My Morning Jacket - is (March 21, 2025) • Page 2

I am warming on a couple of these upon revisiting—but also the ones I find dull feel duller.

“Half a Lifetime” continues to get better and better too. I am even getting over some of my hang up about the stop start thing in the verses although I still hate how dry and clean it sounds (that’s not MMJ man)

 

They just aren't as interesting or as experimental as they once were

 

I enjoy this album a lot and I really like most of the songs and even love a couple already, but the way I would describe what working with Brendan O'Brien seems to have done to their sound would be 'even it out'. The valleys may not be as low but the highs also aren't nearly as high. It seems like he pushed them away from their more esoteric stylistic detours but at the same time sanded off the edges that can make their music transcendent.

The expression 'middle of the road' jumps to mind for me, but at the same time I hesitate to use it because it comes off much more negative than I would want it to for an album where I like 9 out of the 10 songs, which is the same percentage as Z for me, my favorite album of theirs and possibly my favorite album of all time (although, as I sorta mentioned before, the highs on this are nowhere near the highs on Z).

"River Road" kinda encapsulates this whole idea for me in that it is a great song that I really, really like a lot and at the same time it's a little bit disappointing as a closer on a MMJ album. Not nearly as disappointing as "Aren't We One" would have been, so we def dodged a bullet there, but still.

This is all why I find myself in the weird place of pretty much agreeing with all of the criticism of the album that I'm hearing while also enjoying the album.

 

These songs in their live show are going to go off though. River Road with some expanded ripper solos is going to slay.

 

I am liking this more with subsequent listens. It's fine for a late-era legacy band.

 

This is “neat” and “tidy” in a way that feels more restrained that any of their previous LPs.

The songs are actually fine and very by the numbers for MMJ. They just don’t get a chance to breathe. That’s my main gripe.

 

way back when they first announced this album, they mentioned recording 15 songs with Brendan O'Brien and said 10 made the cut with 3 bonus tracks. I'm very curious to hear those 3 that didn't make the cut.

possibly a song or two that stretches past the 5 minute mark...

 

Interesting. Yea, wonder if those are extended and breezy than the 10 we have now.

 

Definitely a more simplified and repetitive version of MMJ with a good portion of their jam band nature removed, but I actually like it more than their last couple releases.

 

Listened to it about four times now and some of the songs definitely get stuck in my head. I feel like some of these will be much better live.

 

people keep mentioning the jammy part of their sound but I feel like that's entirely a live thing, almost none of the records are jammy?

 

I agree “jammy” isn’t the best term but there aren’t any extended instrumental sections on here—or even many instrumental sections at all. Not “jamming” per se because that’s all prestructured on record tho. Even stuff like the long interlude in the famous songs like Dondante, I Will Sing, is clearly a part of the song written in advance not a “jam”

 

You can also tell a lot of earlier songs just came from vibing out and jamming, feeling less like a machine churning out music

 

exactly. not "jammy", just extended instrumental sections, and they're almost entirely absent here. there's a small taste on a couple songs, like the middle sections of "Beginning From The Ending" & "Die For It" where the whole band is playing together and things get a *little* heavier, but these sections of their songs have really done the heavy lifting for them for a while now as Jim's songwriting has gotten a little more straightforward and less complex. and they are so damn good at it.

another example for me would be "River Road". aside from the fact that's it's the closer and I always want them to go absolutely fucking epic on the closer, the song builds and builds and seems like it's building to a huge crescendo but then never does and just glides out on that gorgeous guitar. it's an interesting creative choice, and I do love the song as it is, but it hits a little different coming at the end of an album from a band loved for that aspect of their music that never goes there.

I actually wouldn't change these songs much at all* (for the album, mind), but I'd love one or two more songs on the album where they really cut loose and go absolutely wild

* there's one song on here that I really struggle with, but it seems to be a favorite for almost everyone else, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't wish that one hit a little harder and was a little scruffier / dirtier

 

Everyday Magic?

 

yes

 

haha I knew it!

Funny thing is I can hear that song both ways - corny & over polished or groovy pop rock toe tapper. Most times it’s the latter.

This comes from the type of MMJ fan that loves when they go disco-rock though.

 

it might come from its placement on the album though honestly. I absolutely LOVE the opener, and I really like "Half A Lifetime" a ton, but after it's choppy rhythm I think I'm ready for them to just open up and rock the hell out

 

have they considered bringing this energy to the studio lol

 

the last good record jim will write is uniform distortion. wild.

 

No way. He’s got plenty of interesting solo records left in him.

 

it's been 7 years since that one came out

 

i do kinda like this record. like, it isn't good but it's fine.

 

Also, after watching the full Zane interview, it appears we have Brendan O’Brien to blame for the lack of loose adventure on Is

 

David Bowie gave us BlackStar while on his deathbed. Never say never.