...They evoke the musical essence of various titans while achieving a wholly distinctive sound of their own...." - Grade: A- Entertainment Weekly (No. 843, p.73)

The moody atmospherics are ultimately shattered by a catharsis of crescendoing guitars and gut-wrenching vocals, yielding what's arguably the most powerful My Morning Jacket performance to date. Magnet (p.104)

Ranked #18 in Magnet's "The 20 Best Albums Of 2005" - "Z finds My Morning Jacket at the end of the road, leaning forward, embracing drum clicks and glitzy keyboards like never before. Magnet (p.53)

Ranked #5 in Mojo's "The 50 Best Albums Of 2005" - "New conviction imbued the band's heady, metaphysical rock'n'soul... Mojo (Publisher) (p.58)

5 stars out of 5 - "Z is ruthlessly honed....The pedal steel tickling the edges of the lovely testimonial 'The Knot Comes Loose' has been assimilated into a worldlier musical context that magnifies the epic romance at the group's heart. Mojo (Publisher) (p.96)

4 stars out of 5 - "America is a lot closer to getting its own Radiohead, and it isn't Wilco.... Rolling Stone (No. 985, p.80)

Z imagines a dance floor covered in sawdust and a musty smell wafting from under the board....For every moment of ambient weirdness, there's a blast of rock guitar..." - Grade: A- Spin (p.133)

Ranked #13 in Spin's "40 Best Albums Of 2005" - "[B]eautiful melodies, fizzy dual-guitar jams, soaring soul-man falsettos, convincing reggae grooves - and an unexpected shout out to Madonna. Spin (p.63)