Standard Resolution Version 23MB - TONEAudio MAGAZINE

32
TONE AUDIO NO.51
‘
Nothing ever
stays like it was in the
beginning,” sings Jim
James in the midst of his
full-length solo debut,
Regions of Light and
Sound of God. “Nothing
ever stays the same way
for too long.”
MUSIC
Jim James
Regions of Light and Sound of God
ATO Records, LP or CD
This is certainly true of both James and
his longtime band My Morning Jacket. The
Louisville-based crew first emerged in the late
90s as a throwback to the classic Southern
rock era before slowly morphing into art-rock
weirdos over the course of a half-dozen wildly
divergent albums. James has adopted a
similar approach outside the ensemble. He’s
recorded alongside M. Ward, Conor Oberst,
and Mike Mogis in the eclectic supergroup
Monsters of Folk and released a strippeddown
tribute to late-Beatle George Harrison
under the regrettable name Yim Yames.
The singer’s evolution continues on
Regions of Light and Sound of God, which
sounds vaguely futuristic despite taking
significant lyrical inspiration from Lynn
Ward’s 1929 graphic novel State of the Art
(A.E.I.O.U.). Dense and moody, it’s awash
in plodding piano, creeping funk guitar,
and scraggly digital textures. (continued)
December 2012 33