Good 'morning'!

To call My Morning Jacket a unique band is an understatement. Hailing from Louisville, KY, MMJ got started with five members. After some amount of success, two of the founders of the band decided they weren't cut out for the constant touring that comes with success. The remaining members didn't know where to go next. Would they dismantle the band? Would they continue with three members? Would they add new members? Bingo, the remaining three: singer/songwriter and guitarist Jim James, bassist Two-Tone Tommy and drummer Patrick Hallahan decided to add keyboardist Bo Koster and guitarist Carl Broemel to the mix.\nPast MMJ albums have been characterized by length. Featuring many songs over the 6-minute mark and even some 9-minute-plus tunes, It Still Moves was a whopping 72 minutes. With Z, MMJ seems to use brevity as their new tool. The 11 songs clock in at 52:27, quite a departure from previous albums. This album packs a powerful punch. Honestly, this band is without genre. At times their songs sway ("Off the Record" & "Into the Woods"), while at other times they seem to provide flashes of funky grooves ("Wordless Chorus" & "Lay Low"), yet throughout the album they still manage to maintain that alt-rock tag they've been given. \nLyrically, Jim James leaves something to be desired, but there are some brilliant statements mixed in as well. James takes stabs at organized religion, "Religion should appeal to the hearts of the young; who are you and who have you become?" in "Gideon." He also provides some scary imagery in "Into the Woods" with lyrics like, "A kitten on fire. A baby in a blender. Both sound as sweet as a night of surrender." James does go on to provide a good message in "Into the Woods" by telling us not to settle in life. Musically this band is on par with Radiohead, while sounding more like The Flaming Lips. In fact, on "Knot Comes Loose," James sounds remarkably similar to The Flaming Lips' singer, Wayne Coyne. Impressive compositions include the endings of "Gideon" and "Off the Record." "Lay Low" finds a way to combine guitar, keys, drums and bass in a way unlike any other I've heard. It's truly a sensational song. If you're a lyrics person, you may find yourself wanting more. However, if you can enjoy a good jam, this CD is really worth your time and money.