You review makes me long for a copy in my hands.....
Mike
· 1 year ago
i'm glad i'm not the only one hearing the "subterranian homesick alien" bit in "evil urges."
Darren
· 1 year ago
I'm nearing the end of the album as I started writing this and I'm for the first time thankful for it. I enjoy MMJ immensely, but this album is sub-sub-par.
"At Dawn" and "The Tennessee Fire" were not particularly my cup of tea, but both heralded great promise, and, for me, every second song was something I could enjoy, not love, but enjoy regardless.
"It Still Moves" was brilliant. This was the potential beginning to be fufilled. "Golden" was the only iffy track there for me - I am not a fan of country music generally, and this is no different - while the rest persuaded me to air guitar. "Dancefloors", "One Big Holiday", "Run Thru", "Steam Engine" are some of the greatest tracks and are easily in my top fifty.
"Z" was a bit of a surprise. The craziness of "Wordless Chorus", "Off The Record" and "Into The Woods" threw me for a loop initially, but I grew to love it. Tracks like "Lay Low" and "Dondante" were what I craved from MMJ and "Okonokos" delivered the live versions better than I could have hoped for.
"Evil Urges"; I had high hopes for it. The title sounded interesting, the track titles peculiar.
The title track is obscure and immediately gives us the impression that the old MMJ has passed on. After the five minutes of the track, I found myself disappointed. The promise that "Z" held for MMJ and their experimentation is unfilling here.
"Touch Me I'm Going To Scream" and "I'm Amazed" are the only two tracks up to track nine that I've truly enjoyed.
"Highly Suspicious" is random, catchy, but still on the lower end of the previous albums' less interesting works. Jim James' voice - one of my favourite aspects of the band - is mutilated here, however. The backup vocals are... strange, as is the random manical laughter. Still, I can find myself listening to this again despite this. This will definitely be a hit or miss track.
"Sec Walkin'" is boring, just plain boring; "Look At You" is dull and plain; "Thank You Too!" has little interest either; and "Two Halves" is pretty much the same as the others. Not a good middle section, people.
"Librarian" is a tad odd. The sex fantasy is something we've probably all had cross our minds, and a song about it would either be awesome or appalling, but this finds the middle ground. It isn't uninteresting, but it isn't something you want to hear again quickly, either.
Having just finished it, I enjoyed "Alumunium Park", but I have a funny feeling that is because it is better than the wrecks before it.
-time passes-
"Remnants" is a nice return to more typical MMJ territory. I can find myself tapping my foot to this one.
"Smokin' From Shootin'" has a slow start, but then picks up and is something I'd listen to again, definitely. It has a catchy mid-section and a nice closer.
"Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Pt. 2" is epic. It starts of hauntingly from the close of "Smokin' and Shootin'" and enters this catchy, foot stompin' riff nearly ninety seconds into it. Jim James sounds excellent in this song. Around 2:30, we get a weird set of sound effects on top, which are both distracting and, eventually, intriguing. This plays out over eight glorious minutes - though the ending is quite lackluster. The first six and a half minutes of this song alone has made the album worth treking through. This track is a keeper, people.
"Good Intentions" is a useless addition that lasts four seconds. God knows why this is on here. It doesn't offer anything to the album. We have screams and someone saying "Okay, cool" to end the album. Riiiiiiight. Thanks for that one.
In the end, "Evil Urges" is a real hit and miss album. There are decent tracks, epic tracks, and disgustingly dull tracks in these fifty-five minutes. Some will certainly enjoy it far more than I do. I apologize to them for the negative review - I am a massive fan, and pray they one day visit Australia on a tour - but I can not find myself enjoying this album anywhere near as much as the rest. For the first time with MMJ, I leave the room disappointed.
Must Listens: Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Pts 1 & 2 I'm Amazed Remnants Smokin' From Shootin'
All Comments
"At Dawn" and "The Tennessee Fire" were not particularly my cup of tea, but both heralded great promise, and, for me, every second song was something I could enjoy, not love, but enjoy regardless.
"It Still Moves" was brilliant. This was the potential beginning to be fufilled. "Golden" was the only iffy track there for me - I am not a fan of country music generally, and this is no different - while the rest persuaded me to air guitar. "Dancefloors", "One Big Holiday", "Run Thru", "Steam Engine" are some of the greatest tracks and are easily in my top fifty.
"Z" was a bit of a surprise. The craziness of "Wordless Chorus", "Off The Record" and "Into The Woods" threw me for a loop initially, but I grew to love it. Tracks like "Lay Low" and "Dondante" were what I craved from MMJ and "Okonokos" delivered the live versions better than I could have hoped for.
"Evil Urges"; I had high hopes for it. The title sounded interesting, the track titles peculiar.
The title track is obscure and immediately gives us the impression that the old MMJ has passed on. After the five minutes of the track, I found myself disappointed. The promise that "Z" held for MMJ and their experimentation is unfilling here.
"Touch Me I'm Going To Scream" and "I'm Amazed" are the only two tracks up to track nine that I've truly enjoyed.
"Highly Suspicious" is random, catchy, but still on the lower end of the previous albums' less interesting works. Jim James' voice - one of my favourite aspects of the band - is mutilated here, however. The backup vocals are... strange, as is the random manical laughter. Still, I can find myself listening to this again despite this. This will definitely be a hit or miss track.
"Sec Walkin'" is boring, just plain boring; "Look At You" is dull and plain; "Thank You Too!" has little interest either; and "Two Halves" is pretty much the same as the others. Not a good middle section, people.
"Librarian" is a tad odd. The sex fantasy is something we've probably all had cross our minds, and a song about it would either be awesome or appalling, but this finds the middle ground. It isn't uninteresting, but it isn't something you want to hear again quickly, either.
Having just finished it, I enjoyed "Alumunium Park", but I have a funny feeling that is because it is better than the wrecks before it.
-time passes-
"Remnants" is a nice return to more typical MMJ territory. I can find myself tapping my foot to this one.
"Smokin' From Shootin'" has a slow start, but then picks up and is something I'd listen to again, definitely. It has a catchy mid-section and a nice closer.
"Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Pt. 2" is epic. It starts of hauntingly from the close of "Smokin' and Shootin'" and enters this catchy, foot stompin' riff nearly ninety seconds into it. Jim James sounds excellent in this song. Around 2:30, we get a weird set of sound effects on top, which are both distracting and, eventually, intriguing. This plays out over eight glorious minutes - though the ending is quite lackluster. The first six and a half minutes of this song alone has made the album worth treking through. This track is a keeper, people.
"Good Intentions" is a useless addition that lasts four seconds. God knows why this is on here. It doesn't offer anything to the album. We have screams and someone saying "Okay, cool" to end the album. Riiiiiiight. Thanks for that one.
In the end, "Evil Urges" is a real hit and miss album. There are decent tracks, epic tracks, and disgustingly dull tracks in these fifty-five minutes. Some will certainly enjoy it far more than I do. I apologize to them for the negative review - I am a massive fan, and pray they one day visit Australia on a tour - but I can not find myself enjoying this album anywhere near as much as the rest. For the first time with MMJ, I leave the room disappointed.
Must Listens:
Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Pts 1 & 2
I'm Amazed
Remnants
Smokin' From Shootin'