Artist: My Morning Jacket
Album: It Still Moves
Label: ATO/RCA
Tracks: 12
Length: 01:11:48
Review by: Mike “Tashkent” Leech

I can’t believe it. Not only does My Morning Jacket’s latest release boast one of the best album covers in all of album cover history (just look at that thing), but it also contains some of the most gorgeous and relentlessly playable music I’ve honestly ever heard in my life. Jim James, the vocalist and primary songwriter behind My Morning Jacket, proudly displays his influences on his sleeve, borrowing the very best qualities from such legendary artists as Creedence Clearwater Revival, Neil Young, America, Led Zeppelin and The Beach Boys. In doing so, James creates the kind of music that takes a while to grow on you, but once it sinks its teeth in--much like an irritated muskrat--no amount of shaking will free you from its hold.

Clocking in at about twice the standard length of a typical album, It Still Moves somehow manages to steer clear of unnecessary musical interludes and filler tracks. And despite the album’s tremendous length, it never seems to drag. The melodies are unbelievably catchy and often oddly familiar. It’s like rediscovering an old album you bought at a garage sale a few years ago and forgot you had.

One of the most impressive elements setting My Morning Jacket apart from all the other alt country/classic rock outfits of today is James’ incredible vocals. He supposedly always records his twangy Neil Young/Brian Wilson hybrid wail in an old deserted grain silo, which would explain its stunningly grandiose harmonics. The ridiculously beautiful end result cascades over the already sublime music making it shimmer all the more. No place is this heard better than about six and half minutes into the stunning epic “I Will Sing You Songs”. A glistening wall of harmonized hollering invades and escalates the instrumental climax of the song, the results of which have got to be heard to be believed.

Trying to name a few of the album’s highlights would be downright pointless. Every last song is simply amazing. From its poignant ballads to its blistering jams, It Still Moves is the kind of album that will consistently surprise you with every new listen. It’s as jovial as it is heartrending, as intelligent as it is modest and as original as it is nostalgic. My Morning Jacket has created a truly timeless album. This is what rock and roll is all about.