I'm Amazed

As a follow-up to last week's post about the circulation of the new My Morning Jacket song, I have since had the good fortunate to illegally get my hands on Evil Urges in its entirety. I didn't want to let other pirates' opinions affect my own, so I decided to give it a dozen listens, let it settle in, and then come up with my own conclusion about the record. All I have to say is I now understand why critics consider these guys among an elite handful of bands who couldn't make a bad album if they tried. MMJ are easily in the same company as Radiohead, Spoon, and The Hold Steady.

The thing that is so admirable about Evil Urges is how it manages to perfectly combine the experimentation so prevalent on their last effort, Z, with the avant-garde, yet classic Southern guitar sound most associated with earlier albums It Still Moves and At Dawn. Jim James and gang take us for a ride during the first several tracks, which seem as if they could have easily been remnants from Z based on their respective falsetto vocals, schizophrenic tempos, and genre-straddling guitar riffs. "Highly Suspicious" is just that, and is hands down the band's weirdest track to date, sounding somewhere in between Prince and Gwar. The change is like night and day when we reach "I'm Amazed" -- a classic rock tune that couldn't have been done better by Skynyrd if they tried. This is when things start to sound a little more familiar to longtime MMJ fans. James' voice soars on the gorgeously sincere 1-2 punch that is "Thank You Too"/ "Sec Walkin'". We are then treated to the band's closest encounter to the radio-friendly world with the poppy "Two Halves" -- a apparent nod to early rock influences along the likes of Buddy Holly and The Everly Brothers.

The band eases the listener into a delightful slide-guitar, alt-country-induced coma on "Librarian" (see lyric: "since we got the Interweb, these [books] hardly get used...") and "Look At You" before ripping the joint apart on "Aluminum Park" and "Remnants" -- the latter of which is simply straight-up, balls to the wall rock. The album's aural roller coaster ride continues on the album's closing songs, culminating on the eight minute epic finale "Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Part 2". It is honestly hard to believe how easy it is for My Morning Jacket to seamlessly incorporate so many different influences in a mere 13 song hour-long set. But then again, this has become the band's legacy that will inevitably catapult them into rock superstardom. Granted it is only May (and there is still a month before it even hits shelves) but Evil Urges is my early pick for Album of the Year. And if you are nice enough, I just might share the love.

My Rating: 9.0 out of 10

Possibilities

It looks like all of the information is finally piecing together for the new Weezer album. I know I shouldn't be getting my hopes up for this record, considering that (previous effort) Make Believe was an absolute trainwreck, but the new album's first single ("Pork & Beans") has the infectious pop crunch so reminiscent of "Blue Album" and Pinkerton-era Weezer that it's just too hard to pass up on. The album, which is the band's third self-titled full-length release (and will without a doubt be referred to as the "Red Album") is due out June 24th. Starting today "Pork & Beans" is available for download via Amazon. Here is the artwork and tracklisting for Weezer No. 3:

1. "Troublemaker"
2. "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)"
3. "Pork and Beans"
4. "Heart Songs"
5. "Everybody Get Dangerous"
6. "Dreamin'"
7. "Thought I Knew"
8. "Cold Dark World"
9. "Automatic"
10. "The Angel and the One"

Golden

The most eagerly-anticipated album of the year (thus far) is My Morning Jacket's Evil Urges. Supposedly, this album is going to blow peoples' minds. From what I've heard from those fortunate enough to get their hands on advance copies, the band (i.e. America's musical equivalent to Radiohead) does NOT disappoint on this one. On Friday, the band released the new album's self-titled track. You can download it free HERE. If this song is any indication of how Evil Urges is going to sound, this album will complete the band's "trifecta of genius" (It Still Moves and Z are already classics) and will surely propel Jim James and gang into arena-headlining status. Man. It's about time. Evil Urges hits stores June 10th.

Modern Music?

The title of Black Mountain's new record is called In The Future, and it looks like these Canadians are pulling a fast one on all of us. The title of the quintet's sophomore album could not be any more facetious, as the band essentially puts on an hour-long clinic devoted to to the forbears of 60's and 70's stoner rock. I finally got around to giving this album a good listen, and my first impression is that of a more toned-down, indie-appealing Wolfmother (which is not necessarily a bad thing). Summed up, we get a dose of nostalgia on practically every single track. The base line of "Wucan" takes a page right out of Roger Waters' book, giving us a song that sounds unmistakably similar to "Another Brick In The Wall". Secondary singer Amber Webber is a dead ringer for Jefferson Airplane's Grace Slick throughout the record and especially on "Queens Will Pay. "Evil Ways" pays tribute to Deep Purple's debut record, contributing the fast drums and organ riff nearly identical to those on "Hush". The list pretty much goes on, as influences ranging from Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and even the Grateful Dead make their cameo appearances on In The Future. If originality is your thing, you are not going to dig this album. If, on the other hand, you are in the mood for an hour of experimental guitar riffs, heavy jams, and a blast to an often-missed past, then this band is right up your alley.

My Rating 7.0 out of 10