When songs from Louisville, Ky., jam rockers My Morning Jacket started leaking, the collective response to the record was shock. The reaction was mainly sparked by the track, Highly Suspicious, which features singer Jim James putting on an unusual falsetto with the rest of the band chanting the song�s title in the background. It�s a far cry from the group�s usual melodic pop affairs, something drummer Patrick Hallahan is well aware of.
�I heard this particular song and I was like, �What the hell is this?�� he says, recalling the moment when James played the band the tune for the first time. �Jim is one of my best friends and you think you know the guy and you get this and I�m like, �Maybe I don�t talk to you enough.��
It wasn�t long before the five-piece warmed up to the surprisingly catchy tune. Hallahan explains the track was simply mean to be a fun listen, but there�s more going on here than just a band wanting to have a good time. Evil Urges is easily one of My Morning Jacket�s more eclectic offerings, with quirky tracks, straight-up southern tunes, and infectious rock �n� roll littering the disc. While it�s as interesting as their other records, My Morning Jacket has definitely gone in a different direction.
�We wanted to challenge ourselves, says Hallahan. �We tried to get out of our normal comfort zone of seclusion and unlimited time.�
To do that the group recorded in New York City � it�s the first time it has ventured outside Louisville to make a record. �We were working in a studio where we could only go for 12 hours at a time,� he reveals. �We�ve never been faced with limitations like that before. It yielded a different outcome because we had to focus more.�
There�s a chance some fans might be turned off by tracks like Highly Suspicious, though so far the tune has garnered much more praise than scorn. While the band knows some fans might be alienated by the new tunes, Hallahan says growing as a group trumps popular opinion. �We had to take these steps for our mental stability,� he explains. �We have to grow, change and create. In order to do that we have to try new things and push ourselves. We just ask that people stick with us.�
But pushing themselves wasn�t easy. Hallahan even spent a few days wondering if recording in New York was the right decision. �It was stressful at times. It was a lot of work and really changed the way we recorded. But,� he adds, �it was a lot of fun, too.�
In the end My Morning Jacket achieved their goal for Evil Urges � it�s focused, diverse and, for better or for worse, it shows that a 10-year-old band can still evolve. �It will piss some people off and make others very happy,� says Hallahan. �We�re still catching flack for not making another At Dawn.�
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