Customer Reviews

Circuital

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

I had a hard time getting into MMJ. Its like I knew instinctively they were good. But somehow couldn't quite get it till this album. Now what that says...I am not sure. But Circuital has been the defining album for me. This... from a Pink Floyd - psychedelic, Gothic COUNTRY rocker, alternate rock, ambiance and well one of the most creative songs ever written: Holding on to Black Metal - with elements of funk, jazz, and rock...disco..and lyrics i don't fully understand... is weird, strange and well....probably a little I dare say epic.

This music is so retro but so neo and the same time and that is the musicianship of the timeless piece of rock. It's music you HAVE to LISTEN TO..you can't be doing anything...you have to be just listening and relaxing, then you get it. You get the complex melodies and the wonderful sounds of the instruments and the then the spirituality of the lyrics. It's all so well...cool.

Prior to this album I only had one track from this band make it onto my musical radar, "Wordless Chorus" from the album Z. Saw it from some concert footage on an HD channel on TV a couple years back and thought it was really good but didn't know what they were about really. Plus I've seen their posters on the set of my favorite British TV comedy sitcom "The IT Crowd" while watching it on DVD. So this is my first full MMJ album and it has been the best album I've purchased in a few years. Really like the message and symbolism on most of the songs and the album insert artwork. It's encouraging to see a popular band incorporating some Biblical truths and imagery in the lyrics along with some sound advice. I'm sure these guys have been there done that, but are developing some wisdom in life and sharing it without being condescending or judgmental. Their song "Holdin On To Black Metal" as I first heard on Conan is really awesome, but there is a lot more to discover on this album and I couldn't recommend it more.

My Morning Jacket have such an ingrained sound that, no matter how many left turns they've taken since "Z," you can still pull their identity out of the ether their albums have become. On "Circuital," they make something of a return to the atmospheric space rock that had gone missing on the almost funky "Evil Urges," while still carrying the chromosomes of that album into this year's warp drives. Like a country-fried version of The Flaming Lips, Jim James and Company just can't stop evolving or lunging into the glorious fogs.

When your album starts with a vocalized faux-horn entrance into a "Victory Dance" and then into the epic title track where James hush/wails that he's "right back in the same place that we started out," and those two pieces are already almost a third of your album, you know you're in for an unconventional ride. Everything here is trippy but assured, from the beauty of the romantic waltz "Moving Away" to the goofy "Holding On To Black Metal;" the band never sounds tentative or as if they're searching for something. Or even if they're cracking musical jokes, as they do on "Outta My System," it's more like an ode to growing up than what most bands would use for filler.

My Morning Jacket may have become America's most fearless band. "Circuital" pulls influences together yet never seems to go down the same road twice, be it Pink Floyd mystical or The Who-like guitar intensity. (Having seen him play twice, I can assure you, the one thing I really wish for is the album where James lets that Townsend-sized energy appear on an album.) They now have discovered how to manage their many musical fusions while remaining their own band. While not the startling revelation that "Z" was, "Circuital" may well be MMJ's best to date, and one of 2011's best albums.

Just saw MMJ at Red Rocks. What a great show. Every album they release is different and new. Jim James is mellow but still brings the fun. And if you know about MMJ only through American Dad, shame on you. But keep listening.

AWESOME SONG WRITING AND BEAUTIFUL VOICE...THIS BAND CAN DO IT ALL! IF YOU LOVE MUSIC YOU MUST BUY THIS ALBUM...! IT'S THAT SIMPLE...!

I discovered My Morning Jacket on my favorite pub's jukebox and I've been hooked to them ever since. This is fast becoming one of my desert island albums. Circuital is a true musical melting pot. The band is very talented, the album is well produced, and most importantly, all of the songs are very good. The opening "Victory Dance" is carried by its hypnotic rhythm and builds in intensity throughout. The title track is the album's centerpiece and is amazing. The song is over 7 minutes but there's so much joy and passion going on that you're disappointed when it's over. The tracks "The Day Is Coming" and "Outta My System" both have strong melodies that you think you've heard many times before but you haven't. "Wonderful (The Way I Feel)" is a beautiful country ballad that works very well. "You Wanna Freak Out" is an awesome track with a strong melody, playful piano lines, and an interesting mix of twang and noise. "First Light" is a strong sing-along rocker while "Holdin' On To Black Metal" has this `70s prog rock feel albeit with loud horn lines. The final two songs take the tempo down as "Slow Slow Tune" is exactly that while "Movin' Away" is a strong heartfelt piano ballad. Circuital is great all the way around and I'd recommend this to anyone who loves great music.

Being an MMJ fan since Z I was anxious to hear this new release. I preferred It Still Moves and Z to Evil Urges and was worried the band might be going down hill. I was pleasantly surprised after listening to Circuital. It is an extremely good set of songs. It ranks up there with the best of their releases. Instead of fading MMJ seems to be getting stronger. Also, if you have the chance to catch them live, do it; they sound even better in concert.