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| Evil Urges | 
 enlarge | Artist: My Morning Jacket
Label: Ato Records / Red
Category: Music
List Price: $13.98
Buy New: $8.48
You Save: $5.50 (39%)
New (45) Used (23) from $7.39
Avg. Customer Rating:  82 reviews
Sales Rank: 613
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1
Dimensions (in): 5.3 x 5 x 0.3
MPN: 21626
UPC: 880882162627
EAN: 0880882162627
ASIN: B0017PB5TW
Release Date: June 10, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: BRAND NEW Factory Sealed - Ready to be shipped within 24 hrs from California - Average 5 workdays delivery time - Excellent customer service - Buy with confidence!
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| Customer Reviews:
 Angry after listening! July 8, 2008
7 out of 11 found this review helpful
I looked forward to this album, I counted the days! I am a huge fan. I have tickets to their show at Red Rocks with the Black Keys! I felt like I was robbed of $13 after listening! I think it was a joke, I don't think those guys could have honestly made that bad of an album! One of the worst I have ever listened to!!
 I'm all for mixing things up but.... June 12, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Geeesh. It's one thing to call this "experimental", but why mess with the most distinctive thing about this band - Jim James' voice? And did they have to also go in what I only can refer to as a retro-pop direction for most of the album? To me it's not a very "experimental" move to travel down roads that were worn out in previous decades (disco, country rock, 80's dance pop), but it's not necessarily a bad thing either. If you are going to travel down those roads though you should do it without losing what makes you stand out in the first place, and sadly, upon initial listenings, that seems to be what MMJ have done here. I've been a fan since "It Still Moves", and, like some other reviewers, I felt that "Z" was the best album of 2005. I had really high hopes for this album and I'm still hoping it will grow on me, thus the optimistic 3 star rating. However, it's not looking good when a great band releases a song that is so overwhelmingly irritating that it forces me to get up and hit the skip button. "Highly Suspicious" is that song. As for the rest of the album, it's not really that it's bad, just not as immediately outstanding as some of their earlier material. I guess my point in even bothering to review this album at all is that you should beware of people that refer to this release as "ground breaking" or "experimental". It may be breaking different ground for MMJ as a band, but there isn't anything here that you haven't heard before, and better too, either by them or other artists. A bit disappointing for a band as good as this.
 Best album since 2002's Yoshimi, maybe. June 10, 2008
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
This album is amazing on so many different levels, and because of the well-crafted exploration of so many different styles and genres I have to give this my nod for album of the year(so far), and the best thing I've heard since 02's Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. In some ways, this album might be even better because of the interesting blend of different styles of music, but yet there is still an overall universal message of connectivity, and like Yoshimi, it is a beautiful adventure.
It might take a few listens for a lot of people to see how cohesive this album actually is, but after a few spins I found that the songs, as different as they are from one another, somehow come together to form one majestic, fearless album. Like all of their other albums, the lyrics are also special in the sense that there can be multiple meanings to almost every line, so every person can take something from it and connect it to their own reality.
Let me suggest that you play this album properly before you try to dismiss it. Play it as loud as possible to get the full effect of all the sounds and perfect percussion. There is a lot going on in this album, and it is made only for those who want to be challenged. I've heard a lot of fans say they were disappointed after their first listen, but then came acceptance and then after several listens the glory of this album was finally revealed. I personally skipped most of these stages by getting really high before my first listen and it came together a bit quicker. Either way, there should be a very indepth investigation of this album before making any judgements.
It is highly suspicious at first, but after a while, you'll be amazed.
I've Completely Changed My Mind July 7, 2008
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
Music that appeals to me right away I lose interest in faster than music that grows over time. When I first heard "Evil Urges" I hated it. Now after two weeks of steady listening I love it. When I got over my anger for Highly Suspicious I realized how many amazing moments are on this disc. It has a definite classic rock sound. Jim James sounds great as usual. Stop all the camparisons to "Z" and the incredible "At Dawn", judge it on it's own. If you have not given it a fair chance please do, it's worth it.
Not so evil after all June 11, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
My first MMJ album was 2001's At Dawn, which is by now 7 years old. That album struck an immediate chord with me, perfectly and effortlessly weaving together the classic rock I grew up with and the newer, alternative rock (such as The Flaming Lips) that I was currently listening to at that time. The reverb-drenched vocals and echoey production gave the album a hazy, moody feel, imbuing even the lesser tracks with depth and emotion. Every song sounded of a piece to create a whole greater than the sum of its parts that occupied a unique space in my collection and in my head. In fact, the album was the soundtrack to that period of my life. It Still Moves (the follow-up to At Dawn) maintained the beautiful production and added some oomph in the guitar area, bringing the sound closer to the band's legendary live experience without sacrificing any of the band's unique sound. The next album, Z, added a touch of keyboards and some new influences (reggae, for example, on "Off The Record"), while further peeling away some of the murk for a more straightforward rock sound. This evolution worked well for the band, and despite missing the reverby earlier work I became accustomed to the new sound very quickly. In between, the band released some great live material as well (Acoustic Citsuoca: Live at the Startime Pavilion and Okonokos), all of which represented a significant addition to the band's catalog.
Which brings us to Evil Urges, the latest addition to the band's esteemed catalog. For the first time since At Dawn, I don't quite know quite what to make of the latest MMJ album. The first track ("Evil Urges") is a nice mix of post-Z keyboard-centric MMJ with a classic soul sound (yes a bit reminiscent of Prince but also of a lot of pre-Prince music which probably influenced Prince). The next two tracks however left me a little cold. "Touch Me I'm Going To Scream (Part I)" is just somewhat dull and meandering, although it is definitely growing on me. "Highly Suspicious," which occupies the third ("anchor") slot, is entertaining and reminds me of Run DMC in an odd way. It's a novelty song and thumbs its nose at mass appeal, but yet it's oddly catchy and might just draw in some listeners as well. However it really doesn't sound like MMJ at all - hardly the same band that created the earlier body of work with which I am so familiar (and the rest of the songs on this album).
Then suddenly track 4 rolls around and we have a classic soaring MMJ song, one of their very best in fact, with "I'm Amazed." Next comes "Thank You Too!", a beautiful Eagles-influenced song with swelling strings. "Sec Walkin"'s slide guitars bring back the alt-country for which this band was so well known, with great soul-influenced backing vocals. "Librarian" is a straightforward and clever love song that reminds me a bit of White Album-era Beatles. Later tracks including "Remnants" and "Aluminum Park" round out the album with a more straightforward heavier rock sound, reminding me of It Still Moves. Overall, after all is said and done, this turns out to be a very solid (albeit a bit overproduced) album that shows the band really enjoying their craft and expanding their sound in interesting directions.
So why the 4 stars (instead of 5, like all their other work)? It's due to the lack of cohesiveness. The band seems out to prove their versatility here, and they certainly are adept at many styles. Even the experiments which don't really work are worth a listen. However, the diversity of sound comes at the expense of the band's unique ability to craft albums where every song sounds of a piece and in the right place in relation to the others. The band sounds restless, which is a good thing, but they also sound trapped by their restlessness, wondering what kind of band they want to be. Even their photo displays this fact - some members with new hairstyles and clothes, others looking the same as before. I have a gut feeling that MMJ is searching for their image, and this may just be something they have to grow through or into as they gain popularity.
So in summary, a very good album but one that will hopefully be a stepping stone towards even better things as the band goes through necessary growing pains and irons out the kinks.
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