My Morning Jacket likes to hide some of its best music behind unassuming titles.
Twenty years ago, the Louisville-based jam-infused rock band led by Jim James released “Z,” one of its most heralded records. And now comes “is,” their 10th full-length record.
Nearing their third decade as a band, My Morning Jacket’s veterancy shines on “is.” They continue to improve on their ability to write melodic and focused psychedelic rock songs.
And for that reason, seemingly every track on “is” could be a single for the band, a highlight of their live set or a launching pad for improvisation on stage.
For “is,” My Morning Jacket handed the producer duties over to Brendan O’Brien, who has worked with Phish, Bruce Springsteen and Pearl Jam — a rarity for a band that prefers to self-produce and has for nearly a decade.
It’s paid off. O’Brien doesn’t mess with the sound that My Morning Jacket fans love and expect. Instead, he seems to have focused the band in a way that allows them to deliver a unified, 10-song collection. The songs are meant to communicate “a sense of presence in the now,” as James described the album titled in a press release.
“Hopefully those songs will be helpful to people and give them some kind of peace as they try to deal with the insanity of the world,” James said. “Because that’s what music does for me.”
That happens at the jump. Opener “Out in the Open” leads with a catchy guitar riff.
“I’m realizing what’s at stake now,” James sings. “I can’t pretend that I’m not scared / But I’ll live while I’m still free.”
On the love song “Everyday Magic,” James finds transcendence in the mundane. “Everyday magic / A ripple in the fabric,” he sings. “Of all space time / Oh you have it / In your heart.”
“Time Waited,” another love song, seems destined to become a standard for the band, with its easy-going melody and inventive sample of pedal steel giant Buddy Emmons’ “Blue Jade.”
That song may find a place on the playlists at weddings of neohippies, especially those who connect a little later in life. The evidence is in its lyrics: “We know real love takes forever / And the clock ticks faster every year / But time waited / For you and me,” James sings.
My Morning Jacket shifts the weirdness to a higher gear with “Squid Ink,” a blues-y rocker with a propulsive beat. It is certain to come alive in front of audiences.
From the longtime fan to the newbie, “is” delivers with familiar, elevated songs.
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