When we saw My Morning Jacket last August in Chicago they played a new song “Circuital,” which has been announced as the title for their forthcoming sixth studio album.

Elsewhere:

Thanks to everyone who came to Linneman’s last night for the Love Language and Blessed Feathers. What a great night! We’ve got Libraries on repeat now.

Daytrotter has sessions with Deep Dark Woods, The Low Anthem & Frontier Ruckus – all highly recommended.

Listen to R.E.M.’s new album Collapse Into Now at NPR.

Stereogum offers a GAYNGS remix EP.

NPR premiers ‘Glass Tambourine’ by WILD FLAG

Tonight: Maps & Atlases play a free show at der Rathskeller at the UW Memorial Union in Madison.

Set List: Rollin Back (Tease), Way He Sings, Gideon, Mahgeeta, Dancefloors, Master Plan, Golden, Circuital, Touch Me I’m Going To Scream pt. 1, Anytime, Tonight I Want To Celebrate With You, Carried Away, I’m Amazed, Early Morning, Dondante, Smokin’ From Shootin’, Run Thru, Touch Me I’m Going To Scream pt. 2, Lay Low

Encore: Bermuda Highway, Wordless Chorus, Off The Record, Steam Engine, One Big Holiday

It’s hard to believe nearly two years had passed since I’d last seen My Morning Jacket. Same city, different venue, no roof on this place, just the wide open sky and picturesque Chicago skyline providing the backdrop to what would be one of the best nights of the summer thus far. Local boys Califone got things started. I always forget how much I love these guys. I walked in as they were playing “Funeral Singers,” met up with my friends and ran into nearly everyone I know in Milwaukee and settled in and waited for My Morning Jacket to take the stage.

This band is one of my favorites. I recounted on the drive home all the times I’ve seen the band. All great, great shows, some really stand out, but overall I’m hard pressed to find a band I love seeing as much live as these guys. The National are up there. So, it’s no surprise that I enjoyed last night’s show immensely. The combination of the cool Lake breeze, near perfect weather, amazing sound, good friends was the perfect concoction. You could tell the band was excited to deliver in Chicago too. By my watch the band played a little beyond two and half hours, moving through their catalog, and delivering huge jam one after another.

Nothing will ever top the first time I saw MMJ in a club with about 500 people in 2004, when they blew all of my expectations out of the water. However, of the six shows I’ve seen, this is a close second. Best setlist of all of them, and Jim’s voice was absolutely perfect. Show lasted 2 hr and 20+ minutes, and it was jam packed. Very little banter, a very short encore break and many of the songs blended together with little or no time in between. There was some tinkering, songs became parts of other songs like the four songs that ended the main encore, they basically flowed through each other with “Run Thru” and the very surprising leap into “Lay Low” right out of “Touch Me I’m Going To Scream pt. 2.” It was a nice curve-ball to be thrown. It kept me guessing.

The evening was filled with highlights. We got the new song, “Circuital” that they’ve been playing out on this run of dates. I’m a big fan of “Golden,” which was great to hear the “Steam Engine” encore was pretty perfect as well. It’s always the marathon jams that bring it all home for My Morning Jacket and their fans though. Songs like “Off The Record,” “One Big Holiday,” and “Mahgeeta” were triumphant.

Thanks to My Morning Jacket for a wonderful night. Looking forward to the new record in 2011.

Discuss: What did you think of the show? Drop a comment and let us know your thoughts on the show.

Buy: My Morning Jacket

[photo: Erik]

Earlier this month I made a one-day sojourn to Nashville to see Neil Young at the Ryman Auditorium. After the show I bumped into My Morning Jacket’s own Carl Broemel at a bar who had also been at the show. We chatted a bit about the greatness of Neil’s show, My Morning Jacket, and Nashville in general. One thing that didn’t come up was Broemel’s upcoming solo debut, All Birds Say, which arrives August 31st on ATO Records.

The album carries a heavy folk/acoustic vibe throughout, and you should definitely take a listen to “Heaven Knows” below. My Morning Jacket will be at the Charter One Pavilion in Chicago on Tuesday, August 17th. Here’s hoping that Carl can find time amongst his busy schedule to take his solo material on the road as well.

MP3: Carl Broemel – “Heaven Knows”

We’re big fans of My Morning Jacket. A couple weeks ago we download a free “Best of Bonnaroo” compilation from Music For Action supporting new legislation for Clean Energy and Climate Change. We can get behind that. The said collection isn’t bulletproof, but does contain some nice gems, none finer than My Morning Jacket’s cover of the Velvet Underground’s “Oh! Sweet Nuthin’” culled from their legendary marathon performance at Bonnaroo 2008.

MP3: My Morning Jacket – Oh! Sweet Nuthin’ (Bonnaroo)

Download: Morning Jacket Live at Bonnaroo June 13, 2008 (whole show)

This is both unexpected and totally awesome. My Morning Jacket’s Jim James (aka Yim Yames) covered six of the late George Harrison’s tunes shortly after his passing. Those tracks are now being released as a Tribute To EP, which will be released on August 4th on ATO. You can download “Behind That Locked Door” right now at YimYames.com in exchange for your e-mail address.

Tribute To Tracklist:

1.) Long Long Long
2.) Behind That Locked Door
3.) Love You To
4.) My Sweet Lord
5.) Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)
6.) All Things Must Pass

Myspace: Yim Yames

Here’s an older video capturing Jim James playing one of my favorite My Morning Jacket tunes in a parking lot. In the middle he discusses love and it’s pretty heart-on-your-sleeve stuff. Have a nice weekend and love the one you’re with.

Previously: Review: My Morning Jacket – Chicago Theatre

MP3: My Morning Jacket – “I Will Be There When You Die” (KVRX Radio, 3/17/2001)