Review: My Morning Jacket – Circuital

If there was ever a band whose live shows outweighed their albums, it’s My Morning Jacket. The band built their reputation on their epic live shows, and by the time 2005’s Z rolled around, they were packing tents at Bonnaroo on a yearly basis. In the studio, the triumph of Z was followed by the weird experimentation of 2008’s Evil Urges, where many fans, were turned off by Jim James’ falsetto and the oddball sounds of “Highly Suspicious.” Still, their live act was perfect, with the missteps of the album disappearing underneath a wall of rock and roll. In the downtime between records, James took on a few side projects, most notably his gorgeous, spare EP of George Harrison covers (under the moniker Yim Yames) and his Monsters of Folk side project with Conor Oberst and M. Ward, which brought him back towards the sound MMJ perfected early in their career.

So after the dust has settled on Evil Urges, its tour, and James’ extracurricular work, MMJ has returned with Circuital, an album that isn’t as instantly endearing like Z, but not as instantly divisive as Evil Urges. For the recording process, the band took a cue from their live successes, recording most of it in a circle in a church instead. The result is an album that feels both polished and spontaneous, one that has the wrinkles of the recording process smoothed out in advance. There are still unexpected flourishes, like the horns at the start of opener “Victory Dance” or the choir in “Holding on to Black Metal,” but for the most part, Circuital doesn’t rely on studio enhancements the way its predecessor did.

What’s also noticeable about the record is its relative brevity. At only 45 minutes, it is their shortest record to date, using its tracks in the same concise manner Z did. The only two longer tracks come at the beginning with “Victory Dance” and the title track, which blend into each other, sonically bringing together the ambitious side of the band (think “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream, Pt. 1”) and the guitar jaunts they’re also fond of (i.e. “Mahgeeta”) into a 13 minute suite.

The record holds this way through the solid “The Day is Coming” and the slightly over sentimental acoustic ballad “Wonderful (The Way I Feel).” “Outta My System” finds James returning to the same goofy storytelling that he first tried on Evil Urges’ “Librarian,” this time with the protagonist relating that he was told not to “smoke drugs” instead of falling in love with a pretty librarian. Lyrically, it’s the weakest song on the record, but the sound is classic MMJ.

What follows track that’s likely to divide fans as much as “Highly Suspicious” in “Holding on to Black Metal.” Inspired by a track from a ’60s Thai pop compilation James says he was mesmerized by, it features call and response with a choir and bright horn flourishes that would seem out of place if the band had never breached that territory before. It’s pretty far from “One Big Holiday,” the band’s signature song, but as James told Vulture recently, “The song is about holding on to things that others might consider outdated, like holding on to certain kinds of music for too long and not graduating to other kinds.” Anyone that’s ever listened through MMJ’s discography knows that they can be restless, and haven’t ever really stuck to a consistent sound. While “Holding on to Black Metal” is contradictory to the songs on At Dawn or It Still Moves, it’s well within the band’s wheelhouse, and therefore, a seemingly natural evolution.

Though the first half of the record is easily the better, “You Wanna Freak Out” provides a fantastic highlight for the flip side. Just as “Smokin from Shootin” provided a nice “classic” sound to the latter half of Evil Urges, “Freak Out” finds the band at their most comfortable, jamming out to the sound that led many fans to fall in love with them in the first place. While it won’t ever earn itself a place on a greatest hits compilation, it’s an enjoyable track that will garner repeat listens for old fans. Though the funky “First Light” is another fun track, “Slow Slow Tune” and “Moving Away” are uninspiring, failing to match the ambition of the rest of the record.

Following It Still Moves, Rolling Stone referred to My Morning Jacket as “the Radiohead of the Midwest,” a designation that seemed incredibly odd given the vast difference in sound between the two bands. That comparison seems more apt today, however. Radiohead pushed the boundaries of guitar rock, even breaking from entirely, just as My Morning Jacket pushed the boundaries of the “Southern” roots rock they made their name from, also departing from it entirely at times over the past five years. That’s not to say that Circuital is by any means a paradigm shifting album (that would be Z), but instead a solid record that further cements the band’s reputation for originality and resistance to the notion of a signature My Morning Jacket sound.

Michael’s Score: 78
TUiW Grade: B+

TUiW Radio 5.24.11 Playlist

If you missed today’s show, you missed great new music from My Morning Jacket, Stephin Merrit, and Thurston Moore, among others. Not to worry, as we have the playlist and several streams and free and legal downloads below. Check it out!

1. Arcade Fire – “Culture War”
2. EMA – “Anteroom”
3. Ty Segall – “You Make the Sun Fry” [MP3 – Right Click + Save As]
4. My Morning Jacket – “Victory Dance”
5. Cults – “Go Outside”
6. Bear Ceuse – “The Streets of Something Good”
7. Stephin Merrit – “Forever and a Day” [MP3 – Right Click + Save As]
8. Nat Baldwin – “Lifted”
9. The Antlers – “French Exit”
10. Thurston Moore – “Space”
11. Okkervil River – “Your Past Life is a Blast”
12. New Order – “Hellbent”
13. Hooray for Earth – “No Love” [MP3 – Right Click + Save As]
14. Handsome Furs – “Repartiated”
15. Moonface – “Fast Peter”
16. 13 & God – “Its Own Sun”
17. Radiohead – “Bloom”
18. James Blake – “Unluck”
19. Crystal Stilts – “Through the Floor”
20. Guided by Voices – “Everywhere with Helicopter”
21. The Hold Steady – “Slapped Actress”
22. Ted Leo & the Pharmacists – “You Could Die (Or This Might End)”

TUiW Radio 4.26.2011 Playlist

In case you missed today’s show, or if you just loved it to an unreasonable degree, check out the playlist below!

1. tUnE-yArDs – “Gangsta”
2. Radiohead – “The Butcher”
3. Panda Bear – “Afterburner”
4. TV on the Radio – “No Future Shock”
5. My Morning Jacket – “Holdin on to Black Metal”
6. Herzog – “Paul Blart and the Death of Art”
7. The Feelies – “When You Know”
8. Bass Drum of Death – “GB City”
9. Dodos – “Sleep”
10. Vivian Girls – “Sixteen Ways”
11. The Raveonettes – “My Time’s Up”
12. The Mountain Goats – “Never Quite Free”
13. Wye Oak – “We Were Wealth”
14. Sigur Ros – “Heysatan”
15. Wilco – “Cars Can’t Escape”
16. Surf City – “Free the City”
17. Surfer Blood – “Swim”
18. Grandaddy – “The Crystal Lake”
19. Dinosaur Jr. – “I Want You to Know”
20. The Strokes – “Gratisfaction”
21. Sparklehorse – “Piano Fire”
22. Sleep Station – “Caroline, London 1940”
23. Jay Reatard – “There is No Sun”
24. Neutral Milk Hotel – “Song Against Sex”

TUiW Radio 4.19.2011 Playlist

For your archiving pleasure:

1. Dodos – “Black Night”
2. Dom – “Jesus”
3. Boat – “King Kong”
4. Eternal Summers – “Promises”
5. Vivian Girls – “Lake House”
6. TV on the Radio – “Second Song”
7. Panda Bear – “Tomboy”
8. Radiohead – “Supercollider”
9. tUnE-yArDs – “Powa”
10. Thao and Mirah – “Squarehead”
11. Times New Viking – “Want to Exist”
12. Deerhunter – “Nosebleed”
13. My Morning Jacket – “Octoplasm”
14. The National – “Exile Vilify”
15. The Antlers – “Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out””
16. Destroyer – “Savage Night at the Opera”
17. Jesse Ruins – “Dream Analysis”
18. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – “Anne With an E”
19. Yuck – “The Wall”
20. Built to Spill – “You Were Right”
21. Elf Power – “Paralyzed”
22. The Gerbils – “Glue”
23. Apples in Stereo – “Tidal Wave”

TUiW Radio 4.12.2011 Playlist

Missed today’s show? Check out the playlist and grab some free tunes!

1. Mogwai – “Mexican Grand Prix”
2. Vivian Girls – “Dance (If You Wanna)”
3. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – “Belong”
4. Panda Bear – “Surfer’s Hymn”
5. TV on the Radio – “Keep Your Heart”
6. My Morning Jacket – “Circuital”
7. Low – “Especially Me”
8. The National – “Think You Can Wait”
9. The Raveonettes – “Apparitions”
10. Kurt Vile – “Puppet to the Man”
11. The Mountain Goats – “Birth of Serpents”
12. Wye Oak – “Hot as Day”
13. Dum Dum Girls – “There is a Light That Never Goes Out”
14. Memory Tapes – “Today is Our Life” [MP3] [Right Click + Save As]
15. MUDL – “Anarthro”
16. tUnE-yArDs – “Bizness” [MP3] [Right Click + Save As]
17. LCD Soundsystem – “Live Alone (Franz Ferdinand Cover)”
18. Handsome Furs – “What About Us”
19. Yuck – “Holing Out (Live on Daytrotter)”
20. Deerhunter – “Disappearing Ink”

TUiW 3.17.2011 Playlist

After a week off, TUiW Radio is back! Check out the playlist and snag some tunes!

1. Dum Dum Girls – “Wrong Feels Right”

2. Wavves – “Horse Shoes”

3. Wye Oak – “The Alter”

4. Rural Alberta Advantage – “Stamp”

5. the Fresh and Onlys – “Do You Believe in Destiny?” [MP3, Right Click + Save As]

6. Here We Go Magic – “Hands in the Sky” [MP3, Right Click + Save As]

7. Jessica Lea Mayfield – “Grown Man”

8. The Mountain Goats – “Beautiful Gas Mask”

9. R.E.M. – “UBerlin”

10. Radiohead – “Separator”

11. TV on the Radio – “Will Do”

12. Thao and Mirah – “Eleven [ft. tUnE-yaRds]” [MP3, Right Click + Save As]

13. Ponytail – “Easy Peasy” [MP3, Right Click + Save As]

14. The Dodos – “Don’t Stop”

15. La Sera – “Sleeptalking”

16. My Morning Jacket – “Butch Cassidy (Live)”

17. Deerhunter – “Hazel St.”

18. Beach House – “Walk in the Park”

19. Grizzly Bear – “Ready Able”

20. The Weakerthans – “Civil Twilight”

21. White Rabbits – “Percussion Gun”

22. The Walkmen – “Thinking of a Dream I Had”

TUiW Radio 11.10.2010 Playlist

Thanks to all that listened today! If you missed it, be sure to tune in next week from 8-10am EST at SCADRadio.org! Here’s the playlist:

TUiW Radio 11.10.10 Playlist:

1. John Legend & The Roots – “Wake Up”
2. The Walkmen – “Angela Surf City”
3. Deerhunter – “Don’t Cry”
4. Best Coast – “Goodbye”
5. No Age – “Skinned”
6. Superchunk – “Crossed Wires”
7. Elvis Costello – “Jimmie Standing in the Rain”
8. Tim Kasher – “A Grown Man”
9. Murdocks – “OMG”
10. Comic Wow – “Chimp on a Pew”
11. Robyn – “Criminal Intent”
12. Lyrics Born – “Lies x 3”
13. Swedish House Mafia – “Your Name (Feat. Pharrell)”
14. LCD Soundsystem – “All My Friends (London Session)”
15. Glasser – “Glad”
16. Panda Bear – “Comfy in Nautica”
17. Wolf Parade – “I’ll Believe in Anything”
18. The Thermals – “How We Fade”
19. Land of Talk – “Blangee Blee”
20. Elf Power – “Spidereggs”
21. My Morning Jacket – “Gideon”
22. Grizzly Bear – “Little Brother (Electric Version)”
23. The National – “About Today”

Andrew Bird and MMJ On Shel Silverstein Compilation

Beloved late writer/poet/songwriter Shel Silverstein is getting the cover treatment June 8 with the release of Twistable, Turnable Man: A Musical Tribute to the Songs of Shel Silverstein, a covers records of songs by Silverstein the songwriter. Silverstein was as accomplished and lighthearted a songwriter as he was a poet, with his most notable songs being given to other performers, including Dr. Hook’s “The Cover of the Rolling Stone,” and Johnny Cash’s memorable “A Boy Named Sue.” The tribute record will feature takes on Silverstein songs by Andrew Bird, My Morning Jacket (who contribute two), Decemberists side project Black Prairie, Dr. Dog, Lucinda Williams, Kris Kristofferson, and Black Francis and Joey Santiago of the Pixies. The compilation was produced by Bobby Bare, Jr. and Bobby Bare, Sr., both of whom worked with Silverstein. Pitchfork is streaming two tracks from Andrew Bird and MMJ right now.

Twistable, Turnable Man Tracklist:

01: My Morning Jacket: “Lullabies, Legends and Lies”
02: Andrew Bird: “The Twistable, Turnable Man Returns”
03 John Prine: “This Guitar Is for Sale”
04 Dr. Dog: “The Unicorn”
05 Kris Kristofferson: “The Winner”
06 Sarah Jarosz With Black Prairie: “Queen of the Silver Dollar”
07 Bobby Bare, Jr. with Isabella Bare: “Daddy What If”
08 Black Francis with Joey Santiago: “The Cover of the Rolling Stone”
09 The Boxmasters: “Sylvia’s Mother”
10 Ray Price: “Me and Jimmie Rodgers”
11 Todd Snider: “A Boy Named Sue”
12 Lucinda Williams: “The Ballad of Lucy Jordan”
13 Bobby Bare: “The Living Legend”
14 Nanci Griffith: “The Giving Tree”
15 My Morning Jacket: “26 Second Song”

Get a Free Best of Bonnaroo Comp

The folks at Bonnaroo have always been big advocates of environmental causes, and they’re now offering a free compilation of Bonnaroo performances to help the cause. The compilation includes tracks by Wilco, Death Cab for Cutie, the Decemberists, My Morning Jacket and a ton of jam bands, all of which were performed at the festival over the years, and is free with the option to send a pre-written letter to Congress to support a bill to fix climate change. Get it here, and check out the playlist below.

01 Wilco: “Bull Black Nova”
02 Pearl Jam: “Animal”
03 Jack Johnson: “Inaudible Melodies”
04 Dave Matthews Band: “Rapunzel”
05 Death Cab for Cutie: “Cath…”
06 Ani DiFranco: “Fuel”
07 Phish: “Kill Devil Falls”
08 Gov’t Mule: “Banks of the Deep End”
09 O.A.R.: “Delicate Few”
10 moe.: “Not Coming Down”
11 Raphael Saadiq: “100 Yard Dash”
12 Bob Weir & RatDog: “Throwing Stones”
13 The Disco Biscuits: “And the Ladies Were the Rest of the Night”
14 The Decemberists: “The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid”
15 My Morning Jacket: “Oh! Sweet Nuthin'” (Velvet Underground cover)
16 Guster: “Happier”
17 Phil Lesh and Friends: “Box of Rain”

Sasquatch! Festival Lineup Announced

We have another festival lineup to announce! This year’s Sasquatch! Festival will feature headliners Pavement, My Morning Jacket, and Massive Attack. Also playing? Vampire Weekend, MGMT, the National, LCD Soundsystem, Band of Horses, Ween, Tegan and Sara, Broken Social Scene, Passion Pit, Public Enemy, She & Him, the New Pornographers, the Hold Steady, the xx, Dirty Projectors, No Age, Drive-By Truckers, Kid Cudi, the Mountain Goats, Quasi, Camera Obscura, Midlake, WHY?, Japandroids, Wale, YACHT, Cymbals Eat Guitars, the Very Best, Neon Indian, tUnE-YarDs, and Local Natives. That sounds like a damn good lineup. For the full list, head here.