My Morning Jacket

My Morning Jacket is kookier and more adventurous than your average Southern rock group. And not just because its big teddy bear of a frontman, Jim James, keeps asking the public to call him Yim Yames. The epic shredders continually push themselves out of their comfort zone of bourbon-soaked Americana. “Highly Suspicious” pitted Prince-like vocals against a monster hip-hop stomp.

The Kentucky quintet’s latest, Circuital, masterfully balances that playful spirit with folky soul. It opens with a cavalry charge, announcing MMJ rushing to invade musical frontiers. From there, James and company morph into the redneck Radiohead, into Fat Elvis fronting the Beatles, into Lynyrd Skynyrd with laptops. A girl choir belts, “Black metal!” The sunny and surfy ballad of rehabilitation, “Outta My System,” is a delinquent Beach Boys. Oddly, it was originally written for the Muppets. This all makes perfect sense in My Morning Jacket’s quirky world.

Echoing high above it all is James’s sweet and twangy voice. It’s a stunning instrument, big enough to fill a grain silo, as clear and knee-weakening as moonshine. Frankly, My Morning Jacket could get by on his pipes alone. But yeehaw to these Louisville sluggers for proving classic rock need not be a relic.

My Morning Jacket plays Saturday, August 6, from 8–10pm on the Bud Light stage.

American Family Insurance presents today’s must-see Lollapalooza band:
American Family Insurance wants to keep the American dream alive and help protect the dreams you have. For those of you who dream of rocking out, American Family Insurance and Time Out Chicago present Your Dream Lollapalooza Lineup, letting you know about the festival's must-see bands of 2011. Live your dream at Lollapalooza this year, and visit longliveourdreams.com for more ways to protect your dream.