The sixth studio album by the Louisville band fronted by Jim James once again displays a singular blend of stirring stadium guitar-rock and ghostly alt-country-tinged hippie mysticism.
On “The Waterfall,” recorded with producer Tucker Martine in Stinson Beach, California, My Morning Jacket are particularly focused and on their game. That could be the result of a breakup: The point to be gotten in “Get the Point,” whose fingerpicked flutter recalls Harry Nilsson’s “Everybody’s Talkin’,” is that love has left the room.
The rousing chorus in “Big Decisions” details a domestic squabble, and the closer, “Only Memories Remain,” ruminates on all that’s lost with the passage of time. A taste of the bitter along with the sweet is beneficial to the MMJ sound. And never fear, the jammed-out Neil Young guitars are here, too, as is James. His cool, vibrato-free, often otherworldly voice is what truly sets the band apart.
— Dan DeLuca, The Philadelphia Inquirer
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