#jim james

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Jim James by David Oppenheimer Jim James plays his vintage 1976 Gretsch Broadkaster electric guitar while performing during the historic Rock n' Soul Dance Party Superjam at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee on June 15, 2013 – James Edward Olliges Jr.

Jim James plays his vintage 1976 Gretsch Broadkaster electric guitar while performing during the historic Rock n' Soul Dance Party Superjam at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee on June 15, 2013 – James Edward Olliges Jr.

Jim James and My Morning Jacket fine art photography prints by David Oppenheimer: https://1-performance-impressions.pixels.com/collections/my+morning+jacket

My Morning Jacket - Circuital

Whenever I think of Louisville, Kentucky band My Morning Jacket, I think of the episode of American Dad where Stan becomes a devotee of the band and does nothing but listen to them for an extended period of time. It was such a weird premise for an episode of the show, but I’ve always wanted to give the band a listen. I checked out their last album, 2025’s is, and I thought it was a decent little album. I ended up forgetting about it, but I haven’t forgotten about listening to their other material. They’re one of those indie and alternative bands that aren’t quite in the same scene as other bands from the era; they’re the proverbial red-headed stepchild, basically, because they’re outliers in that whole scene. Their sound is tough to categorize, and vocalist / songwriter Jim James is an interesting and eccentric figure in indie rock.

I ended up finding one of their earlier albums, albeit not from the 00s, but one of their earlier albums, nonetheless. I found 2011’s Circuital, and I swear I’ve seen this album cover, but I decided to pick it up after seeing it online. I didn’t know what to expect, since these guys are kind of outliers in the indie world, but I’ll be damned, I really like it. It’s not my favorite album or anything like that, but I quite like it. The album has some slight issues, but they ultimately don’t matter too much. The main issue I have is its sound, at least in that it’s very eclectic. They move through psychedelic, alternative, indie, and folk, just to name a few, and it can be kind of jarring. Every song has a different feel to it, and at 45 minutes, it’s a bit lengthy. Some songs feel a bit too long, but they’re not bad, per se.