My Top 1000 Songs #448: Circuital

[I've been writing up my Top 1000 songs on a daily basis--you can see them all in descending order by hitting the All My Favorite Songs tag.]

The title track off My Morning Jacket's 2011 LP Circuital does a majestic job capturing the dynamics of what makes them one of the greatest live acts of recent decades, a studio track that take time to build and makes great use of open spaces. Jim James' arena-ready vocals, backed by a perky bassline and some spooky electronics, make a slow, gradual entrance, before some celebratory acoustic guitars break the tension; then it's back for another languid verse. Finally, a few minutes in, we're in full band territory, but it feels like we've earned their presence. The well-reverbed electric guitars, some piano noodling, and ultimately it's yet another MMJ anthem taking over and filling the room. It's kinda like what U2 should sound like, if U2 were as good as My Morning Jacket.

Live on VH1:

Live at Red Rocks 2019: