Skip to main content

IN REVIEW: My Morning Jacket - "The Waterfall II"



You can tell a lot about a band from the quality of the music that they release, obviously; it's another thing entirely, though, to take into consideration the quality of the music that they don't. In my mind, some bands separate themselves from the herd based on B-sides and outtakes that match and even sometimes surpass the material on their studio albums. 

The case of My Morning Jacket sort of fits the narrative, but not really; they don't have a ton of unreleased content (at least, not that I'm aware of) but the sessions for their 2015 album The Waterfall were fruitful enough to leave them with a fair amount of unused songs. That's the setup for The Waterfall II, not a sequel but an addendum, an album-length experience pieced together from that unused music, released five years after the original's release.

These songs don't always rival the ones that made the first album's release, but there is a lot of charm and chill contained here, and also a handful of surprises (which isn't surprising considering the band's penchant for trying on new hats). There's the country-disco foot tapper Climbing the Ladder, which is perhaps the record's most pleasant oddity. Feel You, with its lush orchestration and slow groove, becomes one of MMJ's most effectively emotional numbers, while Beautiful Love (Wasn't Enough) comes as close to displaying their Beatles influence as anything in their repertoire, with a screechy, twisted solo thrown in for good measure. Layering is key on this record, with instrumentation and vocals piled on thick in places, most effectively on the lengthy, muscular Wasted; this one takes six minutes but is so worth the wait .

The Waterfall II plays really well as an album, and it's easy to forget that this is a collection of songs they'd previously left behind. The added touches and sequencing are expertly done, the songs are mostly up to snuff and I'm glad these songs saw the light of day, even if it took five years. The good news is, we hopefully won't have to wait so long for the next one; Jim James claims they've already got an all-new record in the can but are waiting until they can tour it to release it. So, add another to the massive list of reasons we want this global pandemic to be over.

July 10, 2020 • ATO
Highlights Feel You • Magic Bullet • Wasted

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Year in Rock 2025

  Alright, I've got some explaining to do.   By now anyone who's visited this blog is well aware of how infrequently I've used this space in recent years; aside from the occasional fertile year of content, I really haven't posted all that often over the last five years or so. There are many reasons for this, which have already been outlined in previous apology posts; but, essentially, it boils down to my own laziness and the cold reality that blogs are, like Refused (again), fucking dead. So, I wouldn't hold my breath for a triumphant return to reviews, or even semi-regular posts, but:   a) I feel like Year in Rock posts have always belonged here and, even though I've experimented with different methods of presentation recently and been satisfied, the "blink and you missed it" unveiling via Facebook stories this year was perhaps ultimately a disservice to the records I lauded. After all, cramming the list into short videos isn't too far off from ju...
Post a Comment
Read more

Year in Rock 2013 Nominee: Arctic Monkeys

ARCTIC MONKEYS Do I Wanna Know? From: AM Released: September 10 That Year in Rock 2012's Single of the Year R U Mine? ended up on this album is pleasing, and it fits the motif well enough. But R U Mine? isn't what makes Arctic Monkeys' fifth album an Album of the Year contender. Sweaty, sultry and pulsing with sexual energy, AM is the kind of record that's just as effective whether you're chilling out after a long day, staring into a mirror prepping yourself for a late night clubbing session or setting the mood for some escapades in the boudoir.
Post a Comment
Read more

Year in Rock 2023: Album of the Year #10-1

Now we're getting somewhere; the top ten, where there are no duds or mids, only bangers. Also, no more teasing it out; let's wrap this up!  What I've learned this year from my ten faves this year is that it is indeed still possible for a dude approaching his fifties to more or less stay up to date on the new school. Of course, there are some listed here that got a boost from playing tribute to the old school, but there is an undercurrent happening in rock that points to the future. But, I'm getting ahead of myself; here come the champs. 10 MILITARIE GUN Life Under the Gun June 23, 2023 • Loma Vista Highlights Very High Will Logic Never Fucked Up Once Rising from the ranks of the still-potent L.A. hardcore scene, the debut record from Militarie Gun (following a trio of EPs) bears a dash of polish that's expected with backing from a larger label; the tension and energy remain, though, resulting in one of the catchiest hardcore albums I can think of in recent years. 9 ...
Post a Comment
Read more