Four years is a long time between albums these days. In an era of instant gratification and all the music of the world at your fingertips, the modern music fan is not equipped with patience. When My Morning Jacket releases their seventh full-length album, The Waterfall (ATO/Capital Records), on May 4th, you’ll hear exactly why it was worth the wait.

It’s not as if the band has been dormant since their last release in 2011, however. Most of the members have been busy with side projects, including front man Jim James’ solo record, and his work with super groups The New Basement Tapes and The New Multitudes. Also for the past two winters, MMJ hosted its own destination festival, One Big Holiday in Mexico (read L4LM’s review of the event here). The band debuted three songs off The Waterfall at the event.

Simply due to My Morning Jacket’s place in the music scene, half way between indie band and jam band, they may have already hit their popularity peak. On their upcoming tour, MMJ is playing multiple-night runs at large theatres with some amphitheaters mixed in. They may never play stadiums and they may never headline mainstream music festivals, but the next two years will go a long way towards cementing MMJ’s legacy as one of the best live act that music has to offer.

This two-year stretch is important, because even though MMJ fans had to wait for this record, they won’t have to wait longer than a year for the next. The band confirmed they are planning another full-length release in the spring of 2016 and will conduct full tours promoting both albums.

2011’s effort, Circuital, was an album met with mixed reactions from the band’s core fans, as it was a complete departure from the their earlier work. The Waterfall continues on the same track as Circuital, but also incorporates the best elements of the band’s earlier sound. The album’s similarities to Circuital shouldn’t be too surprising, as producer Tucker Martine returns on this one.
 
The album begins with James in a Willy Wonka-esque intro, before “Believe (Nobody Knows)” really kicks in and instantly transports you to a place where you can imagine where the band will take this one live. The chorus repeats: “Believe, believe, believe. Nobody knows for sure;” it’s almost as if James is willing the album to the heights that critics say the band hasn’t reached since 2005.

The album starts off strong; the second track, “Compound Fracture,” is an attention-grabbing dance tune that blends 80s synth-rock and retro soul with early 2000s indie pop. This song is a good example of what The Waterfall does best. It provides a musical timeline by intertwining eras and genres in a very natural way.

“Like A River” is a brooding song that you get lost in. A simple melody entwined with James’ patented, soothing falsetto puts you in a scene not dissimilar to the one set by the Stinson Beach, CA house, where the majority of The Waterfall was recorded. That haze continues into “In Its Infancy (The Waterfall)” before the song morphs into something else entirely. “In Its Infancy” is a song that would fit right in on Circuital; a mix of 70s rock influences, big arena sound in parts and lyrics that may offer an introspective of the band’s time creating this album:
 
“Again I stopped the waterfall by simply thinking.
Again I stopped the waterfall before my breathing.
Again I stopped the waterfall by finally feeling.
Again I stopped the waterfall by just believing.”

The album lowers the energy a bit with “Get The Point” and starts building momentum again with “Spring (Among the Living).” This is the most musically intense song on the album, and it is definitely a builder. One of MMJ’s greatest techniques in the live setting is their ability to build the crowd’s energy throughout a song until it finally reaches its climax and leads to one of those concert moments that get etched in your brain. “Spring (Among the Living)” will be one of the songs to do that on future Jacket set lists. It introduces layer upon layer of sound throughout, forcing you to move your body more and more.


 
“Thin Line” is another song that does a masterful job up coalescing sounds from different eras. The song begins sounding like a Blondie song stolen from Motown and finishes with intense guitar work that brings it back to the current day.

“Big Decisions” follows, the first single off The Waterfall. This is the most radio-friendly song on the album and has already drawn comparisons to “Off The Record,” from 2005’s Z, which has always brought the ire of a part of the fan base. The band did a great job of creating something that is both enjoyable for their core fan but also accessible to the casual listener alike.

Determining the best songs on the album after only a few listens is a fool’s errand- especially with such a varied release as this.  With that said, “Tropics (Erase Traces)” may be the leader in the clubhouse.  The tantalizing one-plus minute lead-in takes you into a psychedelic jam that is a great song on record and will take on even further life in concert. Being a live music fan first always leads me to think about where songs will fit on a set list, and “Tropics” seems like it would fit neatly as the first song after a rousing encore.

The Waterfall is an album that needs time. It is an album that is greater than the sum of its parts and deserves to be consumed as a single piece of art. As a band that lives and dies with their live performances, The Waterfall is an effort that provides for a great listen on record but also allows for unlimited potential on stage- which is all that My Morning Jacket fans could ask for.

Key Songs: Compound Fracture, Spring (Among the Living), Tropics (Erase Traces)

The Waterfall Tracklist:

1.     Believe (Nobody Knows)
2.     Compound Fracture
3.     Like A River
4.     In Its Infancy (The Waterfall)
5.     Get The Point
6.     Spring (Among the Living)
7.     Thin Line
8.     Big Decisions
9.     Tropics (Erase Traces)
10.   Only Memories Remain

Tour Dates:

05/15/2015 Athens, GA – GEORGIA THEATRE – Sold Out
05/16/2015 Gulf Shores, AL – HANGOUT MUSIC FEST
05/16/2015 Knoxville, TN – TENNESSEE THEATRE – Sold Out
05/17/2015 Gulf Shores, AL – HANGOUT MUSIC FEST
05/23/2015 Boston, MA – BOSTON CALLING
06/03/2015 Cleveland, OH – STATE THEATRE AT PLAYHOUSE SQUARE
06/04/2015 Pittsburgh, PA – STAGE AE
06/05/2015 New York City, NY – GOVERNORS BALL MUSIC FESTIVAL
06/06/2015 Toronto, ON Canada – FIELD TRIP FEST
06/07/2015 Toronto, ON Canada – FIELD TRIP FEST
06/09/2015 Chicago, IL – CHICAGO THEATRE
06/10/2015 Chicago, IL – CHICAGO THEATRE
06/11/2015 Chicago, IL – CHICAGO THEATRE
06/13/2015 Manchester, TN – BONNAROO
06/16/2015 Detroit, MI – THE FILLMORE
06/17/2015 Detroit, MI – THE FILLMORE
06/19/2015 Waverly, IA – GENTLEMEN OF THE ROAD STOPOVER – WAVERLY
06/20/2015 Milwaukee, WI – RIVERSIDE THEATRE
06/21/2015 Milwaukee, WI – RIVERSIDE THEATRE
06/23/2015 Columbus, OH – PALACE THEATRE
06/24/2015 Columbus, OH – PALACE THEATRE
06/26/2015 Minneapolis, MN – NORTHROP AUDITORIUM
06/27/2015 Minneapolis, MN – NORTHROP AUDITORIUM
07/17/2015 Louisville, KY – FORECASTLE FESTIVAL @ WATERFRONT PARK
07/18/2015 Louisville, KY – FORECASTLE FESTIVAL @ WATERFRONT PARK
07/19/2015 Louisville, KY – FORECASTLE FESTIVAL @ WATERFRONT PARK
07/21/2015 Charlottesville, VA – NTELOS WIRELESS PAVILLION
07/22/2015 Lewiston, NY – ARTPARK
07/25/2015 Camden, NJ – XPONENTIAL MUSIC FESTIVAL AT SUSQUEHANNA BANK CENTER
07/26/2015 Columbia, MD – MERRIWEATHER POST PAVILION
07/28/2015 Raleigh, NC – RED HAT AMPHITHEATRE
07/29/2015 Charlotte, NC – TIME WARNER CABLE UPTOWN AMPHITHEATRE
07/31/2015 New Orleans, LA – BOLD SPHERE MUSIC AT CHAMPIONS SQUARE
08/01/2015 St. Augustine, FL – ST. AUGUSTINE AMPHITHEATER
08/03/2015 Miami Beach, FL – FILLMORE MIAMI BEACH
08/04/2015 Orlando, FL – HARD ROCK LIVE
08/07/2015 Atlanta, GA – FOX THEATRE
08/08/2015 Atlanta, GA – FOX THEATRE
08/10/2015 Birmingham, AL – BJCC CONCERT HALL
08/12/2015 St. Louis, MO – PEABODY OPERA HOUSE
08/13/2015 Kansas City, MO – STARLIGHT THEATRE
08/14/2015 Morrison, CO – RED ROCKS AMPHITHEATRE
08/30/2015 Paris, France – ROCK EN SEINE
09/01/2015 Antwerpen, Belgium – RIVIERENHOF AMPHITHEATRE
09/02/2015 Köln, Germany – GLORIA
09/04/2015 Stradbally Village, Ireland – ELECTRIC PICNIC FESTIVAL
09/04/2015 Salisbury, United Kingdom – END OF THE ROAD FESTIVAL
09/05/2015 Stradbally Village, Ireland – ELECTRIC PICNIC FESTIVAL
09/06/2015 Manchester, United Kingdom – THE RITZ
09/06/2015 Stradbally Village, Ireland – ELECTRIC PICNIC FESTIVAL
09/06/2015 Salisbury, United Kingdom – END OF THE ROAD FESTIVAL
09/08/2015 London, United Kingdom – O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE
09/10/2015 Amsterdam, Netherlands – PARADISO
09/12/2015 Groningen, Netherlands – TAKE ROOT FESTIVAL
09/13/2015 Berlin, Germany – LOLLAPALOOZA