By Mike Ayers

NEW YORK |
Mon May 30, 2011 10:28am EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Southern rock act My Morning Jacket call their sixth album “Circuital”.

But rather than coming full circle after 13 years, the five piece band drifting away from their rock roots for songs that blend RB, funk and a handful of nostalgia laden tunes.

“It’s been our most peaceful record to date,” Jim James, guitarist/vocalist of the Louisville, Kentucky band, told Reuters ahead of the album’s release on Tuesday. “It’s been the most unified that we’ve ever felt.”

Through slower tempos and adding different sonic elements, My Morning Jacket have achieved a record that sounds mature, and feels more consistent than 2008′s “Evil Urges.”

“I hate to say that I’ve gotten sick of the guitar, but the size of the guitar takes up so much space that can be used for other things,” James said.

“Whether it’s different vocal treatments or keyboards or even just air. My favorite instrument on the new record is the air in the church where we recorded. When you put a lot of guitars in it, it eats the air up.”

Formed in 1998 by James, My Morning Jacket have become an enduring presence in the U.S. rock scene, headlining large festivals and playing big arenas. Part of their success is their cross-over appeal: they’re consistent hits with critics, indie fans and jam band fans as well.

Inevitably, the band’s longevity seeps into “Circuital” with a handful of songs about memory and letting go.

Most obvious is “Outta My System,” a mid-tempo rock song that finds James, 33, singing about

Article source: Read More