Given MMJ’s Americana emphasis, one
would correctly surmise that James and
Broemel don’t use a lot of strange effects—
though both have a wide selection of echo,
reverb, and overdrive pedals. Indeed, Jacket
seems to exist in a cloud of reverb, so the
two guitarists’ attention in this area is no
real surprise. But what might be surprising
is the lack of full-on vintage love and the
embrace of many new boutique stompboxes,
including models from SIB, Z.Vex,
EarthQuaker Devices, Malekko, Durham
Electronics, and Boss.
James Howling as he grips his 1999 gibson flying V. Photo by Linda Park
That said, Broemel
is pretty adamant
about the necessity of one vintage-styled
piece of signal-altering gear. “I’ve got one
of those Tube Tape Echos,” he says of the
treasured Fulltone unit he used on pretty
much every
Circuital song. “That thing is
unbelievable. That and great amps are all
you need in the studio. I try not to use too
much, though—only what I need.”
Finding a Balance
Another reason why
Circuital sounds a little
more reigned-in than some of MMJ’s recent
albums is the more supportive role that
the guitars play. Whereas past MMJ tunes
like “Gideon,” “It Beats 4 U,” and “Touch
Me I’m Going to Scream, Pt. 1” had more
central guitar refrains, this set is very much
about delectable songs that create an irresistible
mood.
“I feel the guitar is far more effective on
record when it’s used sparingly,” James says,
“but live it translates very well and provides
a lot of excitement. So, I try to find balance
between those two worlds.”
Here Broemel cuts in to add some context.
“We approach all the instruments
equally. As much as we try to experiment
and try to use keyboards or saxophones
or something to pull the weight of the
midrange where the guitar would typically
go, a lot of times we’d end up saying
‘Y’know, the guitar
is the best thing there.’”
James on the prowl with a Normandy Guitars Archtop plugged into Carr rambler (left) and
Mesa/Boogie Tremoverb heads, each powering a Boogie 2x12,
at a 2008 New Year’s eve
gig at Madison Square Gardens. Photo by Jackie Roman
As an example of the type of egalitarian
musicianship that’s more prevalent on
Circuital, one need look no further than
the build-up of the opening track, “Victory
Dance”: A gong and a heraldic electric-piano
refrain lead into spoken-word vocals
that slowly build to a crescendo of strings
and sparse, slapback-tinged electrics that
snap here and there before tremolo-goaded
chords warble and swell into out-of-control
feedback and the whole song gets
sucked into a frenetic vortex of sound.
But Broemel feels the title track has the
album’s finest guitar spot: Clean, palm-muted
electric arpeggios and James’ lilting
voice set a lovely, optimistic mood before
the choruses lift you a little higher with
John Mellencamp-like acoustic splashes
and bristling power-chord stabs, and then,
more than five minutes into the seven-plus-minute song, Broemel and Hallahan
ratchet up the pulse with crashing snare
and cymbals, a bunch of Bigsby wobbling,
soaring melodies, and a series of
joyous descending double-stops—all with
impeccable tone that speaks volumes with
a delectable minimalism.