Circuital

My Morning Jacket | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 31, 2011)
• Original Release Date: 2011
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: ATO RECORDS / RED
• ASIN: B004W9CG6Q
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,117 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

My Morning Jacket, with almost 2 million albums sold worldwide and a previous Billboard #9 debut with 50,000 scanned first week, return with their sixth studio album, the stunning Circuital.

Circuital was recorded in Louisville, KY and Nashville, TN, and was co-produced by frontman Jim James and Tucker Martine (R.E.M., Sufjan Stevens, The Decemberists). The result is yet another reinvention of their sound that both forges new ground and maintains the distinct spirit of MMJ s previous work.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars MMJ takes (yet) another left-turn, May 31, 2011

By 

Paul Allaer (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Circuital (Audio CD)

When we last heard from My Morning Jacket, with 2008's "Evil Urges", the band was exploring new directions, including some funk-related undertones (such as "Highly Suspicious"), of all. Yet somehow it worked. After extensive touring in support of "Evil Urges" (these guys are truly road warriors) and some time away, now comes the highly anticipated new album. And guess what, yet new surprises!

"Circuital" (10 tracks; 45 min.) starts off with the brooding 6 min. "Victory Dance" which towards the end culminates with a no-holds-barred musical crash, just beautiful. It is followed by the epic 7 min. title track, which builds and builds. Those 2 tracks alone eat up 1/4 of the album's running time. "The Day Is Coming" finds some lighter tones. Jim James' falsetto voice, so prevalent in earlier albums, is kept in check for most of the album. (Interestingly, he is on this album again credited as Yim Yames, the moniker he used for his George Harrison tribute EP released a few years ago.) "Wonderful (The Way I Feel)" is a ballad with James' mostly solo on acoustic guitar. "Hold On to Black Metal" (1st single, more on that later) is the most exuberant track on here, with horns and a girls choir backing no less, wow. It all leads to the last 2 tracks, "Slow Slow Song" (the title says it all) and "Movin Away", an equally pensive tune. What a way to finish out. In all, this album is definitely another decidedly left-turn in MMJ's output, but somehow it works great. At 45 min., this album clips by in no time and you find yourself playing this again and again.

As to that 1st single, I got it for free (technically speaking, I bought it for $2, but it came with a $2 discount for the album), and available only at your local indie-record store (where I bought this). Besides "Hold On to Black Metal" it also contains a great live track "Butch Cassidy" which you can't get anywhere else. A must-have for any MMJ fan. I have seen MMJ many, many times in concert over the last 6-7 years, and they are one of the best live bands you'll ever see. I will catch them again at the upcoming Lollapalooza festival in August, and I can't wait to see how these new songs will resonate live. Meanwhile, "Circuital" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

21 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Finally makes some sense to me, June 13, 2011

By 

evanjamesroskos "ejr" (nj) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Circuital (MP3 Download)

I've had a hard time getting into MMJ. I can't explain it. By all accounts I should like their stuff. Don't read this as an "I'm too cool" or "I'm not cool enough." I just can't get into my morning jacket. Granted, I've only tried It Still Moves and parts of Evil Urges, but if something on those two didn't do it, I figured it wasn't worth forcing the issue.

Even when I heard James's rendition of Bob Dylan's Goin' to Acapulco I felt like I could try again. but that song is just too beautiful. nothing matched it.

So, when Amazon gave me a free copy of the title track on the new album, I gave it a shot. And -- for some bizarre reason -- the universe is aligned in just the right way. This album works for me.

Perhaps it's time that you, who might be like me, give my morning jacket a try. Forget the other stuff (for now) and let the soothing opening tracks wash over you.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Still going strong, June 9, 2011

By 

B. Martin - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Circuital (MP3 Download)

On 2005's "Z", Jim James declared, "We are the innovators, they are the immitators" and while he was not necessarily referring to his band or that masterful album, it was a fitting statement from a group that had reinvented themselves and left most other rock acts in their wake. Six years and two albums later, My Morning Jacket may not be quite as innovative as they were when Z redefined them, but on Circuital they are still blazing their own trail and keeping their music sounding both fresh and familiar at the same time.

Circuital finds the group trying out different sounds and styles from the largely acoustic ballad "Wonderful (The Way I Feel)" which is a nod to fellow bearded indie rockers Fleet Foxes and Band of Horses, to the gentle piano ballad, "Movin' Away" which closes the album on a quiet note. Elsewhere, MMJ deliver an infectious slice of pop metal with "Holding on to Black Metal" which features a ridiculously catchy riff, horns and an anthematic chorus that all works together to create the album's most purely euphoric moment. Meanwhile, the title track starts out with a simple, bare bones guitar riff and adds layers of instruments and sounds until it threatens to explode. Throughout it all, James' considerable songwriting skills hold everything together. MMJ may be interested in trying out new sounds and dabbling in various styles, but the songwriting never goes by the wayside.

There will no doubt be those who want MMJ to bend to their demands. Some will want them to make another Z. Some will want them to create less pop saavy songs while others will probably want them to follow the current indie rock trends and perhaps incorporate more electronica into the mix. But what is great about My Morning Jacket is that no matter what their fans and/or critics expect or demand, they will always follow their own path. Circuital is not only an excellent album, but a reminder of that very fact. I'd say that still qualifies them as innovators.