My Morning Jacket
Evil Urges

Perhaps we too often forget that music tends towards evolution and not to remain stuck on the same tracks to please some Taliban-fan who wants to see "his" band remain smiling in the snapshot he has built in his head, a photograph that will slowly yellow over time, leaving no trace.

On the contrary, My Morning Jacket wants to rejuvenate over the years, to grow, album after album, seeking something "new" that makes them feel alive, like all the top-tier bands.

Of course, there's no guarantee they will succeed, but at least they can continue to play without remorse, without looking in the mirror and realizing they've become a joke of themselves.

If this doesn't fit the mental schemes of first-hour fans, so be it.

The album is very varied compared to the previous ones, with a more refined search for sounds, original also in some particular instruments used during the recording sessions. The apparent blend of genres is masterfully amalgamated by the unmistakable vocal timbre of Jim James, who had already proven to be a singer of depth in previous works but in this latest work, he makes his voice more varied and passionate.

To highlight, in my opinion, the importance given to the guitar solos in the album. All very captivating, with simple yet effective melodies that will make you mimic the act of holding a guitar (try it to believe it!).

Therefore, a step forward after the acclaimed "Z" (2005), which had exposed them to a wider scene than they were used to and projected them onto the stages of the world's biggest festivals.

An opening towards new musical horizons for the Kentucky band, certainly a transition point for subsequent productions, but necessary.

What to say about the first five tracks (defined as "embarrassingly ugly" by another reviewer)?

Tu-tu-ta-tu-tun and it starts with the title track. It starts cautiously to make its way into the listener's ears and allows James to start the show with his falsetto voice; at 3:03, the electric guitar sound emerges, distributed over various textures, creating a gritty and danceable rhythm.

In Touch Me I'm Going to Scream Pt. 1, synthesizers reign, and the vocal melodies embrace and kiss each other like two passionate lovers; the finale is something moving.

The ironic Highly Suspicious cannot be taken seriously, but it cannot be said to be a bad song, and the guitar solo is one of the most successful.

I'm Amazed is an anthem-song, where, through a stuttering melody, with pauses lifted before each "I'm amazed", aimed at creating tension in the listener, the group shouts all its wonder at what surrounds it: "I'm amazed at the evolution, I'm amazed at the lack of faith"; another noteworthy solo.

Thank You Too slips away like a leaf in water, with particularly successful orchestrations framing a tormented love story.

Librarian is a perfect track to listen to while traveling (a bit like the whole album, to be honest), with its dreamy progress, trying to clear the mind while observing the unspoiled nature; I listened to it while driving through the Austrian pastures this summer, and believe me, it was beautiful. In Aluminum Park and the subsequent Remnants, you can hear the old My Morning Jacket again, the rock with that grit that they know how to unleash live against the audience like a raging river.

Smokin' from Shootin' begins with a few rhodes chords and a continuous beat to develop into an epic finale, with a tumult of sounds. Perhaps the best of the album.

In short, to conclude, listening to "Evil Urges" is not heavy at all, and there's no need to wrap your head in advance; on the contrary, it is appreciated for a certain fluidity and choral lightness.