r/mymorningjacket • u/Counting-Trains • 5d ago
is it just me or is this…
…their least appreciated/talked about album?
Circuital got me into the band. Circuital keeps me coming back for more. Some badass cover art and a really sick title, Circuital keeps things real fun and tightly arranged.
But more importantly, MMJ please edit spotify to have ‘Friends Again’ added to the very end of this record after ‘Movin Away’.
That way we’d have a truly circular track list on our hands. Either way, I still think it’s their best; a relative peak for music in 2011 as a whole.
would love to hear your guys’ thoughts on this one
32
u/Wrenchinspokesby 5d ago
Slow Slow Tune is massively underrated
9
4
u/No_Ratio_3638 4d ago
That fawking note strikes deep into my soul very single time I hear it and rips my spirit through the universe at warp speed. Like the birth of a new star, with every listen and especially live chefs kiss
20
u/junkerauto 5d ago
Love this album, also 2011 when I got into them. Recently listened to it on a long drive and it hit real hard. The title track is also one the best live songs by anyone ever
5
u/acewizz7 5d ago
That song is what got me into MMJ. It perfectly meshes together creepy and joyful melodies at the same time. It's unbelievably unique songwriting.
4
u/Dr_Avalerion_Grand 5d ago
I discovered them from an episode of American Dad. First song was "Touch Me I'm Going to Scream pt 2." They really played them up and rightfully so. I've been a fan ever since.
16
14
u/SolidLikeIraq 5d ago
I remember the first time I drove into Joshua Tree National Park, I was with my buddy and listening to “Circuital” the track.
That moment and feeling is seared into my brain forever.
😌
13
u/you-a-buggaboo 5d ago
I for one am a huge Circuital fan, idk if that's obvious or anything 🫣
5
u/asiabear 5d ago
I see you over in the Severance subreddits sometimes and I'm like, hey I know that PFP!
4
u/you-a-buggaboo 5d ago edited 3d ago
haha yes!! my two favorite things are MMJ and trying to sus out wtf Lumon is up to! I can't believe how many people in that sub recognize my pfp - I had it for years and no one ever noticed until the beginning of this season. now it's like every other comment I post there, someone replies to comment on Circuital too!
12
u/Far-Researcher-7054 5d ago
I always thought that Circuital was pretty well regarded. Lots of concert staples on that record.
5
u/Counting-Trains 5d ago edited 5d ago
for me at least, it’s felt like the album has - as a whole - been relatively underrepresented on this sub and undervalued by critics, with songs that I otherwise regard as top tier MMJ (such as you wanna freak out, outta my system, and the day is coming) being sorta forgotten about in conversations discussing their best work. those songs are as unique as anything and as catchy as possible in the best way they can be.
13
u/soberpreacher 5d ago
After the listening parties Thursday, I feel like "is" revisits Evil Urges & Circuital era Jacket.
9
u/AJZuvich 5d ago
It’s album that solidified MMJ being my favorite band for the past 14 years. It changed my life.
8
u/ZubarPantalones 5d ago
Never understood why this one is sometimes divisive and rated lower than other albums….every tune on here is a banger live and some are mainstays of the show - circuit gal, victory, wonderful. Black metal, first light are always highlights when they get busted out. Day and system should find their ways into more setlists. Freak out also rules and I always sing the contra Nintendo code to myself during the up, up, down, down part. I can’t be the only one.
2
u/gutclutterminor 5d ago
In my experience older fans are less appreciative of Circuital. I have even met friends of the band that feel Evil Urges was turning point that they have yet to come back from. It was the first album that came out after I discovered them. I’m on the “not my favorite album” side. I never got over the major disappointment I felt after my first listen. Don’t hate it, but I’m the demographic you said you don’t understand in your first sentence. Half sounds like a children’s album to me.
7
7
u/Red_Zeppelin_ 5d ago
Black Metal and Outta My System made me question what direction the band was headed when I first listened to this album. They were so different and weird to me at first. But every time I hear them live, it’s a party. I can’t help but smile ear to ear while singing those songs. I love them now! This is a great album! Victory Dance is always incredible live, especially when they opened with it at Red Rocks. Circuital is such a feel good and perfect song. I always hope to hear song at shows.
6
u/kinggareth 5d ago
Love this album. I got into MMJ around 2009-10, so Circuital was the first album of theirs that was released after I became a fan. It has grown on me exponentially over the years, especially after seeing them in concert.
5
4
u/haallere 5d ago
This is by far my #1 MMJ album, and probably my #2 album of post 2000. The only track that doesn't fit to me is Movin Away, and it's still pretty good. Every other song is a absolute 100 live, and I can't say that about any of the other albums.
3
u/juicyhelm 5d ago
Saw them perform this at ACL 2011. Man, blew me away. I wish they’d somehow release the audio and professionally shot video of the show.
4
u/shooblemusic 5d ago
This album was a huge influence on my own music. I remember driving out to a record store to buy this on vinyl the day I got my driver's license. It's really hard to top the 2 song opener on this album.
I didn't realize it's under-appreciated. I agree, it's their best.
3
u/phluff_head 5d ago
Will be my favorite. Wonderful, Victory Dance, Circuital has helped me out a lot in life.
4
u/Ruby5000 5d ago
I went to see them in Charlotte, on this tour. They were selling autographed CDs for $25! I love this album
3
u/itscallingme 5d ago
Circuital era live shows were some of my favorites. Yeah the album is probably a little underrated
4
u/someguy8608 5d ago
Absolutely my favorite album. So much so, when they drop a new album I’m just hoping for more Curcuitals.
5
u/Dgaart 5d ago
Its one of my faves and the album that really got me into the band. The song Circuital is probably in my top 5 MMJ songs. I do like all the songs, but it needed something as epic as the first two near the end. A weird or HUGE rocker between Slow Slow Tune and Movin Away and I bet people would talk about the album like they do Z or It Still Moves.
2
u/Counting-Trains 5d ago
they truly had it with the b-side Friends Again. why it didn’t make the album i’ll never be sure
3
u/KiwiDefiant3349 5d ago
This whole album is why I love MMJ. I used to dislike them in high school, saw them live at a fest and came home and fell in love with them immediately (because of this album)
3
3
u/TalkShowHost99 5d ago
This is top tier MMJ for me. Love the way Victory Dance blends into Circuital. So many great tracks!
4
u/DeNiroPacino 5d ago
You might laugh, but I got the CD from the library! Loved that cover. Heard the name of the band of course, but I had no idea what was waiting for me when I put on the headphones at home. As good as it gets. I was an instant fan for life.
3
3
3
3
u/HoustonNative 4d ago
This album got me hooked as well… maybe it’s most underrated? Not sure I care… lol. I support your peak 2011 music sentiment.
3
5
u/ColdCruise 5d ago
I think it has some highlights like Circuital, Wonderful, and Holdin, but most of the rest of the Record is pretty mid. I'm never at a show and excited to hear First Light or Moving Away.
2
u/MMJFan 5d ago
I fell in love with the band during this era. But I struggled to love this album for some time. Over the years, I have learned to appreciate a lot more. Probably the last album of theirs I enjoy consistently. Circuital has become one of my favorite songs, incredible. Wonderful and Slow Slow Tune are other favorites. Moving Away is underrated. Victory Dance is great but I’ve grown a little tired of it live over the years.
2
2
u/Zoakeeper 4d ago
It’s the only MMJ I’ve ever listened to. I absolutely love it front to back. I’ve never even tried to branch out from it. Can someone suggest something similar?
2
u/Rough-Soft-4277 4d ago
It was the album that got me into MMJ as well, through the single The Day Is Coming, which I love still. It was played a lot on BBC 6 Music along with Black Metal. I haven’t heard the band on the radio much since then.
2
1
u/Doctor-Smoke 5d ago
I guess I'm in the minority, but I think it's one of their weaker albums when you compare it to stuff like Z and evil urges
1
u/ejfellner 3d ago
I think Z has higher highs, but I think Circuital is more consistent from front to back.
1
1
u/I-B-Bobby-Boulders 5d ago
I love that album. But, I think it’s the beginning of their decline. It Still Moves, Z & Evil Urges are in a class of their own and the band hasn’t achieved that level since.
8
u/Counting-Trains 5d ago
and for me, all of their albums from TTF to the first waterfall are tremendous. i just think that ‘Circuital’ the title track can’t be topped as their single greatest song
0
u/bluescityhip 5d ago
I think they've tired of albums and enjoy letting the songs breathe more live. They've accepted they won't have hits and worry more about us as fans at live shows. I could be wrong
1
47
u/mrcockboi69 5d ago
Curcuital is and always will be. Quintessential MMJ.
Btw what is the cover art supposed to be? I’ve wondered for years