Such a classic. This is maybe the best encapsulation of everything My Morning Jacket is good at: lovely ballads like "Golden" and "I Will Sing You Songs," balls-to-the-wall rock tracks like "One Big Holiday" and "Run Thru," the gorgeous stuff in between like "Dancefloors" and "Mahgeetah," and then just whatever sort of transcendent glory "Steam Engine" is. Pound for pound this might be their best record, though on most days I do prefer Z. I could see a case for It Still Moves being more universally beloved just for how easy it is to listen to and enjoy, while Z can be somewhat challenging at times, or as challenging as MMJ can get. This is one of those albums that can fit so many occasions, which I think can go a long way.

Reviewed on Wednesday, January 18th, 2023, 1:36pm.

For my money the best MMJ album. The epic vocal performance of "Wordless Chorus" alone probably stands at the top of things to love about the band and this album, but the entire thing works so well. The MVP for me is "Dondante," an absolutely searing slow burn of a track that encapsulates so many great things about their live show at the time: Jim James just going ham on the vocals, top tier blues rock jamming, incredible energy, all in support of a brilliantly-written track. Throw in songs like "It Beats 4 U," "Gideon," "Off the Record", "Anytime," and "Lay Low"... come on. A classic.

Reviewed on Tuesday, January 17th, 2023, 10:56am.

A Ghost is Born hits on all the best aspects of Wilco, in my opinion. There are many fantastic, pithy indie rock songs mixed in with longer-form freakout experimentation, easily the two sides of the Wilco coin that I appreciate and love the most. From the shattered electric guitar of the "At Least That's What You Said" opener and the extended "Spiders (Kidsmoke)" to the lighter and airier "Wishful Thinking" to some straightforward rock like "I'm A Wheel," this album has everything.

Reviewed on Friday, January 13th, 2023, 11:50am.

It'd be really hard for me to argue with anyone saying this is one of the greatest albums ever made. It ended up being my first introduction to Wilco, and will always hold a top spot for me, though maybe one or two other albums I could say I prefer on a given day. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is as close to perfect as it gets, and I think it really can fit any mood or vibe. It begins to really delve into some of the more experimental leanings that Wilco have come to lean on at times, while also maintaining really catchy and accessible songwriting. There are tons of melodies sprinkled throughout that remain memorable long after the record stops spinning.

Reviewed on Friday, January 13th, 2023, 11:47am.

It's still one of the funniest things to me that the band couldn't spare a single second of the ambient noise, bug sounds, etc to make room for the title track to their album. Despite how ridiculous that is, the principle behind that decision is really what makes Frances the Mute so great in the first place, with how meticulous and considered every single second of the album's sprawling runtime is. "Cassandra Gemini" is maybe the greatest prog rock song of all time. Frusciante rips "L'Via L'Viaquez" to pieces and in a weird way the song helped open me up to latin music more than prior. "Cygnus Vismund Cygnus" is absolutely destructive. There's not much I can say about this other than just how important it is to me. I still remember going to Best Buy in Snellville and buying the CD. I wore the CD out for years. I still remember putting that CD into the iMac in the Music Tech lab at Brookwood High School and rocking out to it. The teacher, Mr. Simpson, came over all upset I was listening to music and put the headphones on to see just what was so important, and "Cassandra Gemini" blasting into his ears. Even he couldn't maintain his anger at me, practically screaming "Oh my god! They are so tight!" over the din. Yes, they are, Mr. Simpson. Yes, they are.

Reviewed on Thursday, January 12th, 2023, 9:20am.

It's funny that the song to get me hooked on The Mars Volta was "Televators," given that it's now probably my least favorite track on De-Loused, and somewhat of an indication of the softer direction the band would ultimately lean more heavily into. The soft eeriness might have been what brought me to the band, but it's the frenetic, even chaotic, experimental hard rock that keeps me coming back again and again. When I'm really in the middle of a big Mars Volta kick, I'm convinced there has never been a better band. It's a toss-up any given day whether I prefer this debut or the follow-up, but either way, De-Loused is an all-time album to me. It contains at least five top-tier tracks in "Inertiatic ESP," "Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of)," "Drunkship of Lanterns," "Cicatriz ESP" (probably my favorite), and "Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt." It's been nearly 20 years and I'm no closer to understanding a single thing they're trying to say in the lyrics, but that's never mattered. I'll always love yelling the few lines I do know.

Reviewed on Thursday, January 12th, 2023, 7:16am.

Probably the last great My Morning Jacket record, and the one that came out at the height of their power, at least in my mind and my little circle of music nerd buddies. It's super playful and fun, which is a nice tendency of theirs, but it's also very musically practiced and tight. Songs like the "Touch Me I'm Going To Scream" duo, "I'm Amazed," "Evil Urges," and "Thank You Too!" all play so nicely on a summer day, which is really what this album evokes most for me, but also work in the context in which I'm listening today: a dreary morning at work. The flow of Evil Urges works really well too, as the heavy rockers like "Aluminum Park" and "Highly Suspicious" (a ridiculous, yet awesome song) are nestled right up against the ballads like "Smokin from Shootin" and "Sec Walkin" in a way that keeps you on your toes but feels very natural.

Reviewed on Tuesday, January 17th, 2023, 10:54am.

What a hell of a way to introduce Thomas Pridgen to Volta fans "Aberinkula" is. This whole album is just a monster of rock and roll, and a great answer to the more extended periods of slow exploration from Amputechture, particularly songs like the aforementioned "Aberinkula," "Conjugal Burns," and "Ilyena." The star of the show here, though, is "Goliath." It's a positively massive track to serve as the album's centerpiece, and among my very favorites of their songs as a whole. I was so glad to see them play Bonnaroo the year after this, and while I don't feel the time of day/stage was great for them, the set-opening "Goliath" is forever burned into my brain.

Reviewed on Thursday, January 12th, 2023, 1:03pm.

This is an album of some of the highest of highs in the Mars Volta's catalog, but it's just slightly uneven overall. "Viscera Eyes" and "Meccamputechture" stand up to any of the best tracks off of De-Loused and Frances the Mute, but some of the downtime, more ambient sections don't resonate as much as the atmosphere created on those albums. I think perhaps it just feels a little bit noodly. I still have a lot of love for it, and my critical eye really doesn't come out until album five or so. It's basically unconditional love for the first four albums.

Reviewed on Thursday, January 12th, 2023, 12:57pm.