By By Jesse Cataldo

On Z, My Morning Jacket’s fourth album and second with RCA, My Morning Jacket proves that being on a major label doesn’t necessarily equal being mainstream. Their refusal to conform to even their own established sound is evident from opener “Wordless Chorus.” Here, a shuddering electronic backdrop thins out into a series of painful yet transcendent falsetto yelps from lead singer Jim James.

This Michael Jackson-worthy moment is even more surprising when you consider James, the bearded, grizzled looking front-man of a band that historically has owed more to Lynyrd Skynyrd than ’70s soul. Even so, James’ brief departure into the upper registers doesn’t come without warning. It Still Moves, the band’s previous album found him experimenting with lilting, ethereal streams of wordless voice that seemed heavily indebted to Sigur Ros.

If the vocal aerobatics on that album were evidence of the band stretching its southern rock roots, Z is where they snap. It’s not just that the album is weird, it’s all over the place.

There’s the synthesizer driven chorus of “It Beats 4 U,” whose vaguely futuristic sounding patterns blend with murky, subterranean vocals to form something that borders on unique.

The title alone is enough to indicate that the band has packed up and left Kentucky far, far behind. “Into the Woods,” creeps along on an organ driven waltz beat and marching band drums that stretch its carnival atmosphere over a dark, echoey canvas.

Even the lead riff of “Off The Record” swipes a few recognizable notes from the theme from “Hawaii Five-0,” transforming a surf-rock anthem into a laconic ska-tinged drive along the beach.

Somehow though, this scattered, chaotic mixture doesn’t damage the flow of the album. The band has managed to mash together dozens of varying styles into a pot-luck stew that’s less a step in a new direction than a rich and intriguing detour.