Search - My Morning Jacket :: Z

Do not Buy SONY products again

At Carstens | South Africa | 11/06/2009

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Thanks for the feedback about this absolute rubbish by SONY, thanks to the comments place by customers, I have decided not to buy anything of this band and never from SONY. Well done SONY! one customer less, I really do not need your music to stay alive."

Not their masterpiece, but still a great album

K. Gorst | shartville, HT | 03/16/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Alot of people feel that MMJ's "Z" album may be the release that defines the band at their creative peak, ranking it with the likes of Radioheads "OK Computer", Wilcos "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" or the Flaming Lips' "Soft Bulletin." I myself don't feel they have hit that peak yet, but I feel that their momentum, starting with "Z" and into "Evil Urges," is heading rapidly towards a truely classic album.



That being said, I loved this album despite its flaws. It starts out very strong with the beautiful "Wordless Chorus." It is so refreshing to hear the 3 part harmonies on this song; it really sets a cool vibe for the rest of the CD. But the next track, "It beats for you," is a whole different animal that gives the disc a darker and more creative vibe. This mix of dark and light, giddy and somber, simple rockers and creative complexity continues through the entire album. This is what makes it a great listen.



But I cannot give it 5 stars because it is not a totally origonal sound. I heard alot of "the bends" era Radiohead in these songs, which isn't neccessarily a bad thing if you prefer Jim James' voice over Thom Yourkes. The most obvious correlations I could find are in "what a wonderful man" and "into the woods" which both would have perfectly fit into the Flaming Lips "clouds taste metallic" album. At some points I couldn't tell if Wayne Coyne was sitting in on those tracks or not. Nevertheless, the songs are great no matter what the influence is.



Standout tracks for me are wordless chorus, gideon, off the record, anytime, and lay low. Although, all the tracks here are solid. This is a disc that will stay in your CD player for quite a while. Then after you wear it out, check out their "evil urges" disc. The only problem with that one is fighting the urge to smash it to pieces after hearing the song "highly suspicious.""