(Editor's note: I am currently embroiled in a thorny thicket of dissertation proposal work. It appears that I won't be able to use study quality as a moderating variable in a meta-analysis, given the non-random occurrence of variables affecting quality. Which blows. I can probably work around it, but it means a shit-ton more writing. This means that I can't quite work up the energy to pound out a formal review of the new My Morning Jacket record. I've half assed it below. Thanks for understanding.)
I am in love with Circuital. It's something like 13.5 times better than Evil Urges. (Evil Urges is rapidly turning into the music equivalent of Paul Auster's Timbuktu. Just a turd in the punch bowl of a generally awesome career; in much the same way that it's tough to sort out how Auster could write a novel from the perspective of a dog (for the uninitiated, the execution of the idea was significantly worse than the idea itself) and something like, say, The Music of Chance, it's tough to listen to that Peanut Butter song right after you listen to, say, "Run Thru." Just saying.) The songs that we heard in advance of the record (the title track, "Holding on to Black Metal," and "Wonderful, the Way I Feel") all deliver the goods. I was initially out on "Black Metal," but that horn riff is inescapable (even if they ripped it off). The rest of the record does the job, with spots that give me the goosebumps.
Which brings us all the way around to the point.
I believe that "Victory Dance" is going to be a face-melting experience live. The Lake County Emissary and I are heading to Denver to see NB, newly appointed Cultural Emperor of the Western United States. We will see My Morning Jacket at Red Rocks. I am excited. I am most excited (perhaps) to hear "Victory Dance." It's got a fantastically iterative and building riff that, if it plays up to my expectations, is going to translate really well live.
It's super easy at this point to hear a live version of "Victory Dance." This is (essentially) what the internet was invented for. I'm not going to do it though. I'm saving my "Victory Dance" virginity for Denver. I've got a promise ring.
Because I am "Victory Dance" abstinent, so are you. I do have a couple of killer cuts, though. First is another choice cut from "Circuital." The first time I listened, I giggled. The second time, I nodded sagely. Word. The second is an Erykah-Badu-assisted "Tyrone." Enjoy.
I’m glad I saw this review. Listening to the album now and wow, so much better than Evil Urges.