My Morning Jacket 'Okonokos' album

Following the release of their fourth critically acclaimed full-length album, Z, My Morning Jacket readies to deliver what is surely to become their quintessential body of work – two discs and a concert film. They contain their most dynamic, otherworldly compositions to date, presented in their finest form. Live. Okonokos is a creative concept conceived by Jim James, and it is as much a question as it is an answer. It is an enigma wrapped around a riddle. Okonokos is whatever you want it to be.

Belying the myth that live albums tend to highlight the disparity between it and its studio counterpart, Okonokos: Double Live Album, due out September 26, 2006, delves into the realm of raw, rich, elevated sound, while proudly staying true to its roots. The treasury begins with “Wordless Chorus,” one of the Jacket’s captivating traditional introductions. A glacially expansive “One Big Holiday” grips you, throws you into a trance-inspiring guitar riff frenzy, quiets down, and leads you through another transcendent moment. The collection continues to mesmerize through the second disc, and closes with a spirited “Mahgeeta.”

Okonokos: Double Live Album, mixed by Michael Brauer (Bob Dylan, Coldplay) and mastered by pre-eminent engineer Bob Ludwig, is set to be released at the very end of September. Its visual counterpart Okonokos (DVD), directed by Sam Erickson, drops October 31, 2006.

The mammoth reverberations and illuminations encountered on Okonokos (DVD) were birthed in the backwoods of My Morning Jacket’s imagination. Inspired by a fairytale-like performance in Tokyo, the band decided to adorn their mysterious set with qualities akin to an old growth forest, capturing the essence of a timeless, nameless, anonymous place. The theme of straddling the line between the surreal and the actual is introduced at the film’s prologue when a cast of characters draped in Victorian-era costume, along with one alpaca, are introduced. And so emerges a truly authentic live compendium. (Advance copies of the DVD will be available shortly.)

The Okonokos live film captures the band’s heavenly set, preserving their modern classics while simultaneously allowing the viewer to enter their bewitching world. With the aid of the trailblazing lighting designer Marc Brickman, applauded for his work with Pink Floyd, they were able to add a phosphorous glow to the already celestial environment they created. This concert film, done in 5.1 surround sound, will be screened in select cities this fall. Be on the lookout.

Whether they’re performing alongside Guided By Voices, the Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam, the Boston Pops, or partaking in a wide array of festivals – from Bonnaroo to Coachella, from High Sierra to Lollapalooza – the band always seems right at home. My Morning Jacket will continue to prove that their music knows no boundaries; it consistently appeals to people of varying backgrounds, ages and scenes.

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My Morning Jacket - Okonokos