Chasing Waterfalls.4 Out Of 5 Stars
Cleaning their sound up a bit while still maintaining their status as one of our best jam bands, "The Waterfall" finds My Morning Jacket relaxing into a great groove. There are plenty of Jim James' soaring falsetto and guitar hero chops, like on "Spring (Among The Living)." (I've seen MMJ three times now and can attest that he's a monster live.) From the bubbly synth that opens "Believe (Nobody Knows)" to the extended play out of "Only Memories Remain," this is the My Morning Jacket album that takes the experiments aside and concentrates on the band's strengths, much like "Circuital" did. And since they decided to stretch out of their comfort zone and record in the sunny spaces of California instead of the hallowed grain silo, it seems like a little California sunshine and polish made its mark on the boys.
They ponder nature ("In Its Infancy"), flirt with folk rock ("Tropics") and even commit to a relatively straightforward break up song ("Get The Point"). There is still a wall of sound aspect to the band, yet this time their seems to be a buffing away of some of the rougher edges. But it's always been the cascades of sound that has been the main attraction of My Morning Jacket. Their combination of folk, psychedelia, and instrumental prowess is one of many reasons that MMJ are one of the most interesting American bands currently making music. It's also soulful; the inspiring "Thin Line" and "Only Memories Remain" are cases in point. The band still keeps to their path of eclecticism and we're all the richer for it.
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