Pick four songs from any band and you can tell a lot about their sound. This summer, I’m featuring #RockBlocks, four picks from bands across various genres. They might be wildly different from each other, but what binds them together is the fact that they’re all a part of my life soundtrack.
Today I was thinking about the purpose of a morning jacket. Its name implies two characteristics: 1) something that keeps you warm, and 2) something that’s worn only during the early part of the day. It’s essentially an article of clothing that gives you the comfort and warmth you need to get you going for the rest of your day. In many ways, My Morning Jacket’s music has played that role for me, including this unique song from one of my favorite MMJ albums.
The aspects in “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream, Part 2” that get me going are both foundational and ornamental. At the foundation is a peculiar melody and song structure. It grooves early and then strangely fizzles out as if there’s a power shortage in the recording studio. On the peripheral is Jim James’s voice dancing seamlessly between high tenor and falsetto and a alien-like synth riff that sounds like it’s trying to communicate with us.
“It's been so long, since someone challenged me. And made me think, about the way things are. Made me think, about the way they could be.”