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.