This Friday, 21st March, the astoundingly consistent Kentucky band My Morning Jacket release their stunning new record, is. It’s the tenth studio album by this fantastic group and bassist Tom Blankenship has been there since the beginning. I caught with him to get the lowdown on longevity, loving life, and letting go…
You’ve been together for around 27 years now, yet somehow, you’re just about to release an album that is one of the best records of My Morning Jacket’s career. How on earth did you pull that off? It really sounds like you still get a real buzz from creating and recording, and I honestly think it’s something of a masterpiece.
TOM BLANKENSHIP: Awww, thank you for saying so! We’ve learned a lot about the recording process over the years. It’s changed and morphed, depending on how the songs inspired us, one way or another. The process for this latest record began in 2022 at Valentine Studios. It’s this magical time capsule of a space that we assumed would lend its power to the timeless vibe we were seeking. Alas, after two weeks there it proved to be more of a challenge than we suspected. We tried again the following year at legendary Sunset Sounds. Literally going from one extreme to another as everything at Sunset is well maintained and completely dialled in but still gives the vibe we were looking for. And after spending another couple weeks tracking it was clear that WE were the issue working against us, ha ha. Which happens more often than not in life. We’d been using the same formula we had since Circuital: we’d individually chart the songs at home and then try to capture that “first take magic” once we were all in the same room together at the studio. So as a band we weren’t labouring over it the way that we needed to: demoing the songs full band, sitting with those recordings for some time to make notes and then continuing to hone the songs to their best the second time around. I know this is a long story but it was this long journey that brought us into contact with Brendan O’Brien. We needed someone with ears we respected and a fresh perspective to help us find our way to this album. He and the band went through over a hundred demos to narrow it down to the dozen or so that we actually ended up tracking in 2024. Whittling down that mountain of songs into a manageable hill to climb was both exciting and new (that buzz of creativity and work you’re talking about) and gave us the best of the bunch song wise.
How much of a difference did Brendan make to the way you created ‘is’?
TOM: Having his ears and taste, that we respect from the countless beloved records he’s working on, along with his outside perspective on what songs would work, really made a HUGE difference. Jim has co-produced with others in the past. But this really was the first time he’s let go of control in that way before. And I feel like that gave him the freedom to just be the bandleader, singer and guitar player without having to manage the recording process itself at the same time. He could really concentrate on these tasks exclusively. Brendan is wonderful to work with. He’s honest with his communication and voices his opinions but gives room to listen, and consider what our wishes would be too. ‘Squid Ink’ was a song we had already tracked at the other two sessions in LA and we pushed to do so again under his guidance. While it wasn’t his favourite song, he tackled it with the same enthusiasm as the other tunes. So yeah, the magic and beauty of working with Brendan was knowing we were in the capable hands of someone who’d listen, be honest and respectful and, like us,
There’s a real ‘Steely Dan meets 10cc’ feel on ‘Everyday Magic’, which appeals to me greatly. What kind of sound were you going for, specifically, on ‘is’? Did you have an overall theme in mind? I ask that mainly because I’ve rarely heard an album that ‘flows’ as well as this one does?
TOM: Historically we’ve never set out to make a specific kind of record. Or referenced other recordings. Instead we’ve let the batch of songs and, how certain ones triumph over the others through the process, determine what the record will be. The albums always make themselves known on their own in that way. This time was very similar except, again, I feel like it really came down to the combo of whittling down all the potential songs to our collective top dozen and having Brendan’s approach and input.
It’s such an emotive record, and a positive sounding one at that. ‘I Can Hear Your Love’ is almost a reggae song in many ways – a real soul-soothing number. To what extent do you try to make music that is an escape from the trials and tribulations of daily life? Because listening to My Morning Jacket, there are few bands as capable of carrying the listener to another, more idyllic world as you are.
TOM: Isn’t that the most transcendent aspect of music? Its ability to transport us, instantaneously, to a cherished moment in our past. The way it can pull us out of the downward spiral of cyclical thinking and into the present moment where all our consciousnesses are connected. We can truly be free in those moments and I can’t think of another form of expression that has that kind of quality. It’s unmatched. How many times have we all been saved by a song or an album due to its magical ability to help us transcend the negativity around us or the pitfalls of the mind? Countless. It’s something we talk about often: the power of music.. the power of a song. If what we do provides that escape for just one soul for that one moment it truly does make it all worthwhile.
How much involvement do you have, personally, in the songwriting process? Obviously I’m aware that Jim is an exceptional songwriter but I just wondered whether he had very specific ideas for each band member, like Jerry Dammers did with The Specials, or whether it is more of a democratic process?
TOM: Jim is certainly THE songwriter for the band. He’s also very open to our input throughout the process. We’ve also received demos from him that were fully fleshed out with every instrument’s specific parts. I feel lucky that the bass parts are typically left up to me to write. At least once per record he’ll ask me to play something that just “holds down the fort” and ‘River Road’ would be a great example of that.
What’s your favourite track on the new album and why?
TOM: ‘Beginning From The End’. This is one where the demo was already fleshed out. It was a song Jim had written and recorded years earlier that was never released. So saying it was a “demo” is a bit of a stretch as it felt amazing and complete as-is. But the ending did change once it was in the band’s hands. And I really love that it shows our journey as a band, through all the changes musically and beyond, to bring us to where we are now. The song feels like a journey itself and I’m excited to see where it goes live!
That song dates back to your Z period, doesn’t it? What made the band decide to revamp that one?
TOM: We had a handful of b-sides from the Z sessions we recorded with John Leckie. Some of those were released on compilations or soundtracks. Like ‘Where To Begin’ was in Cameron Crowe’s movie Elizabethtown. But ‘Half A Lifetime’ (affectionately dubbed ‘Zebra Sauce’ back in ’05) was the only one of the bunch that was never properly mixed. Can’t recall who brought this one back up for contention but Jim did a nice mix and threw it in with all the other candidates. It was an immediate “yes” from all of us. Brendan included. It’s so wild that it didn’t make the cut the first time around because it’s SO good.. one of my faves on the record. And wilder still that it took nearly half a lifetime to finally appear on record!
What has been the highlight of My Morning Jacket’s career for you?
TOM: The highlight is right now! I joined the band right before my 21st birthday and just turned 47. Any day I wake up and this band still exists and someone cares enough to listen is such a gift.
And that, given the brilliance of is, seems as good a note as any to end on. Let’s face it though, on this evidence, it seems we’re going to be blessed with My Morning Jacket for a fair few more years yet, and that can only be a good thing, right?
Main photo credit: Silvia Grav.
