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Uniform Distortion

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2018 studio album by Jim James
Uniform Distortion
Studio album by Jim James
ReleasedJune 29, 2018 (2018-06-29)
StudioLa La Land Studios, Louisville, Kentucky
Genre
Length40:09
LabelATO
Producer
  • Jim James
  • Kevin Ratterman
Jim James chronology
Tribute To 2
(2017) 		Uniform Distortion
(2018) 		Uniform Clarity
(2018)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.4/10
Metacritic77/100
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic
American Songwriter
Consequence of SoundB+
Exclaim!7/10
The Guardian
The Line of Best Fit7/10
MusicOMH
Paste7.9/10
Pitchfork7.6/10
Rolling Stone

Uniform Distortion is the third studio album by American musician and lead vocalist of My Morning Jacket Jim James. It was released on June 29, 2018 under ATO Records.

Production

Jim James explained the inspiration for the album came from the 1970s magazine Whole Earth Catalog. Inside the magazine was a photograph titled "Illuminated Man" by Duane Michals, which James used for the album cover. James wrote a letter to Duane in the hope he could use the photograph for the album. The album was produced by James and Kevin Ratterman at La La Land studio in Louisville, Kentucky.

Release

On April 17, 2018, Jim James announced the release of his third studio album, along with the first music video for "Just a Fool". The single was performed live on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on May 24, 2018.

The second single "Throwback" was released on May 31, 2018.

Critical reception

Uniform Distortion was met with "generally favorable" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 77, based on 17 reviews. Aggregator Album of the Year gave the release a 76 out of 100 based on a critical consensus of 18 reviews.

Thom Jurek of AllMusic praised the album by saying: "The songs are wonderfully hooky tomes about self-reflection with societal jeremiads woven through. While it may not be any easier to make one's way through the distortion that James references, it is somehow easier to bear because of the empathy, joy, and contradiction in these songs." Owen Torrey of Exclaim said that the album "shears off some of the unrulier arrangements of James' earlier solo material, in favour of structures that emphasize immediacy and intensity. For the most part, the album is distinctly nostalgic in sound, chock full of sugary backing vocals, driving rhythms and splayed guitar lines." Oliver Kuscher from The Line of Best Fit explained the album "may be the most straightforward sounding a set of Jim James songs has ever released, but they’ve somehow absorbed the distortion of today’s world and turned it into something we can all make sense of, and in which we can seek some solace."

Track listing

Uniform Distortion track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Just a Fool"4:00
2."You Get to Rome"2:28
3."Out of Time"2:51
4."Throwback"5:18
5."No Secrets"4:52
6."Yes to Everything"4:44
7."No Use Waiting"3:35
8."All in Your Head"3:01
9."Better Late Than Never"1:58
10."Over and Over"3:38
11."Too Good to Be True"3:44

Personnel

Musicians

  • Jim James – primary artist, producer, mixing
  • Jamie Drake – backing vocals
  • Kathleen Grace – backing vocals
  • Leslie Stevens – backing vocals
  • Seth Kaufman – bass
  • David Givan – drums

Production

  • Bob Ludwig – mastering
  • Kevin Ratterman – engineer, producer

Charts

Chart performance for Uniform Distortion
Chart (2018) Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC) 87
UK Americana Albums (OCC) 8
UK Independent Albums (OCC) 32
US Billboard 200 200
US Folk Albums (Billboard) 6
US Independent Albums (Billboard) 5
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard) 20
US Top Album Sales (Billboard) 26
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) 48
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard) 8
US Vinyl Albums (Billboard) 6

References

  1. ^ Schatz, Lake (April 18, 2018). "Jim James announces new solo album, Uniform Distortion, shares "Just A Fool" video". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  2. ^ "Album of the Year Review". Album of the Year. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  3. "AnyDecentMusic? Review". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  4. ^ "Metacritic Review". Metacritic. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  5. ^ Jurek, Thom. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  6. Horowitz, Hal (June 26, 2018). "American Songwriter Review". American Songwriter. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  7. Cowgill, Jerry (June 28, 2018). "Jim James Finds Balance in Chaos on Uniform Distortion". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  8. ^ Torrey, Owen (July 4, 2018). "Exclaim! Review". Exclaim!. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  9. Simpson, Dave (June 29, 2018). "Uniform Distortion review – frazzled rock and lyrical home truths". The Guardian. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  10. ^ Kuscher, Oliver (June 20, 2018). "Jim James offers up sanctuary on his latest solo LP, Uniform Distortion". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  11. White, Chris (June 29, 2018). "MusicOMH Review". MusicOMH. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  12. Zimmerman, Lee (June 22, 2018). "Paste Magazine Review". Paste. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  13. Berman, Stuart (July 9, 2018). "Pitchfork Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  14. Hermes, Will (July 2, 2018). "Jim James Looks Back to His Slacker Rock Roots on 'Uniform Distortion'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  15. ^ Slingerland, Calum (April 17, 2018). "My Morning Jacket's Jim James Returns with 'Uniform Distortion'". Exclaim!. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  16. Kaye, Ben (May 25, 2018). "Jim James performs "Just a Fool" on Colbert". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  17. Slingerland, Calum (May 31, 2018). "Jim James - Throwback". Exclaim!. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  18. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  19. "Official Americana Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  20. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  21. "Jim James Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  22. "Jim James Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  23. "Jim James Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  24. "Jim James Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  25. "Jim James Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  26. "Jim James Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  27. "Jim James Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  28. "Jim James Chart History (Vinyl Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 2, 2020.

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