My Morning Jacket reissued one of their most beloved and quintessential albums, 2003's It Still Moves, on May 27 via ATO Records. In addition to the original album completely remixed by frontman Jim James and remastered by Bob Ludwig, the reissue includes 10 of James' original demos along with 3 previously unreleased tracks.
“Sitting here with me and mine, all wrapped up in a bottle of wine.” It takes a matter of seconds into the album’s opener “Mahgeetah” before Jim James has you hooked. It Still Moves is a long album. By itself, it’s over 70 minutes long and that’s more than most listeners have attention for these days. But, the album is so massive in scope that it’s worth that run time.
“One Big Holiday” alone is worth it. Metal bands could take a lesson from My Morning Jacket on how to make a headbanger. That’s the appeal of It Still Moves. There’s so much this album offers to draw listeners.
The musicianship can be the headliner like in “Dancefloors.” Other times, it can be the lyrics like mentioned before in “Mahgeetah.” More often than not, it’s both like in “Golden” or “Steam Engine”
The instrumentals in this album are simply majestic. Which is why I found myself floored after I made it passed the three B-sides and onto the demo portion of the album. The B-side highlight for was “En La Ceremony” which showcased both jazz and mariachi elements.
The demo cuts from the album were acoustic renditions of every song from the album except for “One Big Holiday.” Hearing the songs stripped of their studio cleanliness was a fond appreciation for how much work Jim James must of have put in as both writer and producer of the album.
The album may be a time investment, but it is rewarding with its ambition to be something huge and so much to offer. If you listen to this album, you will take away at least something that will find itself repeating on your playlist.
