My Morning Jacket Album: “Off the Record”

My Morning Jacket's "Z" album is one of 2005's very best, and this single from it is in my opinion the best CD single of the year.

"Off the Record" (4 tracks, 19 min.) presents 2 versions of "Off the Record": the single version literally chops off the last 2 min. of the album track (which is the closing track here). Needless to say, I encourage you to skip the single version, and instead enjoy what I think is one of the very best songs of the year, and the 2 min. outro is not to be missed. (But hey, no mention/credit to the "Hawai Five-O" musical theme for that guitar riff?!?). The 2 middle tracks are both non-album tracks, and just terrific. "How Could I Know" finds MMJ in their more rustic ballad style, while "Chills" is a more upbeat track, also quite nice. In the end, though, "Off the Record" is what this is about, and a super song from beginning to end.

If you have an opportunity to catch MMJ in concert, don't miss them! They are one of the best live acts currently out there, no question. And in concert, "Off the Record" becomes a monster 10+ min. jam-out, just terrific.