Just 10 years ago, My Morning Jacket were recording in abandoned grain silos, releasing albums on the tiny indie Darla, and otherwise living the life of any other unknown band. The difference was that My Morning Jacket were actually pretty great, and like the best-kept secrets it wasn't long before more people discovered the group. Fast forward a decade and My Morning Jacket draw spillover crowds at Bonnaroo, celebrate themselves with live albums and concert films, headline a New Year's Eve show at Madison Square Garden, and enjoy life at the top supported by one of rock's most dedicated fan bases. It's all left the group with little to prove beyond its own further longevity.
Yet if their iffy 2008 album Evil Urges demonstrated anything, it's that, successful or not, Jim James and crew remain as restless as ever, and would rather do the wrong thing once in a while than do the right thing all the time-- especially if the right (read: predictable) thing threatens to turn to tedium. One result is that lame funk detours and other stylistic no-nos are now part of the band's permanent record, but hey, you win some and you lose some. Regardless, My Morning Jacket's live reputation remains undiminished.
But Live From Las Vegas at the Palms isn't another stage-bound victory lap in the mold of the epic Okonokos. Instead, it's an iTunes-exclusive stopgap (or, more generously, a gift to fans) by way of the state of the art studio housed in the Palms casino in Vegas. That means there's a) No distracting crowd noise, and b) Pristine sound, two things one rarely (if ever) expects from a live release. Whether those niggling details nullify the EP's "live" status is another matter; it's also largely irrelevant since what is here is a pleasant if decidedly low-key and minor session of mostly old material capturing the quieter-- and quiet storm-- side of the band.
The set leads with an infrequently performed early MMJ rarity, The Tennessee Fire-era "Tonight I Want to Celebrate With You", anchored by a reliably endearing Omnichord and a touch of spooky pedal steel before the rest of the band appears and (softly) fills in the empty spaces. The fine "Dear Wife", the only new song, would probably have fit comfortably on any of the band's last couple of records, but here it suits the almost cocktail lounge vibe of much of this EP. In this vein and in this context, "Knot Comes Loose", now replete with an instrumental outro, bests its not dissimilar counterpart on Z. It's looser and even lovelier.
From there the EP goes further back once again, to two more Tennessee Fire gems, "From Nashville to Kentucky" and "They Ran", each given essentially fresh studio makeovers, a little polish to get the decade-old DIY rust off. The former gains drums and a sax solo (!); the latter 1950s-styled harmonies that recall what Big Star was up to circa its ethereal masterpiece Third/Sister Lovers. By the time "Thank You Too" fades, it's clear James has made good on his promise "to provide the listener with a sensual and deeply personal method for relaxational listening...to be enjoyed on a candle-lit bench, a secluded nook, or a sensuous dinner party."
Well, partly. After the indulgences of Evil Urges, this is just the kind of palette cleanser both fans and fencesitters might appreciate. Yet each of these pretty trips down memory lane make you wish there were more where they came from. At a hair over 20 minutes, Las Vegas at the Palms fulfills the requirements of an EP-- it's short and sweet-- but it's also not entirely filling. If it was a sensuous dinner party James had in mind, then he must be a quick eater.
