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| Tom Blankenship and Jim James, Riverside Theater, Milwaukee, WI, June 2011, photo by CJ Foeckler |
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On Tuesday night, a combination homecoming and album-release party was held at the Palace Theatre here for My Morning Jacket, a local favorite back with a new disc, "Circuital" (ATO). It's an album, and a band, worth celebrating.
Recorded here and mixed in Nashville, "Circuital" is a contrast to its predecessor, "Evil Urges," released in 2008. Whereas "Evil Urges" was glossy and insistent, "Circuital" has a muted grandeur: Much of the new disc's music is bathed in a wash of echo and seems to come from a gauzy distance. A warm midrange is the appealing platform that supports Jim James's voice, one of the most alluring in rock, as MMJ delivers songs that incorporate elements of rock, folk, funk and, on the track "The Day Is Coming," a charming bit of old-school jazz-pop vocalizing. Even a raucous rocker like the song "First Light" doesn't fully sharpen the album's edges. Though the arrangements on the disc have their ornamentation—a brassy fanfare here, a ringing choir there—"Circuital" is at ease with its quiet boldness.
"What I hear in this record is peace," said Mr. James, one of three Louisville residents in the quintet. "I feel that we're at peace with ourselves and how the band can be a positive thing, not a huge stressful thing.
"With 'Evil Urges,' we wanted to deliberately make some elements of the process uncomfortable for us to see if the tense environment would make a great record," he said as we spoke in a dressing room on Tuesday afternoon. With "Circuital," though, "It was just the five of us with Tucker," he added, referring to producer Tucker Martine. "Everybody was so comfortable."
The album was recorded in a gymnasium here. "I wanted the record to be completely live, to feel like the listener could hear us in an open space. So many of my favorite albums were recorded live. Every microphone is picking up other sounds, and a circle of sound is created around the listener."
My Morning Jacket has been one of America's best rock bands for a while now, touring relentlessly—and losing several members to the grind—and finding its footing in 2003 following its third album, "It Still Moves." By then, drummer Patrick Hallahan was on board; a year later, guitarist Carl Broemel and keyboardist Bo Koster joined after auditioning in Los Angeles. Together with original members Mr. James and bassist Tom Blankenship, the group found its strongest lineup, one that to this day permits the kind of versatility its tendency for risk in the recording studio requires. The truth of MMJ is that it can play any kind of contemporary music it chooses, and deliberately tinkers with its sound on each album it makes.
"You and I can sit here, put a stereo over there and listen to new songs from now until forever," Mr. James said. "Why make the same record over and over when there's so many sounds to choose from?"
Tuesday's party was open not only to longtime fans, friends and family: With Todd Haynes directing, the show was webcast on YouTube, where segments of the show are now archived. At the Palace, some fans arrived in gowns, glittery party dresses, top hats and, yes, morning jackets; given the steamy atmosphere in the venue that evening after a day of 90-degree weather, though, sun dresses and T-shirts would've been more suitable. Mr. James mentioned the heat, but the band never sagged—the sense of goodwill flowing to and from the stage conquered the elements.
The muted ambiance of "Circuital" was discarded immediately as the group launched into boisterous renderings of the album's first two tracks, "Victory Dance" and the title cut—it's no small irony that the intimate sound captured in the studio can't be replicated live on stage. The new music profited from the forceful presence of Mr. Hallahan on drums and Mr. Blankenship on bass, as well as thick waves of sound provided by the melodic instruments, especially Mr. Broemel's guitar. With brawny confidence, the group attacked "Off the Record," a track from its 2005 release, "Z," that in concert featured an exchange of guitar solos by Messrs. Broemel and James, and "I'm Amazed" from "Evil Urges," thus building a sonic link between recent and older songs. The big ballad "Gideon," a staple of MMJ live shows, allowed Mr. James's voice to soar, while the folky "Wonderful (The Way I Feel)" from the new disc rode a country lilt provided by Mr. Broemel on pedal steel.
Well into the three-hour show, the band was joined by Erykah Badu, who traded verses with Mr. James on his compositions "Wordless Chorus," from "Z," and "The Day Is Coming." In between, MMJ supported Ms. Badu in a reading of her "Twinkle." Her appearance gave the group a chance to demonstrate some of the versatility that lifts its recordings. Though the band for the most part throughout the lengthy set sacrificed nuance for a sonic roar, in the concert hall it never felt like something was missing. The local heroes performed with joy and confidence, their sense of peace allowing them to share with the audience here and on the web not only their music but their sense of comfort in being the kind of band they've become.
