Evil Urges : My Morning Jacket : Review : Rolling Stone

"Evil urges, baby," squeals Jim James in the title track of his band's fifth studio album. "They be part of the human way!" A slinky funk strut delivered in Prince-like falsetto that blows up into a proggy Southern-rock guitar duel, "Evil Urges" rallies you to "Dedicate your love to any woman or man/No racial boundary lines, no social subdivisions" and notes that "evil" is often in the ear of the beholder.

But coming from a young band whose first three albums earned them a reputation as hairy torchbearers of guitar-driven classic rock, the title is also about messing with expectations. More so than 2005's mildly experimental Z, Evil Urges explodes the band's sound with the same kind of creative leap that Wilco took on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and Radiohead took on Kid A.

MMJ's reverence for Neil Young and Crazy Horse is well documented; their Prince fetish less so. They've covered "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" live, employed Prince-ly nomenclature (see 2005's "It Beats 4 U") and happily mixed drum machines and lengthy guitar jams (see 2002's space-funk-folk-rock epic "Cobra"). But nothing in their discography could anticipate a song like "Highly Suspicious," Evil Urges' biggest WTF moment. Squeaking out rhymes like "Home alone dotting your i's/Peanut-butter-pudding surprise!" in helium falsetto over boogie-rock guitar outbursts, drill-sergeant backing vocals and clipped drum spasms, it's better suited to an I Love the '80s! mix, set between "Little Red Corvette" and Devo's "Whip It," than to a My Morning Jacket album. (And, dude, I don't even want to know what a "peanut-butter-pudding surprise" is.) It's both hilarious and badass.

MMJ also embrace prog rock — a direction that initially seems at odds with their populist jam-band vibe. But James is determined to have it both ways. The elaborate, shimmering vocal overdubs on "Touch Me I'm Going to Scream, Part 1" recall 10cc's prog-pop landmark "I'm Not in Love." And the record's 13-minute tag-team finale, "Smokin From Shootin" and "Touch Me I'm Going to Scream, Part 2," morphs between Radiohead's computer-assisted soul, avant-roots rock and a chugging Pink Floyd space anthem. "Oh! This feeling is wonderful! Don't you ever turn it off!" sings James on the latter song, amid majestic Fender Rhodes chords and Loch Ness monster slide guitar, building to a surprise ending sure to result in thousands of spilled bongs. He could be singing about sex. He could be singing about MDMA. And when he notes how long it's been since he's been challenged to think "about the way things are" and "the way they could be," he could even be singing about a certain presidential candidate. Just as there are innumerable sexual metaphors, James knows sex can be a metaphor for innumerable things.

Yet you sense that for all his freaky ambition, James is still an old-fashioned guy trying to reconcile his love of tradition with the modern world. One of the record's standouts is "Librarian," an acoustic love ballad that's so archaic it's clearly a hallucination: The singer wanders through book stacks ("Since we got the Interweb, these hardly get used") and sees his crush listening to the Carpenters on AM radio. But songs, like books, invent their own reality, and by the time he reaches the hoary nerd-girl come-on, "Take off those glasses and let down your hair for me," it's enough to make you forswear your Amazon account.

There are lots of old-school moments like this on Evil Urges. Some showcase group vocals; for the first time, James' bandmates sing backup, adding a shaggy richness to the mix. "Two Halves" is a love letter to youth with a Frankie Valli doo-wop touch. "I'm Amazed" is a slow-grind beer-slosher with a hollered good-ol'-boy chorus, while "Sec Walkin'" shows off James' deep love of Seventies soul. Evil Urges refutes the idea that indie rock these days is too white. It's a beautifully miscegenated mess: "Thank You Too" conjures the Stylistics, "Aluminum Park" conjures the Replacements, and it's all good.

That shape-shifting is fitting for a band whose leader recently appeared in whiteface in Todd Haynes' surreal Bob Dylan biopic, I'm Not There, which dealt with an icon whose music could never be reduced to mere tradition. James seems well aware that any definition of "classic rock" that doesn't include Prince, Radiohead and Wilco is pretty bereft. Now, with Evil Urges, he can add My Morning Jacket to that list.

WILL HERMES

(Posted: Jun 12, 2008)

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Review 1 of 9

5of 5 Stars

I hated this album. Giles (Jawbone), whose musical taste I have to respect cos I'm in his band, gave it to me and was raving about it. I listened to a bit of it and didn't get it, subsequently passing on the opportunity to see them live.

About 2 months later I was driving and it was the only cd in the car I wasn't sick of so I put it on - after all every duff album's worth a second chance.

1.) I'm kicking myself that I didn't see them live.
2.) This is a shining, sparkling gem. It is truly a thing of beauty.

Intricately layered in parts, influenced by bands as diverse as Rush, Prince and even Manic Street Preachers (but in a good way, and yes that is possible), it's the album equivalent of going through the vinyl bin at a charity store before anyone else has raided it and finding all the good stuff even if the good stuff is only good as in retro. If that makes sense.

But at least I now see what Giles was on about when he recommended it. Go and listen to it now. Don't worry if you hate it, come back to it in about a month and you'll be amazed :)

Sep 12, 2008 14:43:37

Review 2 of 9

5of 5 Stars

I am a huge fan of MMJ. I love all of their albums and for different reasons. This album I will be the first to admit is the ultimate grower. I do not think a music critic should be able to review this album until they have listened to it a ton for 2 months. At first it comes off a scattered and of so many styles. After time you realize that Jim james is putting the ultimate blend of a lot of their previous sounds into this compact collection of sounds. His love for 70's funk is so true in Evil Urges and Highly Suspicious. To me both songs are brilliant. My favorite is the questioning of faith and religion song.......Smokin from Shootin. I also love the staple to their roots sounding I'm Amazed. Gone are a lot of the songs with reverb. In my opinion it is for the better as Jim James continues to challenge his own brilliance by trying new things. I saw them live recently. I have been to 150 shows in my life. I can honestly say I have never seen a better live show. They played as if every song of their 25+ were the final encore song they wanted you to remember. It is was life changing with music experience. Know this band. Love this band!

Aug 27, 2008 15:00:51

Review 3 of 9

4of 5 Stars

Admittedly, it took me some time to appreciate MMJ's latest offering. As a fan of theirs since the "At Dawn" days, I find myself constantly impressed with the band's ability to surprise. I still hold "Z" in higher regard, but I appreciate the ambition. At first blush, I was very disappointed, but since then, "Evil Urges" has grown on me. Perhaps in the minority, I can do without "highly suspicious," but there are great moments on this album. The sunny "Two Halves," the throwback gem "Aluminum Park," "I'm Amazed," and of course what I regard as the crown jewel of the album- "Smokin' from Shootin." Simply put, they are the best Rock n' Roll band in America today.

Jun 23, 2008 22:01:33

Review 4 of 9

5of 5 Stars

On Deaf Ears - Who can hear the strong gospel, mystical and spiritual out-pouring in this album? Of course these guys don't stop knocking our socks off - they are walking in newness in every moment. Lyrics of discovery, connectedness, social contemplations are mixed with unexpected kinks and grooves. Here is my challenge.. perhaps the way you initially feel about this album directly correlates to how you view your own journey. Talk about soulful and venomous. "Librarian" will have you dreamily walking through a courtyard while "Thank You Too," "Look At You" and "I'm Amazed" will have you singing somebody's praises.

Jun 20, 2008 16:40:38

Review 5 of 9

3of 5 Stars

I just don't get it. I saw them open for Pearl Jam and loved every second of them. I picked up this album at the same time as one from a little indie Canadian band called Hey Rosetta. MMJ lost me by track 5, and Hey Rosetta held me through a front-to-back-twice listen. I feel like I should love MMJ, but I just haven't found the love for them yet.

Jun 19, 2008 17:48:51

Review 6 of 9

5of 5 Stars

Best album since In Rainbows. America's Radiohead. Experimental, paradigm shifting, inspirational, beautiful. Librarian, and the last three tracks stand out among the great songs on this album.

Jun 11, 2008 09:16:56

Review 7 of 9

4of 5 Stars

Only 4 stars because I have only heard four songs from this record so far... MMJ are maybe the best band in America right now, pushing themselves further into genius-level territory with each new album. Plus they kicked ass on SNL and how many relevant musical performances are there on that show, like, ever (besides Elvis Costello)? Jim James is a top-shelf songwriter and a cosmically cool guitarist, backed by true sonic poioneers. My bet is when I hear the rest, it's the best record I will hear this year.

Jun 3, 2008 22:37:04

Review 8 of 9

5of 5 Stars

After listening to MMJ for several years, one learns to never be shocked by what they will do next, or to what level of excellence the band is capable of delivering. With "Evil Urges", the band has outdone themselves, even by the MMJ bar-raising standard. Not only does this album kick ass, it's also easily the most diverse album in their canon. Jim is letting his freak flag fly high and mighty. This could be the best album that the band will ever record, but if it's not, they will go down as legends. Heartbreakingly beautiful as it is just plain strange, this is my favorite album of the year.

I am amazed.

May 31, 2008 14:30:16

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