LOS ANGELES, CA – Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MoFi), the leader in high-fidelity audio reissues, is proud to announce the first-ever audiophile edition of My Morning Jacket’s critically revered 2005 album, Z, available in two formats.
Ranked by Rolling Stone as one of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and by Pitchfork as one of the Top 200 Albums of the 2000s, Z arrives on April 10 in two definitive formats. The UltraDisc One-Step 180g 45RPM 2LP Box Set (here) is strictly limited to 2,500 numbered copies and features custom art developed in collaboration with the band. The numbered Hybrid SACD (here), also limited to 2,500 copies, is housed in mini-LP-style gatefold packaging. Both editions include the bonus track “Where to Begin.”
Both reissues are sourced from the original 1/2” / 15 IPS / Dolby SR analog master tapes, presenting John Leckie’s outstanding 2005 production with previously unheard openness and presence. By tamping down the group’s then-signature reverb, Leckie helped the ensemble (Jim James, Tom Blankenship, Patrick Hallahan, and then-newcomers Carl Broemel and Bo Koster) push beyond Southern-styled rock and rustic balladry of its earlier LPs into a realm of cosmic textures and organic warmth. These artistic shifts, captured over two decades ago, are now rendered with a transparency that allows the near-infinite tonality of the guitars and the subtle nuances of James’ falsetto to shine.
For the UltraDisc One-Step vinyl edition, the master tapes are transferred to DSD 256 to analog console to the lathe (read more about the UD1S technique below). This premium edition offers the ultimate listening experience, providing an ultra-low noise floor and expansive soundstages. This deluxe box set is housed in a slipcase with special foil-stamped jackets and includes two inserts devised by the group specifically for this release. Aurally and visually, this reissue is for listeners who want to engage in everything involved with the album, including Kathleen Lolley’s striking cover art.
Z testifies on behalf of the brilliance of the band and Leckie’s collaboration, with adventurous arrangements and forays into reggae, R&B, and soul-jazz taking listeners on wondrous journeys into outer galaxies. The burbling undercurrents and calming bass lines on the opening “Wordless Chorus” plunge you into the depths of a vast ocean, where Jim James’ rising “aaaah” releases give way to liberating “whooo” howls and a quick coda that nicks Elton John’s “Bennie and the Jets.”
As tour guides and groove sorcerers, James and friends don top hats and wave magic wands. Surrender to the teeter-totter variations of the sincere “It Beats 4 U,” complete with whistling from Andrew Bird, or shimmy and shake as “What a Wonderful Man” sparks with lightning-strike joy and dials up the crunch. “Off the Record” rejoices with hypnotic reggae riffs and springboard rhythms, while the miniature piano ballet of “Knot Comes Loose” is delivered in a hauntingly churchy voice. The building intensity of “Gideon” offers a final, enthusiastic instruction: “Listen, listen.” It is fantastic advice for an album that never repeats itself or grows stale.
UD1S Track List
Side One:
Wordless Chorus
It Beats 4 U
Gideon
Side Two:
What a Wonderful Man
Off the Record
Into the Woods
Side Three:
Anytime
Laylow
Knot Comes Loose
Side Four:
Dondante
Where to Begin (Bonus Track)
SACD Track List:
Wordless Chorus
It Beats 4 U
Gideon
What a Wonderful Man
Off the Record
Into the Woods
Anytime
Laylow
Knot Comes Loose
Dondante
Where to Begin (Bonus Track)
ABOUT Ultradisc One-Step (UD1S) Technique
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab’s UltraDisc One-Step (UD1S) technique bypasses generational losses inherent to the traditional three-step plating process by removing two steps: the production of father and mother plates, which are created to yield numerous stampers from each lacquer that is cut. For UD1S plating, stampers (also called “converts”) are made directly from the lacquers. Since each lacquer yields only one stamper, multiple lacquers need to be cut. Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab’s UD1S process produces a final LP with the lowest-possible noise floor. The removal of two steps of the plating process also reveals musical details and dynamics that would otherwise be lost due to the standard multi-step process. With UD1S, every aspect of vinyl production is optimized to produce the best-sounding vinyl album available today.
About Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
The world’s leading audiophile reissue label, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MoFi) is renowned for its commitment to maintaining uncompromising quality and preserving the artist’s original intent. Since its inception in 1977, MoFi has released the definitive-sounding versions of many of the greatest albums in history. Recognizing the importance of getting every detail right, MoFi sources its Original Master Recording releases from the original master tapes. That hallmark — along with a horizontal Original Master Recording stripe on the front cover and numbered-edition stamp on the back — has helped make MoFi recognized around the globe. MoFi’s singularity extends to its incessant efforts to push the limits of sound reproduction via innovations like the UltraDisc One-Step LP. To achieve its goals, the label established its own mastering studio allowing its engineers to execute the cutting process in-house and ensure no artifacts are added to the final product: the best-sounding vinyl LPs and SACDs available.