"TOUCH ME I'M GOING TO SCREAM, PT. 2" MY MORNING JACKET (2008)

For the next 30 days, I’ll be taking the #AprilAcrossAmerica challenge, picking one song a day as I make my way across the country and across genres at the same time.

Day 11: Louisville, KY

There are typically two characteristics of a good morning jacket. First, a good one keeps you warm, and second, a good one serves its purpose early with no need to keep it on for the remainder of the day. That’s it. It isn’t complicated. In many ways, My Morning Jacket’s music has played that role for me, including this unique song from one of my favorite MMJ albums.

The aspects in “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream, Part 2” that get me going are both foundational and ornamental. At the foundation is a peculiar melody and song structure. It grooves early and then strangely fizzles out as if there’s a power shortage in the recording studio. On the peripheral is Jim James’s voice dancing seamlessly between high tenor and falsetto and an alien-like synth riff that sounds like it’s trying to communicate with us. I simply can’t get enough of it.

“IT'S BEEN SO LONG, SINCE SOMEONE CHALLENGED ME. AND MADE ME THINK, ABOUT THE WAY THINGS ARE. MADE ME THINK, ABOUT THE WAY THEY COULD BE.”

"ONLY MEMORIES REMAIN" MY MORNING JACKET (2015)

You can get off to a fast start. You can sustain your opener with the main course, not filler. But can you end on a high note? Sometimes I wonder if recording a strong closer is the most difficult thing to pull off when it comes to album rock. When it comes to the cream of the crop in music, I can think of more strong openers than strong closers. Nonetheless, I still have my favorites which I’ll be featuring on Mental Jukebox all month.

There’s a certain crop of music artists that I’m slightly ashamed to say I ignored due to a strong repulsion to their band names. My Morning Jacket is one of them. What a grave mistake to pass on a band of such stature because the name was a little too soft and un-rock & roll for me. This caused me to miss out on the band’s output for well over a decade. By the time The Waterfall was released, I turned away from my transgressions – and became a fan for life. The music and vocals of Jim James have filled a void in my music listening repertoire – and they’ve done it with bangers as well as slow jams like “Only Memories Remain”.

As appropriate a closer as any out there, “Only Memories Remain” feels like the track doesn’t roll out until the wee hours of an epic, all-night jam. It sounds like the kind of music a band plays after it has used up all its energy, yet refuses to stop playing. Jim James serenades to the listeners while seemingly lost in a foggy haze. The guitars, like on many My Morning Jacket tracks, cry out and lament that the past is the past and what’s done is done.

“The names and places have all been changed, But the identity remains the same. As time and space do what they will, The spirit, so vogue, can never be killed.”

"FEEL YOU" MY MORNING JACKET (2020)

I generally gravitate to the music first before the lyrics. But as a writer, I still marvel at well-spun verses and choruses. This month, I’m joining the music Twitter community in #31DaySongLyricChallenge

Day 20

I ignored the early recommendations from other music fans that I should check out My Morning Jacket. A grave mistake given how deep their catalog is and how spectacular Jim James’ songwriting abilities are. I was turned off by the band name. But once I dove in, I was all in. One of my favorite songs from the band came from the original Waterfall recordings in 2015. The song was rediscovered during the pandemic and released as part of Waterfall II. The guitar work is certainly a highlight, but the lyrics are the heart of the song. The words in “Feel You” almost doesn’t quite make sense because often love doesn’t quite make sense either.

“Are we under covers raining blood? REM covers, reign in blood. And all I want to do is feel you.”

"MAHGEETAH" MY MORNING JACKET (2003)

Each day in December, I’ll be reflecting back on a song from the 2000’s. The decade saw the return of post-punk and the popularization of folk music, all while some of music’s biggest acts gained their indie footing. Thankfully, it’s a period that I can look back at fondly without cringing. #31DaysOf2000sSongs

The band name unfortunately kept me from exploring the exceptional My Morning Jacket catalog for quite a few years. But once I explored it, it was like opening up a treasure trove of great music. Jim James is more of a musical mastermind than a showy frontman, which I always appreciated. A gifted songwriter, his penning of the entire It Still Moves is a remarkable highlight from the 2000’s. There isn’t a weak track on the album, but the opener “Mahgeetah” stands out for several reasons.

The term “alt country” is often used to describe My Morning Jacket’s music, and it’s a befitting description of “Mahgeetah”. The guitar layers and tempo transitions give it that alt feel, while the harmonies and lyrics are reflective of the band’s southern roots. The big guitar solo happens at the 5 minute mark of the studio recording, but it’s the shimmering guitar hook that gives the song its festive, nighttime feel. My favorite aspect of the track, however, isn’t any of the guitar parts, but the song’s theme itself. James not only personifies his “geetah”, he refers to it as his lady.

“Don't rock bottom, just listen, just slow down. So, now are you ready to go, my lady? I been waitin on the boat here, I been waitin so long.”

"FEEL YOU" MY MORNING JACKET (2020)

Pick four songs from any band and you can tell a lot about their sound. This summer, I’m featuring #RockBlocks, four picks from bands across various genres. They might be wildly different from each other, but what binds them together is the fact that they’re all a part of my life soundtrack.

My Morning Jacket is, by far, one of the most prolific bands of the 2000s. Other bands have come and gone. Some have fizzled out quickly. Some are barely hanging on a thread. But My Morning Jacket keeps going year after year. The Waterfall II were outtakes from the original Waterfall sessions. But these songs were so good, they resurfaced and were an equally strong collection of songs. Released during the pandemic, The Waterfall II came at a time when music played an even more important role in my life. It was during Covid that I first started Mental Jukebox — which was inspired by great songs like “Feel You”.

I don’t know what else to say about the amazing guitar riff on “Feel You”, except that it feels like a natural extension of Jim James’ vocals. The two parts blend effortlessly. Like my last entry, “Only Memories Remain”, there’s something transcendental about this song. Musically it sits somewhere softly in between the isolating vulnerability of Jeff Buckley and the accessible, but masterful songwriting of Elton John.

“Are we undercover? What's left to see?”

"ONLY MEMORIES REMAIN" MY MORNING JACKET (2015)

Pick four songs from any band and you can tell a lot about their sound. This summer, I’m featuring #RockBlocks, four picks from bands across various genres. They might be wildly different from each other, but what binds them together is the fact that they’re all a part of my life soundtrack.

The best music we have is often characterized by the ability to do one of these two things: help us live in the moment or transport us somewhere unforgettable. I think My Morning Jacket’s catalog is not only versatile in genre, they’re versatile in helping us to achieve both of these experiences. “Only Memories Remain” always brings me to another place without fail.

Atmospheric. Spellbinding. Immersive. These are the typical words that we use to describe a lot of good music these days. But “Only Memories Remain” is so much more. There’s something incarnational about it. Jim James’ lyrics are so down to earth that they can easily become our own words and thoughts. We’re not in his head. He’s not in ours. Because strangely they feel one and the same.

“Sometimes life has other ideas. And though we both know how much it meant, now only memories remain.”

"TOUCH ME I'M GOING TO SCREAM, PT. 2" MY MORNING JACKET (2008)

Pick four songs from any band and you can tell a lot about their sound. This summer, I’m featuring #RockBlocks, four picks from bands across various genres. They might be wildly different from each other, but what binds them together is the fact that they’re all a part of my life soundtrack.

Today I was thinking about the purpose of a morning jacket. Its name implies two characteristics: 1) something that keeps you warm, and 2) something that’s worn only during the early part of the day. It’s essentially an article of clothing that gives you the comfort and warmth you need to get you going for the rest of your day. In many ways, My Morning Jacket’s music has played that role for me, including this unique song from one of my favorite MMJ albums.

The aspects in “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream, Part 2” that get me going are both foundational and ornamental. At the foundation is a peculiar melody and song structure. It grooves early and then strangely fizzles out as if there’s a power shortage in the recording studio. On the peripheral is Jim James’s voice dancing seamlessly between high tenor and falsetto and a alien-like synth riff that sounds like it’s trying to communicate with us.

“It's been so long, since someone challenged me. And made me think, about the way things are. Made me think, about the way they could be.”

"OFF THE RECORD" MY MORNING JACKET (2005)

Pick four songs from any band and you can tell a lot about their sound. This summer, I’m featuring #RockBlocks, four picks from bands across various genres. They might be wildly different from each other, but what binds them together is the fact that they’re all a part of my life soundtrack.

Over the last twenty years, My Morning Jacket created a world of sounds that I intentionally avoided at first. This was a band that came highly recommended to me in the early 2000s. But the band name didn’t sound like a band name — and it even sounded a little corny. For me, it’s a lesson learned. Never, ever judge a book by its cover. My Morning Jacket is one of the steadiest, most prolific rock bands of the 2000s — and “Off the Record” is a fun, memorable chapter in their existence.

The album Z was a bit of a turning point for the band. New things were happening here, like more synth experiments and genre explorations. “Off the Record” sounds like My Morning Jacket on a holiday to Jamaica. The first three minutes is one part reggae, one part rock and in the spirit of other upbeat rock outfits like Spoon and Modest Mouse. Then the last two and a half minutes go into space rock mode with quiet and quirky synth jams — like the antithesis to Wilco’s cacophony interludes. Brilliant, but far from serious.

“Sorry bout the things that I had to say. And I'll make it up to you right now at the penny arcade.”

"GOLDEN - LIVE AT THE FILLMORE" MY MORNING JACKET (2005)

In my series “Long Live Live”, I’m highlighting some of the most revered live recordings of all time. You’ll see my musical biases, but there’s no doubt that each of these tracks played a pivotal role in shaping music history. I started Mental Jukebox last year because I needed another music listening outlet when there were no more live shows to go to. These songs remind me that nothing will ever replace the blend of atmosphere and performance captured in the live experience.

There’s a magical element to live shows that many of us have been missing since the pandemic began. That special aura that comes with quieter songs. Songs that transport us and immerse us well into the night. That’s “Golden”, one of My Morning Jacket’s slower, sleepier songs. The band’s live recording at The Fillmore is full of live magic—the kind of performance that makes you wish the concert never ends.

“Sure sometimes they thrill me. But nothin' could ever chill me. Like the way they make the time just disappear.”

"ONE BIG HOLIDAY" MY MORNING JACKET (2003)

This is the kind of song you blast in your car. The kind of song that makes you think about getting new headphones. It’s the kind of song that’s final encore-worthy, often the one My Morning Jacket chooses to close their live sets with. You feel every note. The opening high hat barrage. The unmistakeable intro guitar solo. And Jim James’ soaring vocals. It’s an emotional lift from beginning to end.

“From this town, we'd escape. If we holler loud and make our way, we'd all live one big holiday.”