Some people go through life making lists of practically everything, listing every like and dislike and in order of importance. Creating order in this hectic universe is an imperative and there comes a time when we must also list the best bands and songs. There are bands that will forever remain in the playlist of our soul, like The Beatles, Nirvana, and My Morning Jacket (MMY).
The Beatles and Nirvana are ingrained in our consciousness and their music plays vividly in our memory, why then must we group the little known My Morning Jacket in the same semantic field? Firstly, MMY is not a band that needs exuberant popularity, and secondly the quality of their music is equivalent to the greatest names of the grunge genre.
My Morning Jacket is an American rock band formed in Louisville, Kentucky in 1998. The clear influences of pure and country rock made them a cult band that pays homage to Neil Young and The Beach Boys. They went against expectations of what bands are supposed to achieve and breaking records was not on the agenda, this is what characterized them. They knew what they wanted and they went for it by perfecting their craft.
For those lucky souls that discovered My Morning Jacket in their youth, they were able to grow up alongside their music and let the melodies fill up their personal space. You will always find refuge and a place of comfort in their songs. Hidden within the lyrics you will find the answer to your problems and they will help you let go of bitter memories.
Jim James, main vocalist and guitarist throughout the seven albums, has looked for innovative ways to create new sounds alongside characters like John Leckie (Radiohead, Muse), Tocker Martin (REM, Beth Orton, Camera Obscura), Joe Chiccarello (The Shins, Rufus Wainright, Beck). My Morning Jacket heads out with a flashlight into the dark reaches of the music world in search of new landscapes they can put into music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xu_7fEyypCk
Playing a MMY album feels as if you were opening your bedroom’s window, feeling content and safe in your own space, and letting the morning breeze fill up the space. The air vibrates with a mixture of timid gospel and sixties folk music, which is then woven together with powerful chorus and rock distortions.
“The idea of success is a fading horizon. From a traditional point of view, the idea of success is not possible for us. For me, success is all about doing what you love and paying the mortgage. Success is being exactly where you want to be without thinking you have to leave soon or get another job on the side to make ends meet,” guitarist Carl Broemel shares. It is this humble definition of success that is transmitted in the pleasant and simple music of MMY.
“We got kind of lost out there, to be honest (…) To get to the studio you had to walk through a forest, down a beach and then cruise up a hill overlooking the ocean. You’d see shooting stars along the way. It was beautiful.” Carl Broemel on the recording of the album The Waterfall.
Just like Radiohead that holds a special place in your heart, My Morning Jacket is one of the defining bands of the XX century that you can return to over and over. This band has the capacity to give boundless amounts of courage to enraptured listeners and help them overcome difficult moments. So, as you drink a cup of coffee, listen to My Morning Jacket and you’ll realize that no matter how many years may float by, their music will be inextricably linked to your life’ stories.
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