Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A G.A.B. whose time has come..., December 16, 2006
With this release, My Morning Jacket (or MMJ for you abbreviators out there) has confirmed what I had already suspected: they are a Great American Band on a par with any of the Rock Heroes or Important Bands from the days of old. Yes Page and Plant, I mean you! For the uninitiated, this band combines the rootsy Americana of Neil Young (the most obvious influence), the Allman Brothers (the second most obvious influence) and the Band with the hard-yet-edgy progessive rock of Rush and later Zeppelin, throwing in a heavy dose of indie atmospherics which can also be heard from such bands as the Flaming Lips and Wilco. Jim James's homespun lyrics mesh beautifully with the atmospheric yet rocking nature of the music, painting abstract pictures rather than telling actual stories. It is a testament to the band's unique sound that both indie and jam-rock scenesters lay claim to them, reviews gracing the websites of [...] alike. This is one of the few bands out there today which really brings together everything good about rock n roll, and reaffirms the music's vitality and importance in the new century.
Now, many people do not like live releases. I have never understood that bias, as I love hearing a band stretch out and interpret its studio work in unique ways. I understand though that many bands do not have the ability to actually pull it off. The knock I have heard on live albums is that they are either (a) too jam-centric and thus boring (perhaps even detracting from the enjoyment of the studio work), or (b) too close to the album's sound, so the buyer is basically purchasing the album material with one or two covers and some cheering in the backgound. Okonokos nicely avoids both pitfalls simultaneously. The newer material is imbued with a level of passion and intensity not heard on "Z," a great yet somewhat more mellow album. From the get-go there is a spark and charge that is not evident on all parts of the Z, quite frankly besting the versions that were committed to disc at that time. Even more interestingly, the older songs are re-interpreted and re-invigorated to mesh seamlessly with the new material. Yet the jams are kept to a relative minimum, lasting exactly as long as they need to and no more. Never throughout this album did I feel that the band needed to cut loose more so than they were doing, or that a particular song needed to end before it did. That is a testament to the band's tastefulness, restraint, and deep knowledge of its own material. Add to that Jim James's resonant, flawless voice and you have a performance for the ages.
For years I have been listening to the equally sublime "Acoustic Citsuoca" disc, which presents MMJ in alter-ego form as a stripped-down acoustic act. Listened to next to that live album, Okonokos becomes even more impressive for the range and versatility that this band is apparently capable of. From this disc and their concerts it is clear that MMJ knows how to rock. But they are also a band capable of providing moments of quiet introspection that are virtually unparalleled in the world of music today. This diversity of sound in one band, and their ability to pull it all off with meaning and conviction, rockets MMJ to the top of the top, the greatest of the great. I may be given to over-hyperbolizing and that is a fair criticism of me as a critic, but really I mean it and I hope you take the time to get to know this music. It is beyond rewarding and frankly beyond words.
MMJ's music has been with me through ups and downs, hard times and good times, for years and years. It is versatile, fun, meaningful, Important, and trustworthy all at once. Jim, you're a brother. Rock fans everywhere: TAKE HEED.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the greatest live albums of all-time ****1/2, October 19, 2006
My Morning Jacket is an incredible band. I knew I could always count on them to release a solid psychedelic, southern rock record. But when "Z" came out in 2005, I was absolutely speechless; there was finally a band in the United States to compete with Radiohead, and incidentally, "Z" is probably the best album released since "Ok Computer." It took the band to a whole new level. They went from being solid to superstars; from doing obscure music magazine interviews to releasing a concert in indie theaters across the country.
The next logical step was to do what their southern rock forebarrers of the 70's did. Do a double live album. "Okonokos" is the album and not only does it compare with Little Feat's "Waiting for Columbus," Allman Brother's "Live at Fillmore East," and Cream's 2nd disc on "Wheels of Fire," it actually manages to best them all.
The sound may not be revolutionarily different from the mood of "Z," but that actually plays to My Morning Jacket's advantage; why change perfection? The album is a little more gritty and has a few warts, but songs like "At Dawn," "Golden," and "It Beats For You" find their definitive version in live format. Elsewhere, the off-key singing on "Off the Record" is a bit tough to take (especially since it's one of "Z's" strongest songs) but you can't be a revoutionary all the time. Another tiff is with the choice of set list. With 21 songs of space, the pallate was wide open with possibility, and we get almost half the album dedicated to a record MMJ fans haven't put down for a year. More music from "At Dawn," the many EP's and independant releases, and particularly the near-perfect "It Still Moves" would have been nice. To be honest, though, these are minor, picky problems in comparison to the joyous, reverb-soaked 2 hours of music fans are rewarded with. I can't wait for the next studio album.
Overall: 9 out of 10.
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The ultimate live album from the best live act these days, October 5, 2006
My Morning Jacket has steadily been climbing the commercial and critical recongition in the last 6 years, with 2005's "Z" album ranking easily as one of the best albums of last year. MMJ has built its reputation as a tireless live act, and finally MMJ releases a live album, and what a joy it is.
"Okonokos" (2CDs, 21 tracks, 123 min.) brings the full force of what it's like to experience My Morning Jacket in concert. As can be expected, the live set is heavy on "Z" songs: 8 of its 10 tracks are on here, mostly on CD1, with such gems as "Off the Record", which takes the studio track to new highs in a live setting, and "It Beats 4 U", with its underlying heavy drums. CD2 will bring higher delights to long-time MMJ fans, with epic (10+ min.) pieces like "Dondante" and "Run Through", but also bringing older tracks like "At Dawn" and "Xmas Curtain". The set closes with "Dancefloors" and an exuberant "Magheetah", several tracks on here from the equally excellent 2003 album "It Still Moves".
If you haven't seen My Morning Jacket yet, do yourself a favor and go do so, you won't be disappointed. (MMJ is about to start a Fall tour in support of "Okonokos".) I have seen them a number of times live, but none was better than the now-legendary set they brought at this year's Bonnaroo Festival, starting at midnight and going full blast for 3 straight hours. I must admit that I left after about 2 1/2 hours, I was just spent! That said, "Okonokos" is by far the best live album released this year. Essential, period.
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