Album review: My Morning Jacket’s ‘Circuital’
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My Morning Jacket, on its sixth studio album and after establishing itself as one of the most monstrously compelling live acts of the last 10 years, returns to a more disciplined form on “Circuital,†a welcome tightening of the reins after the downright goofball antics of 2008’s “Evil Urges.â€
On both records, the band digs outside its dusted country roots to incorporate barroom soul, glistening R&B and the chugging twists and turns borrowed from prog-rock. It’s a game of musical tag that keeps My Morning Jacket limber, if not always focused, but on ‘Circuital,’ the genre experiments seem guided by a watchful eye. (If that eye is anything like the penetrating neon-green iris on the album’s cover, you wouldn’t want to run amok either.)
There are moments when the bear-voiced Jim James and company sound as if they’re scraping an old dinner plate for a last lick, retreading what they’ve done better elsewhere, but then they strike on something inspired enough to renew their license to rock-trot all over the globe.
The title track, soaked in atmosphere that veers from a stealth synth backdrop to open-hearted strumming, hangs on a pristine needle of a guitar part. “Holdin’ on to Black Metal,†built from a Thai pop song and with a children’s chorus thrown in, is giving Lucifer the shivers -- or it’s the theme to a neverending James Bond movie, screening in hell’s cineplex. Either way, MMJ has given itself plenty to work with onstage. “Hello, Tokyo,†you can practically hear James saying. “Looking good tonight!â€
My Morning Jacket
“Circuitalâ€
ATO
Three stars (Out of four stars)
-- Margaret Wappler