RCA/ATO
Released 09.26.06
My Morning Jacket is a live band. Or, they always had been. Then Z came out. It was critically acclaimed and generally loved by their fans, but it was also a huge sonic departure. The greatest change was a focus on studio craft. Their earlier albums were very much natural recordings, capturing the players in their live element. Was Z such a studio-based album that the songs couldn't survive live? Not only does Okonokos confirm that the songs from Z can sound just as impressively epic on the stage as on record, but by including a good deal of older material, it lays bare that though the band has gone through some eclectic changes, these songs can work together as a magnificent whole. That being said, the 2 discs of Okonokos almost work as two different documents of an event. On the first disc, the band follows their recorded work almost to a T. The songs sound like what you've heard on the records. The second disc, starts with "Dondante", which singer Jim James strips to its emotional core. The disc continues to let loose, with the band subtly reinterpreting bits and pieces of familiar songs, though always keeping the basics intact. For someone who hasn't seen the band for a few years, I left the record promising myself I would make a point not to miss them again.
-Dave Wolkensperg
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