My Morning Jacket: An American Band

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The music of Louisville rockers My Morning Jacket is American in the old weird sense of the word -- rugged, strange and beautiful. Their songs are timeless and genre-agnostic with serious attention given to writing and structure, though their live shows tend to be looser. "Victory Dance," from their recent album, Circuital, begins in a crouched stance of white noise and whispered vocals, leaps forward and catches the grooves of Tom Blankenship's rolling bass riff and rises to a majestic and psychedelic payoff. "Holdin' on to Black Metal" matches singer Jim James' weary falsetto with a hillbilly soul romp rhythm and a girls' chorus backdrop. As with much of the album, the song rocks, but there is something eerie and intimate about the singularity of its vision and scope.

"Holdin' On To Black Metal" My Morning Jacket

"The Day is Coming (Live)" My Morning Jacket

Magnifier recently caught up with James and Blankenship at the historic Seelbach hotel, where presidents and gangsters have stayed while traveling through Louisville and where a bourbon-loaded F. Scott Fitzgerald was restrained then kicked out. Watch the video interview, and make sure to add the band's free offerings to your Music Beta library. -- Sam Chennault

"Holdin' On To Black Metal" My Morning Jacket

"The Day is Coming (Live)" My Morning Jacket