My Morning Jacket Album: “Okonokos [Box Set]”

My Morning Jacket is an incredible band. I knew I could always count on them to release a solid psychedelic, southern rock record. But when "Z" came out in 2005, I was absolutely speechless; there was finally a band in the United States to compete with Radiohead, and incidentally, "Z" is probably the best album released since "Ok Computer." It took the band to a whole new level. They went from being solid to superstars; from doing obscure music magazine interviews to releasing a concert in indie theaters across the country.

The next logical step was to do what their southern rock forebarrers of the 70's did. Do a double live album. "Okonokos" is the album and not only does it compare with Little Feat's "Waiting for Columbus," Allman Brother's "Live at Fillmore East," and Cream's 2nd disc on "Wheels of Fire," it actually manages to best them all.

The sound may not be revolutionarily different from the mood of "Z," but that actually plays to My Morning Jacket's advantage; why change perfection? The album is a little more gritty and has a few warts, but songs like "At Dawn," "Golden," and "It Beats For You" find their definitive version in live format. Elsewhere, the off-key singing on "Off the Record" is a bit tough to take (especially since it's one of "Z's" strongest songs) but you can't be a revoutionary all the time. Another tiff is with the choice of set list. With 21 songs of space, the pallate was wide open with possibility, and we get almost half the album dedicated to a record MMJ fans haven't put down for a year. More music from "At Dawn," the many EP's and independant releases, and particularly the near-perfect "It Still Moves" would have been nice. To be honest, though, these are minor, picky problems in comparison to the joyous, reverb-soaked 2 hours of music fans are rewarded with. I can't wait for the next studio album.

Overall: 9 out of 10.

My Morning Jacket has steadily been climbing the commercial and critical recongition in the last 6 years, with 2005's "Z" album ranking easily as one of the best albums of last year. MMJ has built its reputation as a tireless live act, and finally MMJ releases a live album, and what a joy it is.

"Okonokos" (2CDs, 21 tracks, 123 min.) brings the full force of what it's like to experience My Morning Jacket in concert. As can be expected, the live set is heavy on "Z" songs: 8 of its 10 tracks are on here, mostly on CD1, with such gems as "Off the Record", which takes the studio track to new highs in a live setting, and "It Beats 4 U", with its underlying heavy drums. CD2 will bring higher delights to long-time MMJ fans, with epic (10+ min.) pieces like "Dondante" and "Run Through", but also bringing older tracks like "At Dawn" and "Xmas Curtain". The set closes with "Dancefloors" and an exuberant "Magheetah", several tracks on here from the equally excellent 2003 album "It Still Moves".

If you haven't seen My Morning Jacket yet, do yourself a favor and go do so, you won't be disappointed. (MMJ is about to start a Fall tour in support of "Okonokos".) I have seen them a number of times live, but none was better than the now-legendary set they brought at this year's Bonnaroo Festival, starting at midnight and going full blast for 3 straight hours. I must admit that I left after about 2 1/2 hours, I was just spent! That said, "Okonokos" is by far the best live album released this year. Essential, period.

VERY GREAT LIVE BAND,THE LIVE VERSION OF THE SONGS IS VERY GOOD AND DIFFERENT FROM THE ALBUM VERSION,I HAVE SEE THE MMJ IN CONCERT IN ITALY LIKE A SUPPORTER OF A PEARL JAM SHOW AND I'M SURE IT'S A GREAT LIVE BAND AROUND NOW!!I HOPE THAT MMJ RETURN IN EUROPE FOR THE LIVE SHOW

I rented this on Netflix, hearing that it was good. I gotta tell ya, this is great stuff. Grant it, I've had eight beers and God knows what else but thats what this music is about. Let yourself go and love it. Parts of this remind me of Sigur Ros almost, which is incredible in my book. Ethereal. Heavenly. Inspired. 5 stars.

This is very well recorded. Good selection of material. Sounds good in dts 5.1.