Play that beat!

Believe me, I adore playing an old school hit like nobody's business, but sometimes there's nothing better than putting on one of your favorite long players, and enjoying it for what it is: a tip-top, start to finish "headphone masterpiece".


You had me at track one.


At the start of Radiohead’s 2003 album Hail To The Thief the first sounds you hear when you press play on track one are guitars plugging into amps and the men searching for the right note and/or chord to start the line in. Such sounds and actions are reminiscent of those made in concert when a band first takes to the stage and straps in their instruments. They are sounds and actions that seem to say "it’s been a long time, we shouldn’t have left you, without a dope beat to step to." Press play for track one on My Morning Jacket’s Z, and the same things occurs, preparing the viewer for a 10 track fusion of southern and classic rock. Guitars swell [check out the classic leaning guitar solo in the sprawling six minute rocker ‘Lay Low’], songs bounce in a grandiose fashion [the carnivalesque/vaudevillian swagger of ‘Into the Woods’], and vocals pause allowing this Kentucky five piece to jam and rock out til the song fades into the distance as they so often do. Start to finish, track for track, this band is tight, focused, and adventurous, bound together by the powerful lead vocals of songwriter/guitarist Jim James. His vocal performance never lets up, channeling gospel like heights on the two minute ode to Jesus [‘What A Wonderful Man’] and mollifying lows on the lovesick slow jams ‘Knot Comes Loose’ and ‘It Beats For You.’ When James’ vocals combine with the musical work of his bandmates, the results are awe-inspiring as is the case on two of the albums best tracks: the opener ‘Wordless Chorus’ and the ska-lite jam of ‘Off The Record.’ Made up of throbbing keyboard and percussive elements and a simple 1,2 bounce, the song truly takes flight in the fanciful chorus made up of nothing more than the band harmonizing the sound aah for 5-15 seconds. On the last go round Jim James jumps in, hooting, hollering, and spewing high decibel southern fried notes as the aah’s back out and the song comes to a close. It’s a hazy four minute jam that moves and soothes, preparing the listener for nine more tracks of sprawling rockers and lush lullabies. Woo! Woo hoo indeed.
Key Tracks: Wordless Chorus*, Off The Record, Lay Low


*This has got be hands down, one of my favorite songs of all time. They really don't get much better than this...