My Morning Jacket – The Waterfall II

Jim James is now Randy Newman. Do with that information what you will.

After all, it’s my word that gets printed over yours. I can write bleep blop bloop bleep fuck fuck fuck, it’ll get printed in pretty onyx ink and you can spend the better part of a day wondering what I meant by it. Or you can just see it for what it is: whimsical nonsensity to a driving beat. That is what My Morning Jacket has been for almost ever. After the silo rock operas like 2005’s Z (which I have a clear bias towards because, hey, I went most my life thinking there would never be a song or an album that shared my name, and here’s one that’s not half bad, so I clung for dearest life), it’s just been one 15-year-long song for me since then. The song isn’t horrible. The guitar is nice. The structure is easy. The lyrics are fair enough. But it’s just that (that, and there’s three more minutes to every song by the time I’m through with it). There’s no crescendo, no climax, just one long and searing edge.

I think MMJ fans will love The Waterfall II, and I think everyone else, per usual, won’t. AND THAT’S OKAY! Jim James is comfy. So are his fans. He’ll have some here and theres but everything else is tepid to you and me. The Waterfall II has some good licks, it’s a pleasant stroll, but do you remember your last walk in the park with stark fondness? Not unless you were on drugs or it was earlier today.

Anyways, I guess I’ll see you at Bonnaroo?

My Morning Jacket
The Waterfall II
[ATO]