My Morning Jacket
"Evil Urges"
Release Date: 6-10
Record label: ATO/Red
Website: www.atorecords.com
4 out of 5 stars
Forty seconds into the first track on My Morning Jacket's "Evil Urges" I feared that I had been duped and was listening to the wrong artist.
On the opening title track singer Jim James' falsetto reaches higher than it has on any of the band's previous releases. The high octaves overtake the first three tracks of the album, reaching their peak on the third cut, a goofy slice of funk entitled "Highly Suspicious." James' falsetto reaching so high it's nearly impossible to understand what the man is singing.
While this new vocal adventure seemed to take away sonically from "Evil Urges" on the first few listens, it eventually becomes apparent that it is essential to each track's success (minus "Highly Suspicious," I just can't get behind that experiment).
My Morning Jacket rose to the top of indie rock and secured a spot as one of America's preeminent rock bands because of their Neil Young-fueled southern rock, doing it better than any of their peers. Their first two releases were full of scathing southern jams, the perfect soundtrack to a ride through the desert with the top down.
Most will tout My Morning Jacket's newest release as a downward turn in the band's discography but it holds up better than 2005's critically acclaimed "Z," due in part to an incredibly sturdy second half of the album.
The band's strong point is still twangy guitars and pounding drums, but those elements now share speaker time with haunting keyboards and airy string arrangements. The old and new creating some of the best pure-pop moments the band has unleashed thus far.
"Thank You Too" shows up in the middle of the record with such a peaceful sound, it could understandably be confused for a modern praise and worship song. Before you pass judgment, just give the chorus one listen. Its somber tone and James' aching vocals will have you singing it for the rest of the day.
For fans fearing change in the band's musical landscape, "Aluminum Park" and "Remnants" swoop in back to back like a pair of wrecking balls during the album's second half. The tracks have most in common with the band's previous output, intense guitar riffs, heart-pounding drums and James screaming and yelping throughout both.
While it is great to hear the band rock like old times on those two tracks, they save the album's highlight for the very end.
"Touch Me I'm Going to Scream Part 2" is an epic eight minute jam, that begins with eerie keys, building up a steady beat of drum and bass nestled under what are some of the most reserved vocals on the album. The beat plods along, picking up steam and various guitar exchanges along the way, one sounding eerily of U2's The Edge in the track's middle portion. The track continues to build as it reaches its climax, with James' screams so high, it's hard to tell between him and the high-pitched twang of the guitar. The track's final two minutes ease back into the keys-drums-bass trio that started everything off, almost as if everyone needed to take a breather.
"Evil Urges" finds My Morning Jacket taking some risks, some that work and some that fall a bit short. However, that's what makes the album stick, the band's ability to continue evolving and remain relevant.
Luke McCormick can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 275 or lmccorm2@siu.edu
