It's a good album but in the end you feel that some of the songs are either trying to make you like them or are just too similiar. Don't get me wrong MMJ as a band is brilliant but this album doesn't feel as good as some of their older stuff. But still it is an intelligent mix of pop, alt- country, southern rock and ambience that make this album one of the best of 2005.

This is the album that they were meant to create. The album's leading up to this were training wheels for what is to come from this band after Z. They capture the very essence of Z in their live shows. I would recommend everyone that is a MMJ fan to please see them live. They get it and you will too.

It's good to see the guys run in a different direction on Z. While it is a true departure from previous work, so was It Still Moves from At Dawn, and the latter from the Tennessee Fire. If anything, My Morning Jacket shows that they are a band that is growing. Especially with the addition of Carl and Bo, the Jacket is reaching into new ground. They have a truly Zeppelin-esque approach to the rock scene: take what you like, and make it your own, in a way that nobody's done it before. Who would've thought that "I Needed It Most" would have preceded "Phone Went West" on At Dawn, and now the tracklisting has "Off the Record" followed by "Into the Woods." A rock-reggae trippy jam session followed by a beautiful demented circus waltz. And the thing is, it works. The album is encapsulating, and it ends as beautifully as it starts. Where we find outrselves thrown in with a mysteriously simple dance groove, we find the album closed with truly "sad, mysterious dance music." Amidst the drum and bass groove, Jim sings in a gentle, subdued manner on "Dondante," but builds and builds until you find that you're singing along with the guitar solo and get torn in two by the chorus. "You had me worried..." Simply reading the words cannot in any way, shape, or form express the sheer distress and frustration of this song. There is a power in this music, and it's one that you will rarely find in the music scene today. I challenge to put on headphones and close your eyes and listen to "Dandante" and not feel moved. I don't care if you hate Jim's voice, or listen to nothing but Slayer - this song will move with an emotional force that few bands today even come close to comprehending. And Jim, through "Dondante" and previous releases like "Steam Engine" and "The Bear," has found a language that transcens mere vowels and consonants, but on a level of pure emotion.… Expand

this is an outstanding display of musical talent, and really shows how versatile the band has become.....

The best Album I've boughten this year. I only wish it were longer. MMJ has been one of my favorite artists for quite a while and they continue to improve with each release.

It is among the best cd's of the year. great songs. great music. high class

A complete surprise. While some of Z sounds like their last and previous albums other songs find Jim James and the boys in new areas all together. It is kind of a weird little CD. "It Still Moves" part 2 would have been great, but I'm glad they're evolving.

best album of 2005. absolutely wonderful... no words to say more...:)

One word to describe this album: concise. MMJ took the overly long songs from their previous albums and cut them down to little bits of perfection.

Opens really well with some catchy, leftfield, Flaming Lips/Merucry Rev-type tunes. But takes a serious nosedive somewhere around the middle. 'Off the Record' is such a MOR piece of crap that its hard to believe its from the same band as the excellent 'Anytime','Law Low' and 'Dondante' that close this album of two halves.

Very good album...gives you the same great style, but with a faster beat. My Morning Jacket rose from the 'unknowns' with "Still Moves", but "Z" flowed much better. Good album...

I bought this album based on this website and the reviews conained here. I am disappointed. It is not a stellar peice of work. Someone mentioned that the sound of the album is like from the bottom of a pool, and I agree. The mixing is way to heavy on reverb and echo, and the musicianship on the songs is lackluster at best. The riffs are ripped from other places, the hooks are muddy and the singing is, well, not very good. James doesn't have good voice control, although he has a good range. I wanted this to be good, especially since I paid for it, instead of downloading it from Limewire. But, after the fourth listen, I don't think it will be in my computer or CD player any more. Disappointing.… Expand

This is a terrible album by a terrible group!

Great album.

What more can we ask? It's brilliant...good musicanship along with creative song lines.

Is nice. I like.

What a fabulous album!! They have really refined their style since 'It Still Moves'. The same great melodies and choruses are there, but the songs no longer degenerate into 8-minute jam sessions. In fact, I think the average track length has come down by 3 minutes....

Wow ... even if some tracks don't quite work, you can hear the urgency in the lead singer's voice - these guys are for real, or at the very least, they play a good game for 40 minutes. This is my first MMJ album, and I am more than impressed.

This is their best record yet. A little discipline goes a long way.

Great album from one of the greatest live bands EVER.

Great CD, I can listen to it over & over. I find the songs progress nicely from begining to end with great tempo, but i especially love the guitar solos in Laylow & Dondante. Jim James voice is piercing and brilliant the whole cd flows beautifully, the reason I'm not giving it a 10 is at 47 minutes it is a bit short, but it is worth it. This, just like any other cd, is one that you either love or hate, and I love it.… Expand

Z is definitely a tighter and more sonically pleasing album compared to the last one, It Still Moves. I love Jim James' voice and the reverb works more to the albums favour here than it did before. Drums have some great rythms, addition of keys is a big plus! Gets an 8 because one song (Track 6) is not so great; doesn't hurt the flow of the album though. Go buy it and see them rock live! Bring back the 70s hair!… Expand

Is this case I am rating this album based on previous MMJ material. They focused on 3 great tracks and the rest of the album is just nothing.

Looking forward to many more amazing releases

I was amazed to see this album rush straight to top of 2005 (and indeed into the all time top 10). Given that this album has scored higher than the likes of Illinios, CYHSY or The Woods means it must be pretty special. Right? Right? But now that I've listened to Z, I'm sorely disappointed. This is not even close to the best of 2005. I'll admit that Z has a strong start, but 'Into The Woods' is a such a weak song (with obnoxious sound effect samples to boot) that it spoils the momentum of the first 5 songs, and the last half can only make a half-hearted attempt to recover. After about 5 or 6 listens to Z, I have no inclination to listen to it again past the catchy 'Wordless Chorus'. The reverb over the nasal vocals becomes irritating on many tracks, and in many places the tunes are gratingly immature (for example, the start of 'What A Wonderful Man' or "Into The Woods'). Calling things you don't like overrated is a bit of a cliche around here (almost as much as giving something 10 and calling it album of the year), but the fact is that Z really is overrated, dammit.… Expand

this is pretty good. it's not the direction i was expecting or hoping they would take. but that's not necessarily a bad thing. the songs and sounds just don't quite grab you and immerse you like those on it still moves or at dawn did. it just doesn't sound as 'big.'

Different, Excellent!!

Simply amazing album, ...even though the U2ishness of Gideon and Anytime seems a bit out of place.

One of the Best Bands on the planet.

simply awful. Another record that proves that they had one great, and by that i mean the truly brilliant, wonderful, spectacular "At Dawn." After that it's been heading downhill at a remarkable pace. The only question left, is just how bad will they become, cause this pretty bad.

A darker, more electronic feel than their previous albums, but all the better for the sharp production values. Still with plenty to please the old fans, though, and some great air guitar moments. Their best album yet, and one of the best so far this year.

"The Coolest Album of the Year" includes the best track of the year "Off the Record". If you like this also indulge in this year's most left field release The Free EP from The New Lows.

Amazing, gets better and better with each listen. Captures the feel of their live performance better then any of their previous efforts.

this album rocks

A wonderful addition to the MMJ catalog. Whereas the last album (It Still Moves) featured long sweaty jams, this album is a little tighter--although "Lay Low" and "Dondante" have a similar design. This is one of those albums in which every song is great. There is definitely no filler here. Jim James is a genius and an excellent vocalist. If you haven't checked out My Morning Jacket, you need to get to it!… Expand

Fantastic Cd, just skip "into the woods" and you got a solid listen from cover to cover. Dont miss a chance to see these guys live, Amazing!

Reminds me of Little Feat and The Allman Brothers.

Continuation of "It still moves"...more so than less so. Tracks are tighter, solo singing is better, song writing demonstrates more talent. However, with that said, this doesn't bring the listener any closer to "listener glory" than their other recording mentioned previously. Good but certainly not great.

I wont be the first to throw it out there. It's no new masterpeice. It only shows potential to be one. Sonically, it's bold, brillaint and incredibly listenable. Vocally, however, There is a different side. There is a clear lack of diction that causes repeate listens to be trying. Listen to it as a peice, not song for song. It'll be more satisfying that way. It's good, great even. No masterpeice, not yet… Expand

I've never been a big fan of the band. There are too many similar sounding bands out there that I think do it better. But with this new album, MMJ's sounds does change dramatically. I've read some unwarranted claims of them souding like Radiohead or that they will be the new American Radiohead. That just is not so. They aren't in the same league. The vocals and the music are much more akin to The Flaming Lips. In fact, parts of this album would be a better follow-up to Yoshimi than the latest offering from Flaming Lips. Still, musically, I enjoyed this CD very much.… Expand

A slice of genius. Just as good as Illinois, metacritics 2005 number 1. But in a different way. There are some fantastic songs on this album with. No filler. However some are more fantastic than others. Into the woods lets you down a little but then you hear the other half of the album and when you think the album could dip it lives up to the first half. I feel guilty giving this 9 and not a 10. Brilliant… Expand

Simply one of the best albums made in the last 10 years.

Easily the best album of the year, if not the decade.

Best album of 2005. 4th best of all time. Perfect mix between Pink Floyd, Led Zep and Neil Young, but in a modern jacket.

This is simply an incredible album. Every song sounds different but they all come together in a strangely cohesive way. Lay Low, Wordless Chorus, It Beats 4 U and Dondante are genius and you owe it to yourself as a fan of quality music to pick this stellar album up. I'm sure glad I did.

One of the best albums of the year. Indie pop mixed with trippy Pink Floydish guitar meandering. I love this CD.

AWESOME ALBUM. JIM JAMES IS AMAZING. similiar to a modern day led zeppelin. check out It Still Moves too!

The first 20 seconds had my attention, after that i stopped caring. It isnt terrible, but it is in no way memorable.

Album of the year.

great album-likely my favorite of the year, for what it's worth.

Best album of the year

I love it. Overall, I find it very relaxing to listen to, yet some of the parts are soooo rocking. You can cite a million influences for these guys, but they blend them together so wonderfully (although, I don't quite understand where all this Radiohead talk is coming from?)

terrible sound

Seems like this is the chic pick of the year. Seems like everyone is trying way too hard to be chic. This album plays like nails on a chalkboard.

Most overrated album of 2005. I have all of the reverb used on this disc. And what's with the circus music on track six?! Blah.

Since OK Computer alt-rock has been getting closer to a digital age Sgt. Pepper. Although I think the Radiohead comparison amongst 90% of critics with this band is hideously misplaced, Z maybe getting all the more closer to that bull's eye

Great, great album! I enjoy it more with every listen!

This album definitely requires repeated listens. At first, I thought it was only decent and would have given it a 7 probably had I posted the first week that it came out. But, after a week and a half of playing it every day, I can say that while not the best of the year, or even top ten probably, it is very good.

Z is a leaner and cleaner refinement of their trademark sound. MMJ has evolved from alt-country beginnings to a more universal, rootsy indie-rock. They selected only their very best songs for this album and reined in the urge to jam for too long. The result is their most consistent and appealing album to date. It should please longtime fans, and provides a great introduction for newcomers. Undoubtedly one of the best albums of 2005.… Expand

Very infectous - not the same atmospheric, country road sound that I guess made this band a name for itself, but one hell of a lot more fun - you don't have to be in a reflective mood to enjoy it. I might give it a 10 if it grows on me any more than it already has.

Incredible. My Morning Jacket has evolved from a deep alt-country-rock band into a modern-day powerhouse. Z, for the lack of a better word, is perfect. Finally, Jim James's voice is allowed to shine and for the first time, the music and the arrangements are tight and cohesive. My Morning Jacket has successfully mastered the art of melody and they use their awesome powers to transform and lead the mind to wonderful places. Z is incredible. 50 years from now, when someone says "My Morning Jacket", they'll automatically associate them with this modern-day masterpiece that is "Z".… Expand

No thanks. Next...

I love the reverb. It has always given MMJ's sound a far away, etheral feel. Haunting was the word I typically use to describe the band. This looks like another positive gain for the corporate music scene which has taken the artistic vision of so many of the best indy bands in the world this past year. I'm talking about Sigur Ros and Death Cab specifically, but also (yes they have always been quasi coporate) coldplay, Iron and Wine, someone metioned Devhandra. They were at least interesting, now they sound like, well, U2. Not a good thing for creativity or, more importantly, soul. My point is this: yes MMJ had a good cross over album, and yes it is listenable, but what we lose are the ragged edges. There is beauty in imperfection. Corporate sound is clean, too clean so it can be mass marketed, mass consumed. This will be MMJ's best selling album, but it will never break my heart like At Dawn or even Tennessee Fire.… Expand

Very good Jacket LP. They r refining their sound - sounds polished (in a good way). They still sound like N.Young/Flaming Lips in an abstract way, and like those artists they continue to change/evolve.

"Z" is one of the greatest records 2005. Every song on the record is special and full of details. If this album is their "OK Computer", "It Beats 4 U" is their "Karma Police".

"boughten"??

About as close to perfection as an album can get. Instantly listenable and amazingly varied. Truly there is a vision here: redemption, heartache, beauty. And somehow these disparate vignettes come together to create a larger picture that can only be understood when the album is considered as a whole. Forget the comparisons other "reviewers" have made. They transcend genres and won't properly fit into the suprisingly narrow construct of "Indie rock." Indeed, MMJ have created something more substantial and substantive than anybody expected, and we're all better off for it.… Expand

Awesome! I had heard of MMJ before, but steered clear to avoid the C&W influence that just veered their big sound away from my true comfort zone, but 'Z' is magnificent. Like Pink Floyd with a sense of humour, Sigur Ros with lyrics and songs and Radiohead without the obnoxious, self-importance. I LOVE Z.

Great album! I've enjoyed it thoroughly. At least five of these songs would fit nicely on The Soft Bulletin though... mind you, sounding like The Flaming Lips is quite an accomplishment... so this is not ground-breaking stuff. And I agree that any reference to Radiohead's OK Computer is so far off the mark that one should have his Music Reviewer Licence revoked. Does it sound like OK Computer? Not in the least. And anyway, Radiohead had The Bends in their rear-view mirror before recording OK Computer... so making OK Computer was just a techo-glitchy extension of that effort. Is this really the case with My Morning Jacket? Not from what I've heard.… Expand

How come none of these reviews seems to mention the striking similarity of the singer's voice to that of the Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne???

I like to see how an album stands up over time and repeated listens, but its gonna be up there for albums of the year. A great smoky 70's rock rhythm, but the oompah band (also feat M.Ward) on track 6, into the woods detracts from the rest for me. Maybe they wanted to break things up, maybe one of them's an acid freak and they had to let him contribute one track, I dont know, but i'll be setting a playlist to remove track 6.… Expand

I bought this CD. It's chock full of poor songwriting and unclever ideas. They should have just Auto-Tuned his voice, it's just too off-key, esspecially on the stand-out track "Gideon". What I hated most was the boring pointless backwards sounds, the annoying soul-brother vocal soloing, and most of all - the humiliating "nicknames" they have for each other (written in the liner notes). I sold this CD back and got The New Ponographers "Electric Version"… Expand

Great album from a band with lots of potential. The comparisons to OK Computer are way off base, however. I think this sounds like a more accessible version of The Soft Bulletin by The Flaming Lips. Certain songs are also reminiscent of U2 and The Who. Though, mostly, this is a fine and original LP worth picking up. I don't understand any haters out there. This is the kind of album that makes me happy to be alive.… Expand

If it wasn't for the kitten on fire and baby in a blender I would have given this album a 10. I've been listening to it a lot of times and I don't even mind those lines that much anyway. The album is great. A couple of songs more, of that quality would have been wonderful.

whats with the band bashing.. Steve-o you suck and MMJ rocks my socks off

there are a couple good tracks here, but what really ruins the album for me is the classic rock guitar solos. That needs to go. its not original or even well done. its tacky and boring

This album is a much needed breather in today's crap filled air.

I am truly in awe. This album is breaktaking, inspiring and downright gorgeous. Quite frankly, this album could reaffirm your faith in music as the art form that should always take precedence over the revenue generator. If "It Still Moves" was brilliant, then this is exceptional and without a doubt in my mind an album that I will cherish for a long time to come. It's only blemish has nothing to do with the band or the music; it is indeed the record label folks. Once again RCA has implemented copy protection protocols that will not allow you to rip your CD without the use of MS DRM protected WMA's. What if I own an iPod like MILLIONS of us out there you ask? Well, luckily there are ways to circumvent this attrocity of privacy infringement; none if which I can get into here. I digress. Superlative effort gentlemen.… Expand

I read one review that said this was MMJ's Ok Computer. It's a good album, but nowhere near that good.

Wow! I really enjoy this album. A lot. I think the first 5 songs are all really good. The next five are a little inconsistent and number 6 throws the last five out of place a little, but it is, in my opinion, a truely great album.

It had me reaching for the last album at first but after the 11th time I played it through it stuck. I was in the water surfing and I found the album stuck in my head. I have been playing the album in the shop I run.. Everyeyone wants to know what it is? I tell them "you should see them live"!

Bought this on the strength of the amazing reviews its been receiving. "Wordless Chorus" sounded nice. After that the echo chamber vocals begin to grate...

I feel like I've been waiting my whole life for this album!

A high nine= 9.8

Great album. Definite grower...may sound a bit strange at first but once you listen to it more you appreciate its nuances and little oddities. Not to mention that these guys are AMAZING live. That made me appreciate this album all that much more.

Just listen to "What a Wonderful Man"

This album has some fantastic tracks, and the band works wonderfully together. However, some tracks such as "It Beats 4 U" and "Into the Woods" are a little bit ugly for such a pretty-sounding record.

A very solid 9!!I have always loved MMJ's original sound. But this new record is so different than its predecesors. I hear so many different sounds in each song. Off the Record reminds me of an old Replacements song but it is so obviously MMJ. That is so cool. And the keyboards and vocals in Gidion are moving. Any way, I am very proud to be from Louisville.

an astonishing album! Wonderful man Dondante are among my favourites.

amazing

simply boring

I would like to vote 10 on this release from my recent favorite rock band MMJ, just to offset the 0-2 votes here. Z is obviously not a 0-2, and those who rate it that simply can't appreciate the talent that Jim James and MMJ display. Either that or they grew up in the 70's and are stuck there and anything after that has been a "copy cat". It is true that MMJ borrows alot from 70's rock. In fact many groups borrow from 70's and 80's music nowadays, but few can take the music they love, add their own flair and pull it off. MMJ is one of the few. This CD is an instant classic and will be one of the revered recordings of this decade. The reverb is still persent, but not as glaring in previous efforts, and the newly revamped band rocks out, especially on Anytime and What a Wonderful Man. There are a couple of weaker tracks on the CD, but are overshadowed by the highlights like Gideon and Anytime. MMJ uses keyboards more often and effectively than peviously and the result is a more well rounded sound on two of my personal favorite tracks It Beats 4 U and Wordless Chorus. The CD closes with the epic Dondante. As a sidenote, I caught MMJ at the Avalon in Boston, and they were just as good as on Okonokos. I recommend seing them soon before they headline Amphiteaters. MMJ truly is a great American rock Band.… Expand

I'm not one to over-rate; the more I listen to this album, the more it grows on me. It's incredible that they managed to master so many different types of music on one album, from prog (Dondante) to an almost reggae sound (Off the Record). I hope that this is just the beginning.

One of the best in decade!

This album is a classic.

Numbers 2, 8,9,10 over and over until you have your fill then just let it run in your car full time. The jacket's best work to date. its scary how good this band is.

Maybe it's just me, but I hear some of The Who in here. Great album!

Tedious leaden retread of seventies space rock - still - I prefer my space rock a little scarier and grandiose - many obviously enjoy this more gentle and humble fare. To me, the Guardian gets it right: pedestrian.