My Morning Jacket
Evil Urges (ATO)
By Katy Henriksen
Published: June 2nd, 2008 | 2:35pm
Produced in midtown Manhattan rather than their home studio outside of Louisville, Kentucky, My Morning Jacket's fifth full-length release, Evil Urges, is mostly devoid of the raw sounds of 2003's It Still Moves, and that's a good thing. Building on the textures of 2005's Z, Urges continues the band's musical transformation, while still playing
homage to the sounds that made their name.
Don’t let the slick production and Prince-like falsetto of lead Jim James trick you. That expertly crafted percussion is no drum machine, and James still belts out plenty of his soaring country rock croon — although he waits until the third track to bring it on — immediately assaulting listeners with sounds that longtime fans might not appreciate at first.
Opener “Evil Urges” overflows with funk and slow-jam keyboard-heavy hooks, anchored by James' unapologetic and forceful falsetto. Just wait three minutes, when the onslaught of signature MMJ arching and explosive guitar interlude breaks through before transitioning back around.
Evil Urges expertly blends a fusion of seemingly opposing sounds. Of course there are the tracks that lean more heavily in one direction, such as “Sec Walkin,” which goes all out with slide guitar and honky tonk swagger, whereas “Touch Me I’m Going To Scream” overflows with synths and syncopated beats.
Then there are tracks like “Two Halves,” which resembles a 1950s high school prom ditty, complete with a cherubic backing chorus, and underpinned by guitar chords that could’ve been ripped right out of It Still Moves. Or the all-over-the-place “Touch Me I’m Going To Scream Part 2,” which clocks in at eight minutes. The song includes excruciatingly catchy disco-esque beats, darkly carnivalesque synths, spacey reverb, and roadhouse rockabilly all converging underneath James' searing upper-register howl to create an instant classic.
Another standout track is “Librarian,” a narrative that sees James as a singer-songwriter of sorts. Acoustic guitar, sparse tick-tock drums, and subtle bass accompany his account of walking to the library to peek at the librarian. Lyrics such as “When god gave us mirrors he had no idea” muse about our image-obsessed culture while tinges of tremolo strings and slide guitar deliver an unsentimental melancholy.
Evil Urges proves My Morning Jacket’s staying power. Rather than a one-trick pony, the band continues to experiment and expand their sound. Instead of trying to replicate the raw power of their live show, they’ve masterfully produced an album that holds together despite all the genre hopping.
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My Morning Jacket's official website
My Morning Jacket's MySpace
Issue #35
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