MUSIC REVIEW: My Morning Jacket, Evil Urges

My Morning Jacket
Evil Urges
(ATO)

By Cristina Black

Remember when My Morning Jacket was just a straight-up great rock band? Well, those days are so over. They ended with 2005’s Z, when Jim James and company morphed their reverb-drenched Southern rock into a euphoric acid outing. As bizarre as all that was, Evil Urges out-weirds it. The opening trilogy seems to announce a twisted electro dance party emceed by James’ Prince-like falsetto. But then, My Morning Jacket does what it does best: It changes gears. “I’m Amazed” finds James riding atop Aerosmith-style harmonies and ripping guitar flourishes, only to settle into a series of brilliant slow-burns smeared with slide-guitar. After James has mourned the death of Karen Carpenter and lusted after a bookworm on the folky “Librarian,” the record kicks back into high gear and rides home with more epic, beat-conscious pop. Much like the band itself, Evil Urges is consistently amazing without ever deciding what it wants to sound like.