My Morning Jacket - Z

Did anyone else see the horse race today? I like watching the major horse races and the talk with everyone was how the mighty Zenyatta would do. Long story short, she was undefeated (19-0) heading into the race today, where she looked to end her career a perfect 20-0; she’s also a female horse and she’s named after The Police’s Zenyattá Mondata. Pretty impressive right? She hung around the back of the pack for most of the race before roaring after the last turn to come in a close but futile, second place. It was something beautiful to see, really. Here was this gorgeous horse, who had never lost and on the last race, she gave it everything she had to be beat by some dude. I was rooting for her too, sure, but with such an awesome name, I thought of an album Z, by My Morning Jacket. So maybe my tastes are far too generic but come on, this is still, very good music right?

I’ve always loved the middle section probably the most. There’s the giddy energy of “What a Wonderful Man” and by the time the driving guitar chug of “Off the Record” comes on, it’s pretty awesome. I remember back in 2005, this all sounding so fresh and new for me and it’s still relatively original. I mean, I don’t think that you could find many other voices that truly resemble Jim James' soaring vocals and the band is able to diversify from sound to sound, style to style, with such skill that it all seems entirely easy. And so “Off the Record” is perfect in showcasing just how all-encompassing the sounds on here are. I remember reading Rolling Stone and the headline was something to the effect of “My Morning Jacket: The American Radiohead.” Z was their breakthrough and arguably, their highest point and so naturally, word was huge around this band and album.


One of the first capturing moments with me and Z was when I realized how impressive the bookends were. “Wordless Chorus” is seemingly perfection in opening any album and “Dondante” is this nostalgic, reflective, almost ghostly ending. Music should always maintain some kind of importance to you, solely – without any kind of interference or inconvenience because of some kind of other force. So while Z was deeply rooted in past memories, it’s amazingly fresh and real for me now. At first “Dondante” is slowly maneuvering around James’ words with a menacing guitar line. The band is patiently foreboding with their massive progression and once the explosion hits, it’s downright stunning. “You had me worried! So worried, that this would last. But now I’m learning, learning that this will pass.” – Bryan