My Morning Jacket - Z

1.    Wordless Chorus
2.    It Beats 4 U
3.    Gideon
4.    What A Wonderful Man
5.    Off The Record
6.    Into The Woods
7.    Anytime
8.    Laylow
9.    Knot Comes Loose
10.    Dondante
11.    Where To Begin (Bonus Track)

My Morning Jacket found itself at a crossroads as it prepared to record the album that would deliver its long-awaited breakthrough. Two members had already left the band, and their replacements were still finding their place within the group’s chemistry. At the same time, the Kentucky-based ensemble felt the urge to step خارج its comfort zone and therefore brought in a professional producer, John Leckie. The result – “Z” – was ranked by Rolling Stone as one of the 500 greatest albums of all time and is often referred to as My Morning Jacket’s “OK Computer.”

On “Z,” My Morning Jacket focuses on the essentials. The quintet, revitalized by newcomers Carl Broemel on guitar and Bo Koster on keyboards, moves beyond the Southern rock and rustic ballads of its earlier releases. The band incorporates exotic elements and psychedelic textures into its repertoire while tightening its song structures. The deliberate decision to isolate themselves in a studio far from distractions led the group to a remote area in the Catskill Mountains. The final piece that brought everything together was Leckie: a veteran of Abbey Road Studios who had worked in various roles on albums by George Harrison, Pink Floyd, and Wings, he already had an impressive résumé as an engineer and producer, including work with The Stone Roses, XTC, Muse, and Radiohead. His perspective transformed the band’s workflow. “Z” stands as a testament to this collaboration, featuring adventurous arrangements and excursions into reggae, R&B, and soul-jazz that take the listener on a cosmic journey. The songs resemble beams of light passing through a prism, projecting a wide spectrum of colors.

Lovingly mastered from the original tapes at the Californian MoFi studio, this numbered and strictly limited Hybrid SACD (2,500 copies), presented in a mini-LP style gatefold sleeve, delivers this album for the first time in true audiophile reference quality. A key element of the record’s appeal – John Leckie’s outstanding production, which tames the band’s signature reverb while enriching the music with organic warmth and cosmic textures – is revealed here with unprecedented openness and presence.

MUSICIANS

Jim James: vocals, lead and rhythm guitars
Tom Blankenship: bass guitar
Carl Broemel: guitar and saxophone on “Dondante”
Patrick Hallahan: drums
Bo Koster: keyboards
Andrew Bird: strings and whistles on “Gideon,” “Into the Woods,” and “It Beats 4 U”
“M.” Ward: acoustic guitar and backing vocals on “Into the Woods”
John Leckie & Jim James: production