I’ve been sitting on this one for a while. It pains me to say this, because – really – I love them, but I think My Morning Jacket is overrated
Not that they’re bad. But I just bought the new record, “Evil Urges,” and – well – it’s not bad, but I’m beginning to think that they aren’t the band I thought they were after “It Still Moves.”
Bob Boilen seems to still think that they’re still that band, even with the weird Prince vocals and flourishes on “Evil Urges” (not to mention the song that sounds like the theme from “Taxi,” starring a young Tony Danza). Another thing Boilen thinks is that this performance by My Morning Jacket frontman, Jim James, is:
One of the most remarkable (and certainly the most memorable) shows I’ve seen this year [...] a stunning, solo acoustic performance at St. Davids Episcopal Church in Austin, TX.
It’s okay, I guess. The sound is good; the audience is receptive. The older songs are performed with the same vigor (and reverb) that made the band great in the first place. The newer stuff (which is maybe about Jesus, except the one about doin’ a librarian) is played with maybe more passion than it deserves.
I don’t mind giving the new stuff more credit than it’s earned. It makes this recording more fun to listent to than “Evil Urges,” which has just turned into a load of work, making it difficult for me to decide if I like it.*
But this? This is digression. The point is that Bob Boilen mislead me. He told me that this was “a stunning, solo acoustic performance.” So who’s that singing harmony? Playing lap steel? Never mind that I only thought it was a good performance – but when did “solo” stop meaning “alone?”
And could somebody answer this question, please: what kind of acoustic instrument was Jim James playing that sounded like a Casiotone keyboard? I like the sound of the electric Casiotones, but I just want to save on my electric bill, you know?
I just feel cheated by the copy on the Web site, is all. Boilen isn’t all bad, though. He did end the “Sound of a Generation” episode of “All Songs Considered” by talking about how the current generation of artists more conciously references the previous ones, and backed it up by playing Okkervil River’s “Plus Ones.”
Which, Mr. Bob Boilen, is well played. Well played indeed.
*For the record, many of my favorite records took me a few listens. Most of them, actually. I wasn’t crazy about Andrew Bird at first. Or Okkervil River. Two best records last year.
6 Comments
I think that solo stopped meaning alone sometime around 1970. Every Beatle “solo” record, even the first McCartney album had someone else. It used to bug me, but I began to understand the disntinction. Now I don’t think twice about it
Sorry for the confusion, I did try to clarify a little bit by saying, ” He was accompanied, at times, by pedal steel and the pipe organ at the church.”
all the best and again, sorry if I mislead you.
Bob
bob…you really piss me off asa music listener
bob…you really piss me off asa music listener
just kidding..
My Morning Jacket and Jim James himself have grown as artists since the release of their first album “Tennessee Fire”. I agree that It Still Moves is my personal favorite of their albums, but to say Evil Urges is not a good album and that they as a band are over-rated is absurd. What bands do you feel are good? Fallout Boy? My Chemical Romance? Green Day? These are all very overrated bands that exert no talent and play the same power chords they have recycled time and time again to produce “radio friendly” songs to make more money. My Morning Jacket continues to grow as a band trying new things while sticking to their routes. If you have heard any of their B-Sides or pre-release material you will understand that this “Prince” sound you do not like (although Prince is a genius) has been around before, and so has the casio sound you refer to. I think you should listen to this album again and think about the talent that goes into an album before you judge. There are not many bands these days who can actually PLAY music, and fortunately My Morning Jacket is one of the few remaining. Have fun listening to Nickleback!
Well, to be honest I never really looked at this website at all. I merely googled Jim James and this was one of the things that came up. I gave it a read and figured that I would comment on it considering it was more of a negative review than anything. I am a firm believer in peoples right to their own opinions and you most certainly are allowed to your own. I misjudged you when I assumed you listened to Nickleback and Creed and all those other no talent bands that the industry keeps pumping out for whatever reason. My main influence and #1 favorite band would have to be Blind Melon. You can say what you will about them, but they are an extremely talented band. Shannon Hoon’s voice is definitely an aquired taste, but it is brilliant all the same. The way the instruments blend with one another and how each member exerts their talent evenly throughout each record is what I especially enjoy. I also am a huge fan of music of that era and consider it to be the second coming (musically) of the 60′s. There was a plethora of musicians back in the early 90′s that just had something music today can’t seem to find : talent. Bands like Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Nirvana (even though I am impartial to them), STP, Beck, etc.
I am curious at what you mean by “staying vital” in what respect do you consider to be vital in the first place. Yo La Tengo in my opinion, although not a bad band, has never been “vital” in the sense that they have been around for years and coming up with great hits and songs etc. A band I would refer to as vital in my interpretation would be someone like Wilco, where Wilco has been around for years and has continuously released albums with substance and art, never straying too far from their roots, but always testing new grounds, musicians, and sounds.
Post a Comment