Although fans of "The Jayhawks" were crushed when they parted company in November '95, it didn't take long for four of the five original members to gravitate back together and start playing again. Gary Louris, Marc Perlman, Tim O'Reagan and Karen Grotberg - minus Mark Olson - regrouped to record a new album with co-producer Brian Paulson, and excitement over the new album, "Sound of Lies," has been building ever since the announcement. This "new and improved" version of "The Jayhawks" has changed their style to "more pop, less country." The hallmarks of the beloved Minneapolis based band are still there, but the new style definitely fits them well. Instead of the classic country harmonies that Mark Olson and Gary Louris used to sing, now it's one solo voice (Gary's) with backing vocals - which is more of a pop or rock approach than country. Also, previous band member Mark Olson did all the writing. Now the whole band is writing and all have contributed to this album as more of a group effort.
Although the band is a bit nervous about fan reception of their change in style, they certainly don't have anything to worry about. The fresh approach, coupled with the roots already established by "The Jayhawks," has put some zing back in a band that was getting to the point where they all knew the time for a change was coming. With the release of "Sound Of Lies" on April 22, 1997, fans will be reassured that the band is just getting better, and they can relax and enjoy this new style. According to interviews conducted in the past few months, "The Jayhawks" will be going on tour, most likely in the United States first. However, they've always had a big following in Scandinavia and England, where they will return to, and hope to move on to places where they haven't performed live yet - like Italy, Spain, New Zealand, Australia and Japan. Quoting Marc, "One thing the previous Jayhawks didn't quite accomplish was a total live experience. So now we want to become a great live band, put more showmanship into our act." Having seen them live, touring with Tom Petty and the Hearbreakers, about five months prior to their break-up, I do have to agree with Marc. The music was always good, but the stage presence just wasn't there.
Members of the band have their own favorite songs from this album, mainly the first single released to radio in late March, "Think About It," but they also mention "The Man Who Loved Life," "Dying On The Vine" and "Haywire." A few others caught my attention even more. The first track on the album is "The Man Who Loved Life," and this is a great song. Marc describes it as "the coolest arrangement-wise, and one of the most soulful songs we've ever done." It also exhibits that new style, mentioned above, right away. The backup vocals lend a power to this song that would never be achieved with lead harmonies. The next track is the first single, "Think About It." I must say this really is a song that deserves attention. From the arrangement, to the lyrics, to the melody line, to the instrumentals and backup vocals this tune really knocked me out when I first heard it. A mixture of old and new "The Jayhawks" style, it sure makes an impression!
"It's Up To You" has that country rock sound to it, and lyrics to match - about a gold digging girl using a guy for his money. "Big Star" is a tie for my personal favorite on the album. This is a rock and roll song, no doubt about it, with optomistic lyrics and instrumentals that fit like a glove. The next track, "Poor Little Fish," is sort of a novelty song that you'd never expect to hear from "The Jayhawks," but it's actually quite good and grows on you after a listen or two. The ballad "Sixteen Down" has a cross between semi-psychedelic guitar riffs and a soft country rock sound reminiscent of "Pure Prarie League" from the early 80's - which is when the original "The Jayhawks" became a band. One of Gary Louris' favorite songs is "Haywire," a dreamy song he wrote ". . .after being in New Orleans. It's full of vampires and fog and oil rigs and lots of bayou atmosphere."
Another band favorite is "Dying On The Vine," the song with the strongest shift from earlier "The Jayhawks" style. It was inspired by hearing "The Geraldine Fibbers" doing a song by "Can," a '60s German band. It has a very different sound that's hard to describe, but quoting Marc Perlman "With 'Dying On The Vine' we wanted to break or bend the Jayhawks mold a bit. And I think this song shows us expressing our diverse interests in music, which was always there in the past, but we always used to keep it in check because we were "The Jayhawks," this roots 'n' country band. "Bottomless Cup" sounds a bit like jazzed up '60s folk rock, and the final cut, "Sound of Lies," falls back on an acoustic, slow paced, sad sounding number with clear vocals and a light piano/violin background.
Overall, "The Jayhawks" fans should be extremely pleased with this new album. It's fresh, well balanced, has lots of good music, a much better attitude and it sounds like it's going to be a best seller to me. As soon as I receive some confirmed tour dates, they will be added to this article. Grab this album on April 22nd, and enjoy!
E-Mail Interview With
MARC PERLMAN
Bassist for "The Jayhawks"
AMZ - Any comment on "the period of transition" that occured between November, 1995 and coming back now with the new album?
MP - We took a month off to reassess our personal lives. Then we started rehearsing. What was different during this "period of transition" was the way we approached practicing--less emphasis on getting it "right" and more on exploring the different possibilities each song presented.
AMZ - On "Sound of Lies," "Big Star" and "Poor Little Fish," I noticed there is a more mature, experimental sound to the instrumentals and harmonies. Is this because you feel more comfortable "expanding your horizons" so to speak?
MP - Yes. We learned a great deal from making our last two records. The technology was no longer so daunting, we had more confidence in knowing what we wanted and how to go about getting it. We also were given the opportunity (thanks to American's confidence in us) to have more control over making this record. We went into this record agreeing that we had no allegiance to any particular genre that the Jayhawks may have been associated with previously. It was an "anything goes" kinda vibe. Within the bounds of good taste, of course.
AMZ - The country-tinged rock style is still very much in evidence, but it seems to be working better now - example: "Stick In The Mud." Is this something you've been working towards, or did it just kind of come together?
MP - What you hear on "Sound of Lies" is closer to what the four of us hear ourselves, than our last two albums. So, it definitely was an unconscious, organic sound. We were trying, if anything, to make the arrangements more interesting, more instrumental, weirder harmonies, etc. But for the most part, it just kinda came together.
AMZ - I sort of covered this earlier, but there seems to be more emphasis on instrumentals and how they're used on this record, which adds a lot to the texture and overall feel of the album. Is this due to a change in personnel, a change in band philosophy or something else?
MP - All of the above. Kraig Johnson is one of the most textural electric guitarists we know; the same approach that Jessy Greene takes toward the strings. We are all into textures, aural, sonics--things that take place outside of the songwriting. We all love movie soundtracks. We are also getting into the concept of open space, meaning the idea of not playing being as important to the song as playing--which is something that can only happen when the musicians all trust and respect each other.
AMZ - Will you be touring in support of this album, and do you know where and when?
MP - Yes, we'll be touring all year. The album's coming out April 22...we'll be starting right about then, making our way out East, then West, North, South, Europe, Asia, Southeast Asia, etc. Then we'll go home.
