First Impressions of..."Circuital" by My Morning Jacket

Up until it's official release next Tuesday May 31st, you can hear "Circuital" in it's entirety via NPR's Exclusive First Listen.  To me it feels like My Morning Jacket have found a comfortable balance between what they created in 2005's "Z" and what they were striving for in 2008's "Evil Urges".  It's certainly going to require repeated listens to absorb but my first impression is that it's a solid and consistent album re-establishing MMJ as a musical force to be reckoned with.  Here are my thoughts on some of the individual tracks.

Victory Dance - Another great slow building song by a band that's got a knack for writing them.  It's perfect for starting off an album or a show.  In fact they opened their show at The Hangout Festival last week with it.
Wonderful (The Way I Feel) - One of the most beautiful songs Jim has written.  It's been played live for a number of years and cherished by those who have heard it.  Now we finally get a studio version.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Outta My System - A glance into the mind of Jim James as he reflects on his past.  Simple yet introspective lyrics.
Holdin' On To Black Metal - It's this album's 'Highly Suspicious'.  Some people will love it, some will hate it.  If 'Highly Suspicious' felt like Jim's homage to Prince, then this one goes out to all his funk/soul influences.  Trepidation gave way to full embrace from me after hearing a live recording of it from The Hangout Fest courtesy of The Steam Engine.
You Wanna Freak Out - This song was the biggest surprise of the album for me.  The phrasing reminds me a lot of another MMJ song (Sec Walkin'), which was a weak point on Evil Urges in my opinion.  What 'Sec Walkin' could have been is realized on this wonderful tune. 
Movin Away - A review on NPR said you could hear the influence of George Harrison on this song (Jim James previously released an EP of Harrison's songs).  I totally agree.  It's also an interesting choice to close out the album.  The songs ending their two previous albums (Evil Urges & Z) have had an epic and explosive feel.  'Movin Away' fits in well in this case however as it following another slow 50's-esk ballad appropriately titled 'Slow Slow Tune'.

Ten Club presents a glimpse into PJ20

The email ended with "Watch it.  Share it.  Spread the word....2011 is YOUR year".  A link lead to a teaser trailer of the Cameron Crowe directed documentary of Pearl Jam's 20 year anniversary.  The 33 second clip captures the group then known as Mookie Blaylock discussing their new name....Pearl Jam! Cameron Crowe reportedly had 18-20 hours of never before seen footage spanning the group's 20 year career to compile his film. He also periodically followed and recorded Pearl Jam over the past 1 1/2 years.  To say that my hopes for this documentary are high would be an immense understatement.  Check out the teaser below.

Mookie>>>PJ from Pearl Jam on Vimeo.

My Morning Jacket News.....New Song & Circuital Tracklisting

Following the reveal of the title track from their upcoming album a few weeks ago, My Morning Jacket gave fans a second helping of soon to be released disc yesterday.  The group streamed another song from Circuital titled "Holdin On To Black Metal" on their website and facebook page.  It oozes funk with horns and a female choir.  If "Circuital" reached back to MMJ's earlier days then "Holdin On To Black Metal" picks up right where there last album 'Evil Urges' left off.  I also have a sneaking suspicion that the band's recent work with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band had a big influence on this record.
Holdin On To Black Metal by user5149576

According to frontman Jim James in an interview with SPIN, among his musical influences are a Thai pop group from the 60's.  So much so that "Holdin On To Black Metal" samples the melody of one of their songs.  Honestly, who other then Jim and MMJ would sample a 60's Thai group for a rock record!?  They never cease to surprise me. 


Lastly, the track listing for 'Circuital' has been released.  It comes out on May 31, 2011 so hit up your local record store and pick it up.
Circuital Tracklisting:
1 - Victory Dance
2 - Circuital
3 - The Day Is Coming
4 - Wonderful (The Way I Feel)
5 - Outta My System
6 - Holdin On To Black Metal
7 - First Light
8 - You Wanna Freak Out
9 - Slow Slow Tune
10 - Movin Away

Concert Review: Iron & Wine - Electric Factory, Philadelphia 4/21/11

Nearly 3 years after having missed their performance at Bonnaroo in favor of Ben Folds and Jack Johnson I got to see Iron & Wine in concert.  Sam Beam & Co. played a great show which included songs from throughout their catalog as they tour in support of their newest album "Kiss Each Other Clean".  If you haven't seen Iron & Wine live you may be surprised to hear the strictly acoustic tunes you've come to love accompanied by horns and keyboards.  The arrangements of Beam's songs seem to continuously grow through the years.  Fans loyal to his early work have been disappointed but I've liked the direction he's gone in and applaud him for continuing to be creative with his songwriting.  Even a song off the new album (Tree By The River) was tweaked with by adding saxophones and a trumpet and I thought it fit perfectly.  Be sure to catch them the next time you have a chance.

Stuff worth checking out from...My Morning Jacket, Passion Pit, Dawes

Here are a few things I came across over the past week that I haven't had a chance to post:

• Earlier today My Morning Jacket released a new tune called "Circuital" which will be featured on the upcoming album of the same name.  Visit MMJ's website for a free download of Circuital.  Clocking in at 7 minutes 18 seconds, it has plenty of time to take us on a musical journey filled with rises & falls, haunting howls from Jim, piano licks reminiscent of an old west saloon, and some rocking guitar solos.
• A few days ago on Rolling Stone posted a video of the song "Golden" from MMJ's upcoming VH-1 Storytellers broadcast.  Lead singer Jim James lends insight into the origins, meaning, and humor behind the song.  
• My Morning Jacket |Storytellers |Free Music Videos |New Artists
• Passion Pit remixed the single "Make Some Noise" off of the new Beastie Boys album.  Check it out over at Stereogum.
• After listening to Middle Brother's debut album non-stop for a week or so I started to dive more into the members primary bands (Dawes, Delta Spirit, & Deer Tick).  I came across a nice recording from a Dawes show back in August of 2010.  You can listen/download it over at TheFrontloader.

Grand Opening: World Cafe Live at the Queen

Last weekend the doors to this newly refurbished venue were officially opened.  After having been vacant since the late 1950's (formerly a hotel & movie theater), the building known as The Queen has been resurrected as a top notch music venue.  To see this project come to fruition is due in large part to Hal Real, founder of the World Cafe in Philadelphia, and radio station WXPN.  This week's edition of Out & About has several good articles regarding The Queen's opening including a Q&A with Hal.  In the article, Hal says that despite repeated requests he had been reluctant to open another World Cafe, not wanting it to become a "cookie cutter" establishment like Hard Rock Cafe.  In the end, the history of the building and the challenge to revitalize the City of Wilmington's nightlife won him over. 

Opening night featured singer/songwriter Ingrid Michaelson playing to a sold out crowd (including me) who were eager to see what The Queen had to offer.  The renovated lobby and hallways lead to the main floor which is general admission bookended between a bar in the rear and the stage up front.  The balcony features lounge seating in the front with standing room in the rear.  It also has a 2nd stage upstairs that will be utilized at smaller events during the week.  Overall The Queen is small enough for the performance to feel intimate but not so much that you feel like you're stuck in a sardine can.  The walls and ceiling surrounding the stage appeared to be cleared of loose/chipping paint but otherwise left unaltered.  It seemed to serve as a reminder of the buildings age and history, plus it looks pretty damn cool with the lighting arrangement shining on it. 

As for the show itself, Ingrid seemed almost effortlessly to win over the crowd by sharing stories and having a dialogue in between songs.  She alternated between guitar and piano accompanied by two backing vocalists also on guitar.  Admittedly I'm only vaguely familiar with her catalog but I still really enjoyed the performance.

Tickets for Upcoming Events at World Cafe Live at the Queen are available for purchase at their website.  In addition to those performances The Queen also boasts several weekly events free of entry charge including: "4W5 Acoustic Jam" on Mondays at 7pm, "Acoustic/Electric Open Mic" on Tuesdays at 7pm, and "4W5 Blues Jam" on Wednesdays at 7pm.

New To Me: Middle Brother

I picked up the debut album from Middle Brother earlier this week and instantly became a fan.  If you haven't heard of Middle Brother you may know some of the member's other bands.  John McCauley of Deer Tick, Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, and Matt Vasquez of Delta Spirit joined forces forming a indie/folk mega-group along the lines of Monsters of Folk.  The result of that collaboration is a remarkable album full of folk/rock songs reminiscent of other 'Brother' acts The Avett Brothers and The Felice Brothers.

Middle Brother are currently out on tour supporting the album, including a stop at the SXSW Music Festival.  A recording of their performance in Boston earlier this month is available to download at Visible Voice.  As with the album I was captivated by their heartfelt and powerful live performance.  Hopefully they'll swing by my way sometime soon.  Take a listen to "Blue Eyes" and "Theater" from their show in Boston below.
 Middle Brother - Blue Eyes - Boston 3/3/11 by Ledjam311


 Middle Brother - Theater - Boston 3/3/11 by Ledjam311