I know I’m not alone in saying that the car is one of the best places to listen to music. And whether you’re driving your ‘98 Volkswagen or your mom’s Dodge Minivan, there’s nothing better than a great record to accompany a summer road trip. This past June, I traveled from Boston to Manchester, TN for the Bonnaroo Music Festival. With stops in New York, Annapolis, and Nashville on a two-week-long trip with some close friends, bringing a duffle bag full of CDs was essential. And by the end of the trip, we found that the record we played the most out of any other was Circuital by My Morning Jacket.
What makes Circuital such a great road trip record is the fluid and psychedelic vibe that threads all of the songs together. Longtime fans of My Morning Jacket will most likely see Circuital as both a return to form and a musically-rich development for the group. Jim James and co. do an excellent job of meshing the alternative country sound of 2003’s It Still Moves with the more experimental and funky aspects of 2008’s Evil Urges.
Even from the first notes of the opening track, it’s clear that the group is exploring new territory. Growing from a brooding keyboard riff and war-like trumpet call, “Victory Dance” transforms into a visceral and apocalyptic anthem. The guitar-work throughout the album is phenomenal, and the drum and bass grooves never let up, especially on the title track. Starting from a subdued, circular guitar motion, “Circuital” simmers and then erupts into an all-out jam before eventually returning to where it began. This cyclical theme is repeated many times throughout the album, providing the perfect musical backdrop to the rising and setting suns that you inevitably see on a long summer road trip.
Other standouts include the pensive “Wonderful (The Way I Feel)”, which combines some of Jim James’ most evocative lyrics with a simple, travel-worn acoustic guitar pattern. “You Wanna Freak Out” is a pulsing and cathartic track with lyrics that gently berate the tightly-wound indie crowd.
Needless to say, My Morning Jacket killed it at Bonnaroo this year and seeing them headline at the festival was an awesome way to top off a great summer road trip. So if you’re planning on packing up the car to head out on a long drive in the near future, make sure to pick up Circuital. The songs are ideal for being out on the road, and it doesn’t hurt that the album cover bears resemblance to a green traffic light.
