Evil Urges
by My Morning Jacket
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 73 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 51 out of 73
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 73
  3. Negative: 6 out of 73

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  1. RomanM.
    Jul 14, 2008
    3
    This band hit on a really cool sound with "It Still Moves" and has abandoned it. There is nothing wrong with trying to test your artistic boundaries. However, the latest efforts (including "Z" which was better but still a step downward) are self-indulgent. The lyrics are brutal, the music seems empty, i.e. songs sound like they are missing beats and notes and James has effectively This band hit on a really cool sound with "It Still Moves" and has abandoned it. There is nothing wrong with trying to test your artistic boundaries. However, the latest efforts (including "Z" which was better but still a step downward) are self-indulgent. The lyrics are brutal, the music seems empty, i.e. songs sound like they are missing beats and notes and James has effectively neutered all the soul that was in his voice for some showmanship. Sorry, but this band can do better. The lyrics are really upsetting. Hackneyed attempts at political relevance.… Expand
  2. BarryJorden
    Jun 12, 2008
    2
    Very disappointing. Hoping for better with the next album.
  3. samh
    Jun 17, 2008
    1
    This is the far and away the worst thing I've heard in years. Aping Prince, Peaches & Herb and Christopher Cross does not make this their most comprehensive album yet, but rather their most reprehensible. I still can't wrap my head around how absolutely atrocious "Highly Suspicious" is, though it's the only track that stands out in a bleary sea of muddled soft pop. Jim This is the far and away the worst thing I've heard in years. Aping Prince, Peaches & Herb and Christopher Cross does not make this their most comprehensive album yet, but rather their most reprehensible. I still can't wrap my head around how absolutely atrocious "Highly Suspicious" is, though it's the only track that stands out in a bleary sea of muddled soft pop. Jim James' incomparable voice has long been the most appealing aspect of this band and it's been flushed in favor of half-hearted falsetto for much of the album. Do not listen to this disc without a jug of ear bleach nearby.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

47
#47 Most Discussed Album of 2008

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
67

Generally favorable reviews - based on 31 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 31
  3. Negative: 2 out of 31
  1. Drowned In Sound
    60
    Where the separate parts of the first half didn't gel – the chopping and changing of different styles too much to take in, perhaps, in too short a period--the second part is much easier to handle, and whilst the strong finish isn't enough to stop it falling short of "Z," Evil Urges does find its own place given time.
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  2. Entertainment Weekly
    100
    The cumulative result is an exhilarating, bone-deep experience--a true album, built for sustained listening.
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  3. Rolling Stone
    80
    Evil Urges explodes the band's sound with the same kind of creative leap that Wilco took on "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" and Radiohead took on "Kid A."
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