A few of you guys recommended this band--which album do you guys think is best? Sampling on emusic right now (which owns face btw). Just curious which one you guys like best.
UPDATE: Also sampling the new Stills joint. Sounds better than their last. I liked the debut a lot. Maybe I'll buy this one
UPDATE #2: BTW, for me, the album of the year, right now, is that French Kicks joint. There are some great songs on there.
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Gideon off of their previous album is a good tune.
"At Dawn" if you are going albumwise. Nice build up to flat out rock and roll. Some of their newer stuff has better tracks(Off the Record from Z stands out in my ears) but not as strong overall. All their stuff is worth a listen but At Dawn is the best all around from start to finish.
Critical consensus says "It Still Moves" is the place to start. I tend to agree. "At Dawn" is a close second though. Great band.
Okonokos is a not a bad place to start. It's a live album recorded while touring after Z, and the quality of the recording is very good. Plus it's got a lot of the best stuff from At Dawn, It Still Moves (my favorite), and Z. You get a great taste of the whole wonderful eclectic catalog.
I'm with you on the French Kicks, but the MMJ guy's voice is kind of annoying
Some freebies, by the way. Video from Austin City Limits in 2006: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-511888362161636969
and a NPR webcast from the 9:30 club in 2005: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4934012
It Still Moves, hands down. But, ultimately the live experience blows away anything recorded.
Hey...if you like the French Kicks, you should check out another band called The Walkmen. They are a New York band, but they grew up in DC with the French Kicks and are all good friends. their new album You & Me is so good. Might be the album of the year (until the new TV on the Radio album comes out in a couple of weeks).
and yea, if you wanna get one My Morning Jacket album get Okonokos...live album that shows how great they are and has hits from a bunch of their albums.
The Stills' first KILLED. Haven't kept up with them recently.
Oh, and you might also like The Old 97s.
Like a few others have stated, I think that It Still Moves is their best album without a doubt. For someone who hasn't heard much of them, though, I would probably suggest Z, or their live album.
I'd also like to second The Walkmen suggestion. Their new album is outstanding, but I wouldn't go so far as to call the album of the year. That distinction belongs to Dr. Dog's "Fate."
Jim James voice is annoying? Huh? I've heard a lot of adjectives to describe it, but annoying?
Give The Saturday Knights a listen - hip hop/metal mashup with humor/irony.
The people who have been following them for years will say "At Dawn". It was the break-through album, and contains their best songwriting ("The Way that He Sings" is still my favorite song by them, and is always great live).
"It Still Moves" is definitely second, and more accessible to people who just want a straight up rock album, and the production is light-years better.
just get one song. all the others will sound just like it.
I've only listened to latest one but loved it. Asking my more indie-knowledgeable friends, they say pretty much all the recent ones are excellent.
also, anyone who doesn't subscribe to rhapsody is missing out. (and no i don't get paid by them or anything). it's the best $15 i spend all month. if you're by a ocmputer all day, there's really no need to ever buy a cd again
"just get one song. all the others will sound just like it."
This happens to be a very peculiar critique. And very wrong-headed. Have you heard "Evil Urges?"
It Still Moves....wow. Get this album immediately.
The thing with MMJ: check out their albums, especially Z and It Still Moves. But, to truly appreciate them, they must be seen live. They put on an incredible show.
It Still Moves and At Dawn. I have little to no use for Z and haven't bothered to listen to Evil Urges - heard one song from it that sounded just awful. Golden, from It Still Moves, was my favorite song for quite some time, but there's something in At Dawn that's missing from the other recordings. Maybe it's an AM flavor, I don't know. But there's something holy about At Dawn, and maybe It Still Moves.
This happens to be a very peculiar critique. And very wrong-headed. Have you heard "Evil Urges?"
i have Z and It Still Moves.
the singer sounds like he's standing in the middle of a huge concrete warehouse, yelping at imaginary assailants, drunk. the music itself sounds like live Neil Young that's had its passion replaced with bulk-quality reverb.
Coates:
I was initially ambivalent about the overall quality of your blog, especially because there's so much pop culture stuff. But you've completely won me over with that French Kicks statement. That albums is hands-down the best of the year.
Well done.
Ah god yes, the French Kicks album is so good! There's also surprisingly energetic live---I saw them at Arlene's Grocery expecting a mope-along, and got a really high-energy show.
Gnarls Barkley-The Odd Couple, album of the year without a doubt no matter what your musical taste. must get.
been bumping 'wordless chorus,' the first track from 'Z' for weeks now. yeah, i'm late, but it's still hot.
I personally think Evil Urges is great, but it seems to be like Joe vs. the Volcano, either you love it or absolutely hate it. I liked it from the start and it keeps growing on me.
I would recommend the studio album Z or the live Okonokos. This band is best live.
cleek,
even if you just have Z and It Still Moves, I don't see how anyone could make the case that wordless chorus sounds just like, say, dancefloors. god bless you if you don't like it. just don't tell me all the songs sound the same.
I also love Evil Urges, but wasn't fully convinced until I went through it a few times.
By they way, Highly Suspicious is really, really awesome live. Saw 'em in Kansas City a few weeks ago.
Really, really like "Swimming" by the French Kicks. "Carried Away", "Said So What", "Atlanta", "Love in the Ruins"...just a chill listen.
Have you gotten "Trial of the Century"? Also good...and check out The Walkmen too...I think you might dig their first two albums.
I came to MMJ late and can't listen to Okonokos enough. Can't say I enjoy Evil Urges so far... maybe it will grow on me. It just makes me want to listen to Prince instead -- give it a play and you'll know what I mean.
This is easy. "It still moves"
As a Louisvillian, I have seen them several times at their annual thanksgiving eve shows, and recently at their 3 and half our epic show on the waterfront, in which they almost played their entire collection of songs.
Their live shows are great, and they are definitely unique. But, I doubt they ever top 'it still moves'.
Z and It Still Moves are great albums.
Evil Urges is better.