is this climbing up to the moon?

so often over the past year or more, i have heard phrases such as "otherworldly" or "American Radiohead" bandied about to describe Louisville, Kentucky's own My Morning Jacket, and though, apt descriptors they are, i found them to also be woefully insufficient. having heard such praises being sung for this quintet for, again, about a year or more, in typical mandesean fashion, i set myself to looking into them just a couple of months ago now after noticing a four-LP vinyl copy of their live album Okonokos for sale at the local record shop.

i had a best buy gift card yet to use from Christmas, so i grabbed the DVD version, popped it in, and bought all four of their full albums (and the vinyl of Okonokos) shortly thereafter. these guys (or maybe it's just Jim James, i don't know) make some of the more, what i can only call, strange rock compositions i've heard recently. and "strange", of course, is a great thing in this context. keep in mind that i'm talking about a band from Louisville, which is home to other other "strange" but wonderful rock-ish acts. *cough* Slint *cough* (who by the by have scheduled dates in europe for this year).

so, again, i ask myself what is going on in Louisville to bear great bands such as MMJ. according to interviews with the band i have read, it has to do with Louisville itself. part progressive, part south, artsy, homely, a little shady, maybe. sounds a little like Austin to me, and i'm told that place turns out some good musicians as well ;-)

at any rate, they're music blows me away with its bizarre arrangements. check out "What a Wonderful Man" or "Run Thru" or the totally rockin' "One Big Holiday" in particular to get a better idea of what i am talking about. according to my brain, the changes in style and delivery should not work, but, somehow, they do! and they work the in the very same way all good rock music works: it makes you move. that is, it moves you. a large part of this is due to songwriter/vocalist/guitarist Jim James, whose "reverb soaked" (another much bandied descriptor for you) vocals are as distinct as they are beautiful. to contrast the smooth, haunting, big touch the reverb adds, i find many imperfections in the vocal tracks of MMJ's recordings. many would (and probably do) scoff at such "laziness", but for me it adds to the beauty of the music all the more. there's that raw, human edge there, like some of Zepplin's recordings capturing the moment, that make the work as a whole all the more human and all the more perfect in its imperfection. for probably my favorite example of this, listen to "Anytime" from the album Z, their latest release. the way Jim James's voice cracks on the opening line of the verse nearly brings me to tears every time. here's a guy who's ripping out his heart for us all to see and rocking with his whole ass to make sure we see it still beating. his lyrics on that one are alright, too ;-)

as to the comparisons, well sure, ok, i can see 'em. Coldplay's big sound is there. that is, the not over-produced sound from their earlier work as my buddy Steve pointed out. "Gideon" from Z sounds strikingly like "Clocks" to me and in a good, not-a-rip-off way. Radiohead is the big one the critics seem to throw around all the time. hell, i throw it around in hopes of grabbing people's attention, so they'll check them out. it tends to work and for good reason. the songwriting, lyrics, hooks, unorthodox arrangements that really rock, and ethereal soundscapiness seem to nod at Mr. Yorke and company. finally, there's the genre-fication of "southern rock", which, too, is fitting. many of MMJ's tunes either breakdown into a rocking jam or simply are a rocking jam, and during which, either there will be a great lead guitar line or simply the entire band is in the throes of a fantastic southern rock groove. so, yes, all of these are indeed fitting comparisons for MMJ's music. however, that isn't the whole picture, and i invite you to hear for yourself how this fantastic rock outfit blends those influences into something wholly and uniquely their own.