My Confused Jacket

The latest track I've heard from My Morning Jacket's new album Evil Urges blows my mind.

But not in the "I've discovered the future of indie-meets-hippie-meets-psychedelic-meets Skynyrd" way. My mind has been blown in the "what the hell is going on? Someone must have linked to the wrong mp3" way.

I really can't come up with any concrete praise, criticism, suggestions, or insults for the track. I'm at a loss. So I leave it up to you, the reader, to comment on the song. It's called "Highly Suspicious," which is appropriate, because I'm highly suspicious of My Morning Jacket's new direction, which is obviously influenced by these two:

Weezer, I Wish I Knew How to Quit You

Just when I think I'm out, they bring me back in.


Weezer is about to release an album (their 3rd eponymous album - which completes the primary color trilogy - , but the first with a cowboy-hatted and mustachioed Rivers Cuomo), and the past three have beaten out of me all hope of their return to greatness. And then they decided to attempt the "Bohemian Rhapsody" of the 2000's.

It's called "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)" (Rivers is so humble).

A Shaker hymn is a variation of a work/dance song called "Simple Gifts" from 1840's Maine (they knew how to rock). Many will recognize it as "Lord of the Dance" from Bible school.

HERE'S THE SONG (yes, I'm linking to Perezhilton...I don't know how to quit that either):

I took the liberty of identifying the various musical styles they breeze through about a dozen different takes on the classical melody.

Rivers is so cultured.

0:00 - 0:10 - live album
0:11 - 0:33 - 3rd grade piano recital
0:34 - 0:40 - an episode of COPS
0:35 - 1:25 - Limp Bizkit
1:26 - 1:51 - Jason Mraz (I admit I don't know if this actually sounds like Jason Mraz...he was just the 1st tool with a guitar that came to mind)
1:52 - 2:17 - military pledges of allegiance
2:18 - 2:43 - Al Green
2:44 - 3:07 - Blue Album-era Weezer:-)
3:08 - 3:33 - Muppet music video-era Weezer :-(
3:34 - 4:05 - The Rentals
4:06 - 4:37 - Shakespearean "Beverly Hills"-era Weezer
4:38 - 5:10 - Rockapella as a church choir
5:11 - 5:48 - back to Blue album-era Weezer!!


And somehow, this recipe spells musical genius. At least that's what my 17-year-old soul that's stuck in 1997 tells me.