How My Morning Jacket crafted ‘Z’ into a timeless rock classic that defies nostalgia

Many bands celebrate past successes when album anniversaries arrive, but it’s rare for an album to still sound exciting and innovative after two decades. My Morning Jacket achieved this with their fourth studio album, “Z,” released in October 2004. The album’s 10 songs showcase a significant change in the band’s sound, blending Southern rock, atmospheric folk, psychedelic soul, and the energy of a jam band. Even now, these songs are a major part of their live performances. In September, the band celebrated the album’s 20th anniversary with a sold-out performance of the entire album at the Hollywood Palladium.

According to frontman and main songwriter Jim James, the band has consistently performed these songs for the past two decades. He explained it’s not a case of them reuniting after a long break to play old material – they’ve been playing these songs constantly since they were first released.

As a huge fan, I was thrilled to see the band revisit their album “Z” with this deluxe reissue, especially right after dropping their tenth studio album, “is.” It’s packed with extra goodies – four B-sides and a whole collection of demos for tracks like “Wordless Chorus,” “Off the Record,” and “Dodante.” I recently read an interview with James in The Times where he talked about how much “Z” still resonates with people, and how amazing it was for him – and for us fans – to go back to the original demos and really appreciate just how innovative that album was when it first came out.

Before the album “Z” was re-released on vinyl and streaming platforms earlier this year, the band performed the entire album live at the Palladium. What was it like playing those songs on stage before people could hear the re-release?

This is the fourth of our albums to celebrate its 20th anniversary, so we’re pretty experienced with these special shows by now. It’s funny, though – with some of our older albums, we don’t usually play every song, so we had to brush up on a lot of material. But with the album ‘Z’, we play almost every song every time! It was surprisingly easy – we just played the songs in album order. We all had a good laugh about how little effort it took. It really made us realize how lucky we are to still enjoy playing these songs after all these years. It’s amazing to perform songs for two decades and still feel that energy and excitement – they still feel new and fresh. It’s a really special thing.

This album marked the first time you collaborated with an external producer. How did it feel, as the songwriter, to work with John Leckie in the studio to bring your ideas for ‘Z’ to life?

Working with John was fantastic. I really needed a collaborator who wouldn’t let personal pride get in the way, and he was perfect. He respected my vision while still confidently sharing his own ideas and suggestions for improvement. It was incredibly refreshing and beneficial for us to have him on board. His past work speaks for itself – you could trust him immediately. He’s a very polite and gentle person, but also refreshingly honest, which I really appreciated.

Your band had some new members – keyboardist Bo Koster and guitarist Carl Broemel – between your albums “It Still Moves” and “Z”, and they’re still with you today. What was it like recording with them for the first time?

It was both incredibly stressful and thrilling. We’d toured with Bo and Carl before, so we felt confident about performing together, but this was our first time recording, which was a big challenge for everyone. We all knew the stakes were high, and everyone really stepped up and focused during the sessions. We also managed to have a lot of fun and get to know each other better. Being out in the remote Catskills at the studio was perfect for that – it gave us the space to connect without distractions from everyday life. I think that isolation was really key to making the experience work.

Do you remember what song came out of the sessions first?

We started with “It Beats 4 U” because we’d already been performing it live. That song was the first one we really began working on in the studio. But all the songs were developing at roughly the same time. By the time we started recording, I’d already written everything and created demos for each track.

I really appreciate you adding so many demo tracks to this re-release. Can you tell me about how you found them, chose the best ones, and decided on the order they appear in?

I’m a huge fan of demo recordings – especially from bands I love! I really enjoy hearing how songs develop from their earliest stages, so I always save and collect those versions. With my own music, I’m the same way – compiling demos is a big part of the process for me. Sometimes, those raw, early takes are even better than the finished album versions, because they offer a completely different perspective on the song. When I’m planning a vinyl release, the time limit actually helps. It forces me to be selective and choose only the very best tracks. There were so many demos to go through – band demos, my own, everything! But thinking about the vinyl format really helped me focus on quality control and pick the most impactful songs. I aim to create a sequence that feels like a bonus album for anyone who’s into it – something extra special they can enjoy.

We released four songs that we really loved – tracks that weren’t just demos. It felt great to finally get those out there, as they’d previously only appeared on soundtracks, or hadn’t been released at all. They weren’t available on streaming services for years, so it’s fantastic to have them widely available now. I’ve always been proud of those songs. Most bands can relate – sometimes you write songs that don’t quite fit the album, even if you still really like them.

When you first released the album, were these songs already being performed live, or did you hold onto them for a future release?

We’ve performed “Where to Begin” live occasionally over the years. We’ve also experimented with playing “Chills” and “How Could I Know” a few times. “The Devil’s Peanut Butter,” though, we’d completely forgotten about until we started working on the album rerelease, and now we’re planning to add it to our setlist on the next tour.

Did you enjoy revisiting and re-evaluating the album?

It means a lot to me that people still care and that I get to reflect on my past work. It’s like looking back in time and seeing how far I’ve come, and how I’ve grown – or haven’t! I’ve realized that I’ve always been tough on myself and on Jim, but I also recognize he was doing his best. Knowing I gave it everything I had brings me a lot of peace, even if I’d change some things now. We all look back and wonder ‘what if,’ but it’s comforting to know we were all trying our hardest. I’m really proud of the time and effort we all put in as a band.

2025-11-05 01:02

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