My Morning Jacket is a band that is constantly evolving. Classifying the sound of the band usually falls in the beyond-broad tag of “alternative” because there isn’t a specific genre that is big enough to contain the sound of My Morning Jacket.
On their 2008 album Evil Urges, the band proved its mastery of genre between hard rock “Remnants” and “Aluminum Park,” which falls under the folk/country genre. “Sec Walkin” and “Librarian” are keyboard driven rock songs. Along with “Touch Me I’m Going To Scream, Pt. 1,” “Pt. 2” and “Highly Suspicious.”
The Louisville, Kentucky based band has the ability to play any type of music with Jim James’ room engulfing voice serving as a sonic source of comfort. The current lineup of the band of James, Tom Blankenship, Carl Broemel, Bo Koster and Patrick Hallahan has been together since 2004, and are well-versed with each member’s playing style, making them one of the most exciting live acts of this generation.
The Waterfall feels like the pseudo-sequel to 2011’s Circuital, as it sticks more closely to an unifying album sound, centered around the themes of waterfalls, belief and love.
“Believe (Nobody Knows)” begins the album with an almost Disney-like anthem. Koster’s keyboard mixes with the strings to lay the groundwork, clearing the path for the rest of the band to sneak in and fill the sound, by building up to a climactic first song. James never explicitly said what he wants the listener to believe in. It could be God, or maybe just a hint that it is best to travel through the world with a belief that is true to your heart.
It may seem risky to put a climactic song like “Believe” at the front end of the album, but instead of causing a late album crash, it sets a high standard that the rest of the album easily lives up to. Songs like “Compound Fracture,” “Spring (Among the Living)” and the radio friendly “Big Decisions” follow suit as grand scale songs that propel the album.
“In It’s Infancy (The Waterfall)” creates the feeling of a cascading waterfall, by beginning with a choppy start leading to a sense of impending doom. As the tempo increases, dissonant chords battle repeated chants of “again” that linger and reverberate in the background. The journey is then smooth with a gently strummed acoustic guitar alongside Carl Broemel’s mellow electric picking, creating a majestic, free-flowing section before once again taking the plunge into dissonance.
The acoustic break-up ballad “Get the Point” finds James confronting the end of a relationship that has run its course, saying gently, “I wish you all the love in this world and beyond, I hope you get the point, the thrill is gone.” It doesn’t feel like an angry breakup, rather a disappointing conclusion to a relationship and is the foil to “Wonderful (The Way I Feel),” from Circuital.
After continually redefining the band’s sound on each album, The Waterfall allows the band to pause for a moment and polish the already sharp sound of Circuital and Evil Urges. That’s not to say it’s a collection of recycled sounds, rather it is a more developed second crack at the style My Morning Jacket has crafted. This is an album that will age gracefully as it grows stronger and more cohesive with each listen, aided by the stunning album artwork.
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(Courtesy of albumoftheyear.com)