I’m going back into history a bit for this album, My Morning Jacket’s Z. I stumbled onto this album by accident and am happy I did. Actually, I’m reviewing Z (20th Anniversary Edition), released in 2025.
My Morning Jacket is a band I’ve never connected with, for whatever reason, our orbits never crossed. On a lark, I got a hold of a new release of their 2005 album Z, with demos and alternate versions. I’m not the most worldly champion of post-2000 musical groups, but occasionally this dinosaur finds a contemporary artist.
I don’t know much of anything about this band, though they’ve obviously been around since the late 1990’s. Z is their fourth album, and prior to recording sessions for it, two band members left the group.
Several things I noticed right off, there’s a noisy energy, and an ability to find great melodies and embellish them with wonderful hooks. There’s an old school quality here from the 1970’s way of constructing songs and musical production. The band uses a broad array of retro sounds and production flourishes to create some instantly memorable songs.
One fan noted that this album is more experimental than previous albums, but at same time more accessible. That’s a very curious statement indeed. Previously described as a rough, Southern rock, reverb-drenched band with more of a Radiohead-style, experimental sound that blends genres, and is somehow more controlled and direct. Now, I don’t know what any of that really means because music is not a simple linear soundwave, rather a series of colorful waves loosely connected but reacting to the energy of each other.
MMJ was formed in Louisville, Kentucky in 1998, and remains close to the community. Guitarist Jim James is the main songwriter and formed MMJ as an offshoot of a different band he was fronting.
The original 2005 album:
“It Beats For You”
“Gideon”
“What a Wonderful Man”
“Into the Woods”
“Anytime”
“Laylow”
“Dondante”
This is an album that as soon as the last song had finished, I wanted to hear the entire album again. Always leave the audience wanting more, well, they have done this.
The 20th anniversary edition of this album is remastered and comes with a disc of outtakes and demos.
The B sides, demos and alt versions:
“Where to Begin”
“Chills”
“How Could I Know (Oxen)”
“The Devil’s Peanut Butter”
“Wordless Chorus (Jim Demo)”
“It Beats For You (Jim Demo)”
“Laylow (Jim Demo)”
“Into the Woods (Band Dance Version)”
“Off the Record (Jim Demo)”
“Anytime (Jim Demo)”
“Knot Comes Loose (Jim Demo)”
“Dondante (Jim Demo)”
“Original Ending (Off the Record)”
“Where to Begin (Jim Demo)”
Since we are talking 2025 releases, let’s stay to look at Is, My Morning Jacket’s tenth, and most recent studio album release. Working with an outside producer, Brendan O’Brien, he has worked with Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, AC/DC, Pearl Jam amongst other credits.
O’Brien has tightened the songs and tidied up the sound. The result is not a leaner sound, just more focused. James brought 100 demos to the recording sessions for the band to explore for the new album. Several reviews I read talked about how smoothing out MMJ’s rough edges polished some of the unpredictability and surprises that fans embrace about the band. I’m not the MMJ expert, so some critical perspective confirms what I felt after several listens. This is not quite your grandfather’s MMJ now, close, but not as noisy or apt to sound like they have bed-hair.
“Out in the Open”
“Half a Lifetime”
“Everyday Magic”
“I Can Hear Your Love”
“Time Waited”
“Beginning From the Ending”
“Lemme Know”
“Squid Ink”
“Die For It”
“River Road”
My summation: Is is very good, but not great. MMJ started out drenched in reverb and noisy like a junior high lunchroom, which was part of the charm. There’s a thin line between improving and restricting. Maybe the next album will find that balance.
Ticket 2 Ride 
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