Some would argue that, at their best, there’s no better rock and roll outfit on the planet than My Morning Jacket. So, when 2008′s Evil Urges arrived after the peerless Z it was one huge letdown. Not a consistently bad album – the title track and ‘Touch Me I’m Going to Scream, Pt1′ are gold amidst the crud – but the mix of cod-funk and MOR that made up the rest of the album made me wonder if My Morning Jacket had passed their peak. When news emerged that the band were going back to basics and recording as a band in a disused gymnasium, hopes were raised for a return to the dizzy heights of pre-Evil Urges 2001-2006 form.

Sixth studio album Circuital doesn’t quite hit those levels, but it’s endlessly pleasing to report that this is the sound of a band back on form and ready to make up for lost time. As the title suggest, My Morning Jacket have come full circle and the record pulls together sounds from across their 12 - count ‘em - years together. The reverb is back (rejoice!), Jim James’ voice is sounding beautifully cracked again after the diallances with falsetto, and the production values of more recent outings (Tucker Martine co-produces with James) gives Circuital a particularly huge sound. Bo Koster’s keyboard sounds take on a more restrained role and work alongside the other instruments instead of crowding them, and combine much better with the sterling guitar work of Carl Broemel and Jim James, and the muscular rhythm section of Patrick Hallahan and “Two Tone” Tommy. This results in a record taking in the best of At Dawn, It Still Moves and Z, although not quite matching them.

Opener ‘Victory Dance’ is an ominous start, creeping in on hammond and brass, and James’ questioning “should I wet the ground with my own tears / cryin’ over what’s been done?” It builds a head of steam slowly, grooving on a Muscle Shoals vibe, before exploding in a jammy outtro that reaches a crescendo before fading out, and up again into the title track. ‘Circuital’ is prime MMJ, made up of different suites of music beginning with clockwork guitar and James’ vocals drenched in reverb before moving onto dusty country rock and finally taking off on a Quadrophenia-style workout. It’s absurd – but then some of the band’s best moments have been grounded in such nonsense – yet still takes flight.

The slower moments when Jim James takes over have always been the heartbreak moments on previous records (‘Knot Comes Loose’, ‘Dondante’) and when he croons his way through lovely acoustic ballad ‘Wonderful (The Way I Feel)’ it joins those other heartbreak moments, the Disney strings adding an extra layer of emotion.

‘Outta My System’ is a curious mix of Beach Boys harmony and chugging riffs and doesn’t quite work, but this leads into the ridiculously brilliant children’s choir-led hyperbole of ‘Holdin On To Black Metal’, which succeeds where something like ‘Highly Suspicious’ from Evil Urges didn’t quite. Stabs of brass, bruising guitar and outrageous falsetto all combine to create something quite marvellous, with James crooning “oh black metal, you’re so misunderstood”. Daft, but it really does work.

‘First Light’ recalls the guitar heaviosity of It Still Moves but in the space of a three minute pop song, and ‘You Wanna Freak Out’ does similar with a fuzzy solo breaking through the slightly stitled melody. The two final tracks allow Circuital to ease out gently rather than try to explode to a finish. ‘Slow Slow Tune’ is a gorgeous waltz which showcases Jim James’ vocals, while ‘Movin Away’ is a stately piano-led ballad with such a live feel that the last sound you hear on the album is James gently sighing as the song ends.

Circuital, if I was to be super-critical, perhaps plays it safe by giving My Morning Jacket fans what they generally want from the band, and takes few risks – but then again risks resulted in the distinctly dodgy Evil Urges. However, it’s a confident record, a definite return to form and also benefits from brevity – the running time is only about 40 minutes. The key to understanding My Morning Jacket will always be to see them live, but Circuital is a great rock record and one that should be cherished for that very reason.