil Young and Southern rock were overblown — but only that it has a highly developed appreciation and understanding of pop-music history.

With "Evil Urges," the brilliant new album that comes out today, MMJ shifts its focus to another of songwriter Jim James' obsessions: '70s soul. It's a subtle shift because this isn't soul music, but the idea of soul music, the feeling, is deep in the heart of the songs where it really matters.

At the same time, this is clearly a My Morning Jacket record, filled with rich layers of melody and elements that touch on all phases of its career.

Sometimes the soul manifests itself in the way a Marvin Gaye vocal arrangement will drop out of nowhere, as on the chorus in the otherwise countrypolitan "Sec Walkin'." Or how the title track slowly uncoils from a slinky introductory groove and blossoms into what sounds like one of Curtis Mayfield's gospel-based epics before it explodes into rock 'n' roll.

Then there's the jaw-dropping, already-notorious "Highly Suspicious," which is some crazed offspring of Prince, Cameo and the Bar-Kays.

The famously elliptical James has never written songs this emotionally direct, another hallmark of soul music, and the handful of love songs are even more heartbreaking and beautiful because of his past reticence. But the most powerful example may be the most indirect; "Smokin' From Shootin'" is a metaphor for the sad dissolve that happens when you realize nothing is as it seems and you're powerless to change it ("Do you see my smokin' guns ... smokin' from shootin' at nothing here").

"Smokin' From Shootin" bleeds into the album's last song, "Touch Me I'm Going to Scream Part 2," the most experimental track on an album of departures, and yet it somehow remains strangely grounded and reflects every aspect of the band's past while exploring an increasingly bold, broad sound.

How they pull this off is a sweet mystery, and the album's ultimate triumph is just as mysterious: It simultaneously manages to be fiercely uncompromising, deeply personal, wildly accessible and easily My Morning Jacket's finest, bravest, most heartfelt record.

[Love Dogg]

Did you see all the piss-offs who left comments about the review.  Filthy bastards....

I thought it was well put and walked right along the lines, without hanging too closely on the themes that seem to come up in reviews for this album.

Cheers to JLP.

[cmccubbin25]

Did you see all the piss-offs who left comments about the review.  Filthy bastards....

I thought it was well put and walked right along the lines, without hanging too closely on the themes that seem to come up in reviews for this album.

Cheers to JLP.

dude i live in Louisville and one of the Louisvillians' favorite past times is to bash the writers of the Courier Journal...they do it on sports articles, features sections, business articles, etc.  its ridiculous, but some people have way too much free time!

[cmccubbin25]

and i forgot to mention that a lot of failed "musicians" in Louisville are quite jealous of Jim and MMJ's success.

for example, i was at Ear X-tacy last Friday and was talking to the guy checking me out about the show (today!!!) at the store.  some asshole walks up and interjects, "are you talking about the My Morning Jackoff show?"...if i had been having a bad day or was more of an asshole i would have confronted him, but doubt it would have mattered.

so you have a little group of "musicians" in Louisville who think MMJ is overrated, over-hyped and less talented than their unheard, unsigned and untalented band that is forced to play at Phoenix Hill Tavern.

sorry to rant!

[tower]

and i forgot to mention that a lot of failed "musicians" in Louisville are quite jealous of Jim and MMJ's success.

for example, i was at Ear X-tacy last Friday and was talking to the guy checking me out about the show (today!!!) at the store.  some asshole walks up and interjects, "are you talking about the My Morning Jackoff show?"...if i had been having a bad day or was more of an asshole i would have confronted him, but doubt it would have mattered.

so you have a little group of "musicians" in Louisville who think MMJ is overrated, over-hyped and less talented than their unheard, unsigned and untalented band that is forced to play at Phoenix Hill Tavern.

sorry to rant!

As a Louisville musician who saw them play at FPK yesterday I can tell you that these guys are not over-rated!  They are an extremely tight band with interesting songs and textures that play off of one another like clockwork.

Some Louisville musicians and fans have a strange tendency to be greedy and stingy with success. I feel very strongly that MMJ's success (or any other band from Louisville) only helps draw more attention to the other bands and if my band (for example) is good we'll benefit from that.  It seems like they don't get it...if they've got a good thing going they hoard it like they scared to death that someone will take it from them!  Silly!

[cmccubbin25]

and i forgot to mention that a lot of failed "musicians" in Louisville are quite jealous of Jim and MMJ's success.

for example, i was at Ear X-tacy last Friday and was talking to the guy checking me out about the show (today!!!) at the store.  some asshole walks up and interjects, "are you talking about the My Morning Jackoff show?"...if i had been having a bad day or was more of an asshole i would have confronted him, but doubt it would have mattered.

so you have a little group of "musicians" in Louisville who think MMJ is overrated, over-hyped and less talented than their unheard, unsigned and untalented band that is forced to play at Phoenix Hill Tavern.

sorry to rant!

As a Louisville musician who saw them play at FPK yesterday I can tell you that these guys are not over-rated!  They are an extremely tight band with interesting songs and textures that play off of one another like clockwork.

Some Louisville musicians and fans have a strange tendency to be greedy and stingy with success. I feel very strongly that MMJ's success (or any other band from Louisville) only helps draw more attention to the other bands and if my band (for example) is good we'll benefit from that.  It seems like they don't get it...if they've got a good thing going they hoard it like they scared to death that someone will take it from them!  Silly!

you nailed it man...wish more Louisville musicians felt this way.

Jim and the boys have done everything possible to expose the nation to Louisville music (Wax Fang, Follow the Train have toured with them).

[tower]

And just because my band hasn't had the success they have or that they haven't asked us to tour with them doesn't make me upset or jealous.  They don't owe us anything and their success doesn't get in the way of ours or anyone else from Louisville.  If anything it helps.