My Morning Jacket, photo by Stevo Rood

In 2005, My Morning Jacket found themselves at an impasse.

After the departure of early members Johnny Quaid and Danny Cash, the remaining trio of frontman Jim James, bassist Tom Blankenship and drummer Patrick Hallahan were forced to evaluate if the emergent band should continue, and if so, how they could embrace a new chapter with a new lineup. This creative reinvention is palpable across Z, the group’s fourth studio album and the first from My Morning Jacket’s definitive quintet with guitarist Carl Broemel and keyboardist Bo Koster.

“That period of time, there was a lot of uncertainty. I thought that was gonna be the last album the band ever put out,” Hallahan reflected in a recent Relix feature. “When we auditioned with Bo and Carl, it was just that special thing, like, ‘Holy shit. This is easy.’ I could immediately see the lights, like in a desert oasis. But going into Z, as in the last letter of the alphabet, I was like, ‘That’s it.’ Jim was in a really dark place. I didn’t know if the band would keep going with these guys… without crossing some hardships, you don’t get to the next phase of depth.”

Two decades later and six albums later, Z remains hailed as a landmark masterpiece of modern roots rock, one of the most influential rock albums of the 2000s and a turning point in My Morning Jacket’s trajectory. The innovative, eclectic project allowed James, Blankenship and Hallahan to find their chemistry with Broemel and Koster and propelled the quintet to new heights of critical recognition and artistic daring. Today, to honor the 20th anniversary of the record’s arrival and its towering legacy, the band has released an expansive deluxe reissue. 

Z (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) is a fresh look at the enduring classic, remastered from the original analog master tapes and bolstered by 14 previously unreleased outtakes. The archival side includes James’ solo demos of “Wordless Chorus,” “It Beats 4 U,” “Dondante” and more, a swinging uptempo version of “Into the Woods,” the original ending to “Off the Record,” the joyous, bright “The Devil’s Peanut Butter” and “Where to Begin,” originally recorded for Cameron Crowe’s 2005 film Elizabethtown in one of the band’s first sessions with Broemel and Koster.

While all this is a good enough reason to feel nostalgic, there’s too much great new music arriving today to linger on the past. Nicki Bluhm has released her hotly anticipated sixth studio album, Rancho Deluxe, which brightens the Nashville-based singer-songwriter’s warm and infectious country-rock palette with touches of ‘70s soft rock and symphonic pop. Then there’s Joseph Arthur and Peter Buck, who have returned with Arthur Buck 2, the alt-rock staple singer and legendary R.E.M. guitarist’s long-awaited follow-up to their acclaimed 2018 collaboration. The duo’s Jacknife Lee-produced reunion record steers their guitar pop sound into tattered fragments of red-hot retro soul and gnashing garage rock, all while holding on to the rough edge that made their first so special.

Page McConnell shared one of this week’s most exciting projects today with the surprise release of his fourth studio album, Something Will Land. The Phish keyboardist’s first solo offering since 2021’s Maybe We’re the Visitors further defines his unique sonic perspective, weaving transportive ambient atmospheres from tender piano melodies and airy synthesizers. By reconfiguring his studio to allow him to simultaneously perform, record, and engineer by himself for the first time, McConnell manifested a wealth of moods in sparse compositions that feel open-ended, alluringly obscure and densely packed with intention.

Shapeshifting rock powerhouse John Dwyer had a big release day with Thee Oh Sees’ unpredictable Live At The Broad and his stop-motion short-film Pilot, accompanied by a brooding and sketchy soundtrack. Cosmic jazz multi-instrumentalist Nala Sinephro’s soundtrack to The Smashing Machine powers Benny Safdie’s Mark Kerr biopic with light, vast and thoughtful waves of modular synthesizers, piano and saxophone. Snõõper’s sophomore album, Worldwide, is gloriously unhinged and out-there electrified punk, complete with a tongue-in-cheek cover of “Come Together.” Pigeons Playing Ping Pongs’ Feed the Fire is packed with undeniable funk bops–as is Say She She’s Cut & Rewind, which is just as floor-filling on its psychedelic soul slow-jams as its no wave stompers.

This week’s batch of Relix Staff Picks also includes new music from Mavis Staples, Clifton Chenier, Guided By Voices, Taper’s Choice, Blue Lake, Friendship, The Diasonics, Ledisi, SML and The Lancasters, among many other gems. Tune in here.