At the center of every album is a musical thesis. My Morning Jacket's "It Still Moves" is an alt-country inspired crawl about wide open spaces both seen and unseen. With each and every song, there exists a near perfect blend of genres. Beyond Wilco, no other act does this more effortlessly than My Morning Jacket. Each album, this one, in particular, proves the differences in genres is nothing more than that. All music is about the same things: love, loss, pain, pride, joy, etc. The deliverance is what separates. We spend our lives listening and searching for a deliverance that expresses itself in the same manner as we would if we could.
This album also expresses a longing. This longing is directed at friends, lovers, ourselves, and time. The lyrics expressing such moments are only intensified by the ringing of guitars holding together space and time. Here, the band invites you to stand in the gap and do some pondering and meditation on your own life. However you use the time and whatever results you conjure is up to your own journey. To be invited to do so by such a medium is welcome. We all need those quiet spaces where we can feel inspired to explore our own sense of longing.
Finally, this album asked me to explore those I know and the gifts they give me. Within each relationship, is a gift. More often than not these are gifts for which I take advantage of what these people mean to me. Again, being invited to pause and think on them is welcome. With each song, I thought of someone and what they meant to me. I tied them to the lyrics I was hearing and then a slight smile was brought to my face. I couldn't help but feel thankful for the simple fact that I don't have to do this life alone. I am honored to have people standing by my side who love and support me. This music didn't make me realize that but it sure did reinforce it.
Be good to each other,
-Nathan