| My Morning Jacket – Circuital |  |
How is it we’ve only had six My Morning Jacket albums? They’ve gone so far, I’m amazed this is that same band that put out their first few albums. And of course, they aren’t. Band members have come and gone and the group’s ambitions have grown out of control. Circuital sees My Morning Jacket pushing on with what they were trying with Evil Urges, that is to say an attempt to make all kinds of music at the same time.
While I miss the obvious rockers of days past (there’s no “I’m Amazed” this time) Circuital is better for it. It is a more consistent album that gives the band room for their lofty ambitions. And their lofty sound too. Everything sounds pretty big on this album, like it was recorded on some sprawling stage, which helps with a group that is known for their live shows. For the “Highly Suspicious” crowd, you’ll be happy to know the band’s sense of humor is still present, although no lyric is as ridiculous as “peanut butter pudding surprise.”
It takes a while to process a new My Morning Jacket album. My favorite Evil Urges tracks didn’t even really stand out to me until months after I picked it up. What can I say with certainty? It’s not a bad album by any stretch. I really wish I could hear it live, watching the recent Jimmy Fallon performances had made that clear. This isn’t the band I fell in love with when I listened to At Dawn watching a Seattle morning from a train. They’ve gone so much further since then. And at the same time, they’re everything I loved about them that first time. I guess things just come around like that.
Favorite Tracks: “Circuital,” “Outta My System,” “Holdin’ On to Black Metal”