"Evil Urges" by My Morning Jacket (ATO) - Out now
Weird. Less than five years ago, My Morning Jacket seemed like a full-throttle Southern rock band with a penchant for blow-out live performances.

But they started drifting into uncharted territory with 2005’s "Z," still including their trademark anthemic blowouts, but also weaving in more moody, aural parts. And fans and critics alike ate it up.

The success let them go even further off the map with their new album, "Evil Urges." At the outset, singer Jim James tears into the title track in a weird, twangy type of falsetto before the tune devolves into a full-on guitar duel.

Things don’t get any less weird with the synth-laden "Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 1" (yes, a Pt. 2 comes later). Next up, "Highly Suspicious" mixes Prince-like verses with a chorus that sounds like it’s being sung by Optimus Prime.

All that weirdness so early on in the album leaves you a bit unprepared for the majesty of "I’m Amazed" and the musically simple, lyrically complex tale of "Librarian." It’s a few weird-ass songs to scare off the posers, followed by some amazing stretches.

And that’s kind of the beauty of "Evil Urges" — you never can tell what’s coming next.

There’s lots of beauty here, and it comes in all different flavors, whether it’s the alt-country twang of "Look at You" or the grinding melody of "Aluminum Park."

"Thank You Too!" sounds kind of like ’70s R&B, complete with swooning strings, and "Sec Walking" plods along happily enough, with James sounding almost Sesame Street-ready ("Left leg, right leg, one leg at a time I keep on walking.")

No matter how unsettling it is at first, "Evil Urges" sort of walks its way into your head and stays there. If you can get by the weirdness, there’s plenty of beauty in there.

Download this track now: "Evil Urges"