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March 02, 2005
Tuxzedoreos
My Morning Jacket - The Bear
I first saw My Morning Jacket on Conan O'Brien a couple years ago, playing 'One Big Holiday' from 2003's "It Still Moves". They absolutely tore the place apart. Jim James sang so clearly and passionately and his cousin, Johnny Quaid, mauled his guitar so well that Conan actually forewent his usual platitudes (e.g. 'that was great, thanks') and said to the band, "That was amazing. I'm going to go out and buy that record."
Anyway, I had wanted to post the live version of this song (I'll get to that in a minute), but I only have access to the studio track right now (legal trouble), from 1999's "The Tennessee Fire". 'The Bear' starts with the drumbeat from a famous song (guess which one!), and sounds, overall, like it was recorded by lowering the entire band into a half-mile deep water well studded with microphones (the well, not the band). People talk a lot about Jim James' voice, so I'll just say one thing: it transfixes you (also, the man clearly sings from his toes up- his voice sounds whole-body-generated); the reverb has the effect of turning James' voice from something clear and primary into something even more affecting (like a shaft of light filtered through a stained glass window. I am on a roll with the bad similes today). 'The Bear' treads a slight and worn path (pine straw, broken twigs) up until about 3:14, when it's a full-on sprint through thorny bushes and over gnarled roots to the final, drawn-out, epiphanic "forever".
The live version of this, from the "Acoustic Citsuoca" EP, is even better and more immediate-sounding (your head will catch on fire, it's that great). That EP is about 20 mins. long and represents the best CD-buying money I spent last year (it's like $6). You can buy "The Tennessee Fire" here, and as for the EP, you'll have to go to an actual record store.
Posted by matt at March 2, 2005 08:00 AM