My Jerusalem: “Preachers”
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When My Jerusalem debuted in 2010 with their album Gone For Good, the Austin outfit was less a band and more a collection of stellar musicians. Frontman Jeff Klein recruited friends from the Polyphonic Spree and the Twilight Singers to flesh out his songs, but after two years of constant touring, they’ve turned into a well-oiled unit.
Now comes My Jerusalem’s sophomore release, titled Preachers, and all the time on the road has helped. “Working out the kinks live before recording [the songs] makes a big difference,” Klein has said, and it makes sense given My Jerusalem’s sound. Taking elements of gospel, country, and folk, the band understands that playing these influences straight isn’t interesting. Instead, they whip them together into a frenzy, and after a few hundred live renditions, My Jerusalem has created something more original.
You can certainly hear this commitment in Preachers‘ title track. Starting out as a lonely ramble, the song explodes with feverish energy thanks to Klein’s gut-wrenching vocals on the chorus. It’s Southern Gothic in subject matter, but rock and roll in attitude.
You’ll be able to see My Jerusalem celebrate their new album Friday night at Holy Mountain (in the spot that Beauty Bar used to occupy).
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