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.

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.