While 2010 and 2011 have been replete with remastered, collector-edition, gold-plated, diamond-encrusted reissues with bonus tracks and Steve Albini’s seal of approval (or Kevin Shields’, Bob Mould’s, Bob Weston’s, etc.), it’s nice every once in a while for an older band — enjoying their renewed fame and a tidy income — to actually release some new material. Alt-country rockers The Jayhawks enjoyed re-recognition last year when, following a reunion, Lost Highway reissued their debut self-titled album (“The Bunkhouse Record”), not to mention Legacy’s “expanded edition” releases of Hollywood Town Hall and Tomorrow the Green Grass in January. Don’t worry, all these retrospective musings are going somewhere: now that we remember who The Jayhawks were, we can hear what they still are in September, when they release their new studio album, Mockingbird Time, on Rounder Records.
That’s not that big of a deal, you might say; Mark Olson and Gary Louris are always coming together and going their separate ways again. You can cite Ready for the Flood all you want, but this new album is full-ledged Jayhawks like we haven’t seen in a long time. Their work together as “Mark Olson and Gary Louris” aside, Mockingbird Time is The Jayhawks’ first studio album featuring both Louris and Olson since Tomorrow the Green Grass (1995). Produced by Louris himself, he told Rolling Stone that their goal “is to make the best Jayhawks album that’s ever been done.” Bring it on, fellers! We get to decide for ourselves September 20, but as always, there are some tourdates to keep us interested amidst the summer festivals and panoply of Radiohead 12-inch remixes.
Mockingbird Time tracklisting:
01. Hide Your Clothes
02. Closer to Your Side
03. Tiny Arrows
04. She Walks in So Many Ways
05. High Water Blues
06. Mockingbird Time
07. Stand Out in the Rain
08. Cinnamon Love
09. Guilder Annie
10. Black Eyed Susan
11. Pouring Rain at Dawn
12. Hey Mr. Man
Tourdates (with more TBA):
07.02.11 - Chicago, IL - Taste of Chicago
07.03.11 - Milwaukee, WI - Summerfest
07.06.11 - Winnipeg, MB - Winnipeg Folk Festival
07.08.11 - Minneapolis, MN - Basilica Block Party
07.10.11 - Chicago, IL - DMB Caravan Chicago
07.16.11 - Vancouver, BC - Vancouver Folk Festival
07.29.11 - Sos Del Rey Católico, Spain - Luna Lunera Festival
07.30.11 - Santander, Spain - Infest
07.31.11 - Alicante, Spain - Auditorium
08.02.11 - Birmingham, UK - HMV Institute
08.03.11 - Glasgow, UK - ABC
08.04.11 - Manchester, UK - Academy 2
08.05.11 - London, UK - Forum
08.09.11 - Hengelo, Holland - Metropool
08.10.11 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Amanger Bio
08.12.11 - Oslo, Norway - Oya Festival
08.13.11 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Way Out West
08.14-15.11 - Helsinki, Finland - Tavastia
09.17.11 - Mankato, MN - Riverfront Park
• The Jayhawks: http://www.jayhawksofficial.com
• Rounder: http://www.rounder.com
