My Morning Jacket
Moves The Crowd
»
After five years and two acclaimed but largely under-appreciated indie albums, Louisville's My Morning Jacket are finally making their first big splash with their major-label debut, It Still Moves. The album, released in early September by the Dave Matthews-co-owned ATO imprint through RCA, is a perfect fall listen, marked by Jim James' reverb-soaked vocals, a two-guitar attack capable of extreme power and measured restraint, and emotional songwriting that evokes the group's heartland roots.
The group honed the material on It Still Moves during a rigorous touring schedule that included opening stints with Doves and Foo Fighters. In concert, the songs kick even harder, often being jammed within an inch of their lives as the group whirls its collective long hair in ecstasy. James recently spoke with NATN about My Morning Jacket's next big leap, its formative days in the Louisville music scene, and fun on the road throughout the world.
NATN: What in your mind is the biggest leap forward on this album? What are you most proud of?
Jim James: I think we're just excited that it's finally done. It's kind of like waiting for a baby to be delivered. We've been kicking around four or five songs on this record for quite awhile, always knowing we wanted them to be on this record. It's just nice to finally get it done and to be happy with it. We're really happy with the way it sounds and the way we've developed as a band. We've played so many shows over the last couple of years that I think it has really tightened us up and made us better players. I think it's the best performance record we've ever done. It's the best example of us playing as a band, which I'm really proud of.
NATN: Which of the tunes have been kicking around, as you say?
JJ: "One Big Holiday" is pretty old. "Run Thru" is pretty old. "Just One Thing" is pretty old, and so is "I Will Sing You Songs."
NATN: Did you ever try to record them before?
JJ: No. It was kind of weird. I don't think they were around for the first album, but we knew when we were making [the 2001 album] At Dawn that they didn't fit there. We'd always kind of had them grouped into this section called "third record." We knew they were made for that.
NATN: Can you give an example of a song that was intentionally
written with all these complex parts, as opposed to one where perhaps
random parts were strung together?
JJ: I think they just kind of grow. Lots of times, we don't even think about where they're going. It just kind of happens. "Run Thru" is an example of where I came in with a skeleton and we were banging it out. As we played and jammed, it kind of synthesized into that weird, middle robotic part -- like a
robotic dentist. That's one thing that has been cool about performing these songs as a band. They have a greater chance of going to different places than they're intended to go.
NATN: Was there one song that drastically changed thanks to
its live performance?
JJ: Well, they all do. Now that we've recorded them, I'm sure over the next year they'll all change completely. We want to make four or five live records so we can capture how the songs have changed [laughs].
NATN: Your vocal effects are a very important part of My
Morning Jacket's sound. Have you always been singing that way? What
actually is being applied to your voice?
JJ: It's reverb, echo, delay. We use tons of different kinds of reverb. I'm obsessed. We try to use a lot of variety, with different rooms, garages, silos. We've got a big plate reverb out at the farm that we use, and all kinds of digital reverb.
NATN: Is this hard for you to reproduce live?
JJ: Yeah. Most sound guys don't understand it all and try to fight you. [In hick voice] "You're not supposed to have that much reverb!" It's always a big bullshit battle.
NATN: So somewhere, are there versions of these songs without
the vocal effects?
JJ: No. It's a part of it from the very beginning. I can't even write a song without reverb. I've always got to have reverb.
NATN: On the album, "Steam Engine" is one of my favorite
songs, but I've found it very hard to understand what you're singing.
Would it be possible for you to discuss this tune?
JJ: It's about a lot of things. There's a line where I say, "I believe none of this is physical." It is kind of a reaction to, in today's world, so much being based on the physical. So much is based on people's appearance and fashion. So many bands seem like they're a part of a fashion show and they don't even give a shit about their music. It's about loving a song because of the way it makes you feel, not because the people playing it are wearing duck costumes or because there's 30 people on stage. It's about falling in love with someone because of the way they make you feel, as opposed to them wearing tight jeans and being hot. I'm just trying to escape from the fuckin' constant, physically driven fashion show that the world has become.
NATN: Well, when you guys were getting going, there was still
a very indie rock, post-Slint scene happening in Louisville. Was that an
obstacle in any way?
JJ: That scene can be really frustrating and infuriating. I don't have anything against those people and I hope all those dreams come true, but to me it was a very close-minded scene that didn't bring that much good music into the
world. I don't consider it that much of a lasting thing at all. But we try not to think about that. We try to just play and not worry about being part of anything.
NATN: Did you ever play at the Toy Tiger? I used to drive down
from Bloomington, Indiana, to see shows there.
JJ: Oh, yeah. They demolished it. There's a gas station there now. It sucks they closed it.
NATN: So you guys eventually signed with ATO. Did you have any
direct contact with Dave Matthews?
JJ: No, we've never met him. He's one of the four owners. I don't know how involved he is personally. We've never met him but I've heard nothing but good things.
NATN: Do you have any remaining ties to Darla [which released
the band's previous two albums]?
JJ: Badman is releasing this album on vinyl. I don't talk to Darla very much anymore. I would hope they'll keep the stuff in print.
NATN: What is the touring gameplan? I imagine you guys will be
on the road pretty heavily.
JJ: We're doing our U.S. tour, followed by Europe. We're busy until Thanksgiving very much. In the U.S., we'll be with the Sleepy Jackson and Patrick Park.
NATN: Is there a single, per se?
JJ: Nope. We haven't even thought about it yet.
NATN: You guys recently played the Summer Sonic festival in
Japan. The lineup for that looked pretty ridiculous. Do you have a
favorite of all the recent festivals you've played?
JJ: Summer Sonic was amazing. It was really an eye-opening event and a special thing to be a part of. The organizers are so professional and sweet. We saw Devo. That was pretty amazing. I loved Bonnaroo too. Field Day was really great, actually. We had a great show in the rain. I felt like it was a triumph of man against nature.
NATN: Were there any adventures with Dave Grohl when you guys
toured with Foo Fighters?
JJ: Those guys are so cool. It was a really cool time. Some audiences were responsive right off the bat, but some of them spent a few songs yelling, "cut your hair. Who the fuck are you?" But by the end, they were into us. Overall, it was a good response. There were some good adventures with Dave Grohl, but I don't think I can mention them under the penalty of law [laughs hard]. He's a great guy, and totally fun-loving. He really welcomed us in.
JONATHAN COHEN | Jonathan Cohen co-created Nude As The News with his Indiana University mates Troy Carpenter and Ben French. When not traversing the globe for business and pleasure, he holds down the fort as a senior editor for Billboard in New York. Stop him and he just may ask, "what for lunch?"