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Rating: "It Still Moves" is the third studio effort from the creation of Jim James, the true mastermind of My Morning Jacket. James writes the pieces and produces the album, which is released by ATO, a label founded by that genius Dave Matthews, at the time a branch of RCA. With the circuits well-oiled, the Louisville machine seems ready to deliver the album of maturity. Above all stands a composition we could define as "torrential".
A tracklist of twelve pieces, ten of which have a duration between five and nine minutes. The arrangements are thus intricate and with clear references to a musical heritage ranging from blues, classic hard rock, to southern and alt-country registers. Despite James choosing to draw inspiration from quite a broad sound spectrum, the work results in being dense and decidedly compact (with a few exceptions). Rare are the moments when the work of James and company shows weakness; after all, in an album of over seventy minutes, moments of fatigue are acceptable.
"Mahgeetah" testifies to the southern origin of the group (Kentucky); the opening track of the album clearly has the features of a southern song, infused with that "alternative" vein that pervades the "Jacket's" pentagram. "Dancefloors" seems straight out of the sessions of the Stones' "Exile on Main St." The skillful use of a brass section makes the piece's explosive ending triumphant. "Golden" (one of the two pieces under five minutes) is an alt-country ballad, complete with vocal harmonies in perfect country style. "Master Plan" showcases energetic hard rock reminiscent of Neil Young's "Rust Never Sleep." Nothing is left to chance; James pulls the strings, skillfully using his musical knowledge. "One Big Holiday" is the piece that makes an entire career worth it, one of those songs destined for the most frenzied covering. Impeccable execution and production, a breathtaking arrangement, a perfect rock song without blemishes. The live renditions of this piece show a chilling guitar interplay between Jim James and Johnny Quaid. The ethereal and lengthy "I Will Sing You Songs" shows how My Morning Jacket have learned to deconstruct the song format and also use psychedelic registers. The alt-country of "Easy Morning Rebel" entertains and captivates. The boozy guitar of "Run Thru" recalls the unparalleled "Cortez the Killer," another piece destined to become a concert classic, and included by Rolling Stones magazine among the 100 greatest guitar performances of all time. In the second part, the piece turns into reckless and captivating hard-rock, then returns to the intro theme, showcasing the group's great ability to create arrangements, alternating multiple registers within the same song.
A moment of weariness is represented by "Rollin' Back," a ballad really too long and decidedly "slow." A weariness redeemed by "Just One Thing," with its three-minute duration, the shortest piece of the entire album. A ballad as well, which is pleasantly listenable. "Just One Thing" and "One in the Same" close the album, not without leaving the listener with the idea that there could have been less verbosity.
The group's exuberant vein and the lengthy tracks do not constitute a limitation; if anything, it's the choice of a too verbose lineup that is limiting, which could probably have benefited from a couple of cuts. With some adjustments (arrived with the subsequent "Z"), My Morning Jacket prove they can reside in the American alternative universe, occupying a top position.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Mahgeetah (05:56)
Sittin' here with me and mine, all wrapped up in a bottle of wine
Little we can do... we gon' see it thru somehow
So... now are you ready to go? my lady
I been waitin' on the boat here I been waitin' so long
"Can he se me? does he feel me? does he know me at all?"
"Does it shiver? always deliver? does it know me at all?"
Bang! Bang! goes the night, all wrapped up in the firelight
Don't "rock bottom", just listen, just slow down
So... now are you ready to go, my lady?
I been waitin' on the boat here, I been waitin' so long...
02 Dancefloors (05:38)
daybreak. nightfall. long as I believe
there ain't nothing glowin like this skin you're showin
and the keys you gave to me
nightjails. poolhalls. some things are everywhere
so for the past I'm diggin a grave so big, it will swallow up the sea
oh I know... that it's easy... there's no trouble waitin for me
dancefloors. headlights. in my blood there's gasoline
for an urban boy on a dirty tour I never felt so clean
loaded questions in an automatic world
you just won't be seein the things you need,
as if you thought you would
oh I know... it's never easy... when there's trouble waitin for me
03 Golden (04:39)
"Watchin' this stretch of road,
Miles of light explode,
Driftin' off the thing I've never done before.
Watchin' the crowd roll in,
Out go the lights, It Begins.
Feeling in my bones I've never felt before.
People always told me,
That bars are dark & lonely,
And talk is often cheap & filled with air.
Sure sometimes it thrills me,
But nothing could ever chill me,
Like the way they make the time just disappear.
Feelin' you're here again,
Hard on my skin again,
Feelin' good a thing, I've never known before,
What does it mean to feel?
Millions of dreams come real,
Feeling in my soul I've never felt before.
And you, you always told me,
No matter how long it holds me,
If it falls apart or makes us millionaires,
We'll be right here forever,
Go through this thing together,
And on Heaven's Golden Shore, We'll lay our heads."
04 Master Plan (05:05)
I've got a masterplan babe,
I been workin on it from the start.
Pluggin in all of the numbers, watchin it on all of the charts.
Just cause it starts off slow babe,
Doesn't mean it don't have a heart.
You'll be walkin round showin off someday
And it'll take you right back to the start.
It's everything that you want babe.
It's everything that you need.
Soft and warm al the time, make you want it over and over.
Strong on the horizon,
But ends up bein really so sweet... oh so sweet.
Sometimes I wanna lay down babe.
Sometimes I wanna stand up and fight.
Sometimes it runs its course in a day.
Sometimes it goes for night after night.
Know that it will start off strong babe,
And it will end up weak in the end.
Just like the heart you break of a love babe,
Just like the hand you take of a friend.
It's everything that you want babe.
It's everything that you need.
Soft and warm all the time, make you want it over and over.
Strong on the horizon,
But ends up bein really so sweet... oh so sweet...
05 One Big Holiday (05:21)
"Wakin' up, feeling, Good & limber,
When the telephone, it ring.
Was a bad man from California,
Tellin' of a stone he'd bring.
And of, better days,
From this town, we'd escape,
If we, holler loud, and make our way,
We'd all live, One Big Holiday.
So we listened &, Up the river,
And recorded all the sounds,
Was some shakin' & some, record playing,
All the leather kids were loud."
08 Run Thru (05:45)
Oh shit run! oh shit run! oh shit run thru the ghetto.
They will hear you.
Mornin' bell tolls at home, rings loud back where I come from, calls me back.
Often times I would hope and pray, then faith came my way.
Oh shit run! oh..............
It's what appears to me, it's what appears to me.
Oh shit run! oh..............
It's what appears to me, it's wha appears to me.
It's what appears to me.
Ahhhhhhhh...................
09 Rollin Back (07:50)
just in the nick of time you got me... while I was sittin here
time I don't think I waste it, it just seems to disappear
sippin the wine you got me, while eyes were rollin back
long hours and hard hard things just bring heart attacks
oh oh oh you had me, wrapped up in your mystery...
when the light vanished from on high
oh I'll never say I knew you, but my heart can't wait
to meet you on the other side
when I think about the story. one thing seems pretty clear
the warm things you left behind they still want you here
but only in time you find... that all things come back around
and just like the frown, we'll turn them upside down
oh oh oh you had me. wrapped up in your mystery...
when the light vanished from on high
oh i'll never say I knew you
but my heart cant wait
to meet you no the other side.
11 Steam Engine (07:26)
So I do believe, none of this is physical
At least not to me
So, I do believe
That anywhere it goes
It's always with me
It's not the dream
That makes you weak
It's not the night that makes you sleep
But it's a voice, and it's a choice
To call you out, or stay at home
So, I do believe
None of this is physical
At least not to me
So I do believe
That anywhere it goes
It's always with me
It's not the beast, it's not the sheets
So soft and warm, all over me
But it's the touch, you need so much
To move around on this green earth
Take your money and your drugs
Take your money and your drugs
To anyone who wondered
What old jebus meant to me
Take him out to go diving
In red patoka sea
The brain melts in the twilight
With the boar and moving trees
Your skin looks good in moonlight
And Goddamn those shaky knees
The fact that my heart's beating
Is all the proof you need
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