My Morning Jacket - 'Evil Urges' (Rough Trade) Released 09/06/08

If the more adventurous parts of 2006’s ‘Z’ hinted at the Kentuckian quintet’s quest to shed their much-loved origins as Neil Young worshipping modern masters of noodling for the better part of eternity, ‘Evil Urges’  hammers home the message. The combo renowned for stately-paced epics that turn the clocks back to the hairier parts of the 70’s is no more. Long live the new, streamlined incarnation of My Morning Jacket.

Get over the initial shock of how damn modern this new album by the acclaimed retroists sounds, and ‘Evil Urges’ soon submits the proof that MMJ’s gamble has paid off. In categorically ditching almost all traces of their previous sound, My Morning Jacket have stumbled on something equally powerful – and a whole bunch more interesting. Fuelled by the swoosh of space-age synths, restlessly evolving rhythm tracks, heavenly harmonies and an unabashed fondness of a certain fun-sized Minneapolis-born funk icon, not least in the stratospheric falsetto frontman Jim James frequently slips into, ‘Evil Urges’ excels in dodging the band’s fretboard-wrestling comfort zone. The result is a frankly bizarre, yet exciting, inventively arranged futuristic funk-rock blend that sounds about a trillion times more appealing than most stuff burdened with that unpromising description.

Not that My Morning Jacket are totally intent on denying their past. The weeping pedal steel and casual, country-hued twang of the beautiful ‘Sec Walkin’ are reassuringly familiar, whilst the string-enhanced ‘Thank You Too!’ proves to be the most overtly Curtis Mayfield-esque slice of shimmering loveliness the band’s soul leanings have thus far produced. Even better is the one-take freshness of ‘Look at You’, the prosaic title of which belies the stunning alchemy evident in this disarmingly sincere declaration of devotion. But it’s the more experimental stuff that really packs a punch. The pulsating, feather-light groove of ‘Touch Me I’m Going to Scream pt.1’, supported by a tune of truly gigantic proportions, is breathtaking stuff, and its pumping pt.2 sibling offers thrills nearly as transcendental en route to some intergalactic indie disco. The heroically daft homage to Prince unveiled on the minimalistic electro-funk ‘Highly Suspicious’, meanwhile, could well be an effort to shoo away less open-minded fans.

Maybe ‘Evil Urges’ will turn out to be My Morning Jacket’s ‘Trans’, the brave experiment that backfired. The likes of the sleekly anthemic title track and the globe-hugging melody overload of ‘I’m Amazed’, tailor-made to be hollered along to by packed auditoriums, deserve a more positive outcome. Only a couple of mediocrities – ‘Remnants’ resembles Pearl Jam doing angry, whilst the breezy moptop-era Beatles pastiche ‘Two Halves’ is at best a half-written sketch – away from genuine greatness, ‘Evil Urges’ takes some getting used to. Resist the initial urge to switch off, though, and the rewards for patience are ample.