My Morning Jacket continue to push the boundaries of their multifaceted blend of rock, country, soul, and psychedelia on their seventh studio effort, 2015's
The Waterfall. Primarily recorded at the Panoramic House studio in Stinson Beach, California, group leader
Jim James told a reporter that the studio environment had a major impact on the music they played there; "Stinson Beach was so psychedelic and focused,"
James said. "It was almost like we lived on our own little moon out there. It feels like you're up in the sky." Guitarist and singer
James and his bandmates -- lead guitarist
Carl Broemel, bassist Tom Blankenship, keyboard man Bo Koster, and drummer Patrick Hallahan -- went into the sessions with only rough demos, so that the group could allow songs and arrangements to flow spontaneously during recording, and the result was enough for material for two full albums, with
The Waterfall's follow-up already awaiting release in 2016.
The Waterfall's selections include "Big Decisions," "Like a River," "Spring (Among the Living)," "Get the Point," "Only Memories Remain," and five others. ~ Mark Deming