Track Listing

1. Wordless Chorus
2. It Beats 4 U
3. Gideon
4. What A Wonderful Man
5. Off The Record
6. Into The Woods
7. Anytime
8. Lay Low
9. Knot Comes Loose
10. Dondante

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #45158 in Music
• Released on: 2005-10-17
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced

CD Description
'Z' is the fourth album by Tennessee Americana stalwarts MyMorning Jacket, and their second for a major label. Once again, Jim James and his band have managed to weave a sound that mixes psychedelia, classic rock and country into a Phil Spector-esque wall of sound without losing any of the sophistication of the original arrangements, putting the band on a par with their contemporaries Grandaddy and The Flaming Lips. Includes the single 'Off The Record'.

Customer Reviews

Sounds as sweet as a night of surrender
After the departure of a few band members, and the addition of a few new members, My Morning Jacket have returned with a new producer John Leckie (Radiohead’s The Bends). The result is Z, a work of such beauty and depth that it simply has to be considered as a contender for album of the year.
With a much more expansive sound, My Morning Jacket haven’t shunned their alt-country roots, merely expanded them in every direction. In every department this album shines. Jim Jame’s voice has always been one of the band’s strengths (think Neil Young meets Thom Yorke meets Jeff Buckley), and it’s a joy to hear his whooping falsetto over the outro of opening track Wordless Chorus. The addition of a keyboard player to the band’s ranks really becomes apparent on this track and elsewhere on the album.
What’s impressive is the range of sounds and genres here, all delivered to near-perfection. Gideon has shimmering guitars and lush melodies reminiscent of Radiohead at their best. Off The Record combines Beach Boys harmonies with ska and post-punk, before drifting off into a strangely ambient last few minutes. And then there’s Into The Woods, arguably the album’s highlight. Here, the band take the template of a folk song, and dress it up with a spooky carnival organ (always a good thing) and an oom-pah-pah rhythm. It opens to the best lyric on the album, “A kitten on fire/a baby in a blender/both sound as sweet as a night of surrender”. Sheer poetry.
As proven with their earlier works, these guys are fine musicians, and there’s plenty of riffy material here too. The epic Lay Low is the kind of classic rock even Pearl Jam seem incapable of these days. What A Wonderful Man is infectious in its optimism, like a more guitar-heavy Flaming Lips. Knot Comes Loose provides a few moments of calm reflection.
And then there’s the final track. Dondante is the album’s showpiece, a delicate but unsettling ballad at first, with James’ falsetto once again evoking comparisons with Jeff Buckley. Then the song bursts into life with a crashing chorus, then proceeding with a Pink Floyd-like explosion of guitars, before drawing the album to a gentle close.
It showcases another of the album’s strengths: its great depth. There are plenty of songs here with a sense of immediacy about them: What A Wonderful Man, Anytime, and then there are songs like Dondante, Gideon and It Beats 4 U whose intricacies just get better with every listen. For all of the comparisons with other artists made above, this is a genuinely original and innovative album which you’ll listen to for years to come.
Forget the supposed sensitive types of Coldplay and Keane. Along with the Arcade Fire, My Morning Jacket make them look very silly indeed.

Key Moments: Gideon, What A Wonderful Man, Into The Woods, Dondante

The Amazing Gifts of Z
Sometimes, an album comes out and it's nothing less than event in your life. The music takes you for a ride. The time now has a soundtrack.
For you the albums that may come to mind will not be the ones I'm thinking of. Two recent ones for me that rival Z, and in some way share or reach a similar mood, are "OK Computer" and Flaming Lips' "Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots."
This album is that good. Whether it's the flight and power of "Wordless Chorus" or the depth and emotive punch of "Gideon" or the amazing "Dondante," My Morning Jacket can do it all.
John Leckie's production has brought out even more palpably the promise of If It Moves, and the addition of the new members have made the band more versatile and far-reaching.
Both are critical factors, yet the major reason for this great work is Jim James -My Morning Jacket's Wayne Coyne in every sense of the word- who writes some of the most beautiful and challenging songs I've heard in a while and in few other bands, and as a singer has come into his own.
This is one of the great albums of this year. It can easily make my top ten.

I Put On My Morning Jacket And Headed Off To 'Z'
I came across this album by sheer accident never heard of them before, while I was shopping for a different CD I see the album cover of this and I thought it was so cute I asked the cashier if I could listen to it and the first track just grabbed me so I bought it on a whim and fell in love with it.

1.Wordless Chorus - A few things spring to mind with this one The Flaming Lips and Reggae yes, reggae it has that slight vibe to it and makes the song sound really cute and innocent. It's one of my favourites and a definately stand out 10/10

2.It Beats 4 U - Is slightly more edgier and up-beat i like the drumming it sounds like marching and the lead singers voice is great on this track he sounds similar to Chris Martin (Coldplay)
another great song. 9/10

3.Gideon - Wasn't taken in by it as much as the others when i listened to this though i had the 60's in mind it has a slightly psychedelic,trippy beat i really liked the lyrics of this and the lead singers 'wailing' is very much in-tune and powerful very nice voice. 8/10

4.What A Wonderful Man - Another sweet, chirpy beat but the thing is about this song is that the lead singer wrote it about a friend who commited suicide although the dark subject it's a really nice song if u don't know what the songs about.It could easily be on a movie soundtrack for some teen/indie movie its catchy i surprised this wasn't a single release it's also very short 2:25 10/10

5.Off The Record - Was the lead and only single from the album a great lead if you ask me put me in mind of a Madness song with a little hint of Kaiser Chiefs.Nice song,good lead 8/10

6.Into The Woods - It's starts off with creep fairground music birds cheeping and children whining a very trippy song that is quite eerie to be honest not one i enjoyed a great deal but very original i gotta say nice vocals too 8/10

7.Anytime - Another song with a strong rock edge to it, it flows very well throughout probably the only song that feels weak to me i don't really have much to say about it you either like it or you dont',but i'll let the album run through if i'm in the mood 6/10

8.Lay Low - I really liked this song an old school vibe going on and it just fits in with the rest of the album the lyrics are great as well 8/10

9.Knot Comes Loose - Now i was reading the lyrics to this one and the conclusion i came up with is either it's written about gettin over depression of about supressing your emotions from someone you care deeply about this is probably my favourite song it's a very emotive song with beautiful vocals (yes,they are).I like the line "All my lovely life/I been waitin'/hot heels antisipatin'" great song 10/10

10.DonDante - I'm not sure if this is the name of the person it's about but i read that Jim James wrote this about the death of someone very close and special to him maybe he saw it as a way of release therapy but i think this a fantastic closer. It's the longest song on the album clocking up 8 minutes but it's just one of those songs you wished went on for longer.I had Radiohead's OK Computer album in mind when i listened to this so fragile and vulnerable.Also this song has the most incredible guitar solo talking about making a guitar cry! so beautiful 10/10

Top 5
1.Knot Comes Loose
2.Dondante
3.What A Wonderful Man
4.Wordless Chorus
5.It Beats 4 U