All things considered, it's been a good year for My Morning Jacket. Actually, scratch that - a phenomenal year for the Louisville, Ky., band.
With unanimous acclaim for their latest full-length, 2005's "Z," a marathon three-and-a-half-hour set at the Bonaroo Festival, and an opening slot on Pearl Jam's tour, MMJ is blowing audiences away, one city at a time. Combining classic rock histrionics, sonic manipulation and raw emotion, the band is bridging the gap between rock 'n' roll's heyday (the "'n'" is emphasized) and a more contemporary, experimental sound.
"Okonokos," MMJ's first live album - and, even better, a double - is a testament to the band's incredible musicianship and singer/guitarist/songwriter Jim James' exceptional vocal abilities. Opener "Wordless Chorus," which also opens last year's "Z," showcases James' falsetto as the band never breaks from its taut groove.
"Lay Low," which closes the first disc on "Okonokos," contains arguably the best guitar solo of the year as James and new addition Carl Broemel tear through an intricate series of searing, perfectly harmonized melodies.
Moreover, "Okonokos" demonstrates MMJ's ability to change things up in the live realm, as evidenced by Disc 2's "Run Thru." While the studio version of this song is relatively tame, the live version proves that MMJ is a rock 'n' roll force to be reckoned with as the band ferociously tears through the song's myriad of riffs while James lets out one of the most cathartic and emotive screams captured on record.
Yet despite the incendiary nature of the heavier songs on the album, one of the more noteworthy aspects of "Okonokos" is MMJ's ability to invest as much emotion into its slower, softer tunes as it does into its harder ones.
For example, "Golden" and "I Will Sing You Songs" are heart-wrenching on their studio albums, but are made so much more poignant because of their apparent tenderness in comparison to "Okonokos"'s more incendiary tracks. These songs contain sparse live arrangements that serve to highlight James' often overlooked but nevertheless beautiful lyrics.
Other highlights include "Steam Engine," with the whine of Broemel's slide guitar echoing majestically behind James' stunning, reverb-soaked vocals. The band reaches the shimmering coda and James sings, "Your skin looks good in moonlight/ God damn those shaky knees/ The fact that my heart's beating/ Is all the proof you need." It's the kind of moment that truly makes a great song, and in this case, a great live album.
If there are any drawbacks to "Okonokos," they can be attributed to the arrangements of the more recent material. While all of the songs from "At Dawn" (2001) and "It Still Moves" (2003) sound much fuller and more energetic live, the band sticks to its studio arrangements when it comes to the songs from "Z." In fact, this isn't really a bad thing, as "Z" features some masterful rock instrumentation.
Nonetheless, a band as gifted and ambitious as MMJ definitely could, and probably should, branch out when it hits the stage. This is especially true for Broemel; he so often displays his chops that it's kind of a bummer when he just plays the chords. However, this detracts only slightly from the overall enjoyment of the record, for the listener can still hear, through MMJ's vigorous performances, the band's enthusiasm in regard to its new material.
Overall, "Okonokos" showcases an incredible band at the height of its game, chugging relentlessly through its best songs and never holding back. For this reason alone, it is worth listening to. However, "Okonokos" accomplishes a far greater and more significant feat: It makes the listener believe in the power of rock 'n' roll.
