From solo albums to free-spirited collaborations (The Roots, David Lynch, even NASA for the Juno launch), My Morning Jacket’s mercurial leader, Jim James, stays busy during the stalwart alt-rock band's downtime. Inspired by a desire to get off the grid and be more present, James seems positively giddy on his third solo album. “Throwback” roasts our addiction to social media (“Scroll back in time through your account/Watch your face grow younger as real time runs out”). He mines dusty ’70s-rock relics on “Better Late Than Never” and “Out of Time” and lets out audible giggles on garage-y bashers “You Get to Rome” and “Yes to Everything.” There’s a contagious spirit of release on Uniform Distortion, as if treble hum and greasy groove is the antidote to the most soul-sucking news cycle.