Search - Jayhawks :: Rainy Day Music (Limited Edition w/ Bonus CD)

Stripped down americana with pop sensibilities

Ryan Berg | nyc | 04/10/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Producer Ethan Johns (of Ryan Adams fame) described the Jayhawks song structures as American roots music with British melodies. I think he hit it on the head. The influences heard on 'Rainy Day Music' range from Gram Parsons to the Kinks, CSN&Y to the Beatles, the Beach Boys to Faces . But in the end the sound is undeniably unique. Even though influence is evident, there is nothing recycled or banal about this music. It is pure, stripped down goodness. Gary Louris and gang have left behind the glossy, out of place production of 'Smile' and the psychedelic experimentation that floated through 'Sound of Lies' allowing the new songs to speak for themselves. In this bare form the tunes seem deceptively simple, yet with repeat listens the intricacy of Louris' writing reveals itself proving that this album will only age better with time. By cutting away the excess 'Rainy Day Music' offers up sparse, honey soaked ditties dealing with love, loss, and being lost. The great achievment here is that they make loneliness and longing so damn beautiful. The harmonies that have become associated with the Jayhawks' sound are here but more subtle. Songs such as All the Right Reasons, Save it for a Rainy Day and Angelyne are among the best this band has ever produced. Drummer Tim O'Reagan's gem Tampa to Tulsa is more aching and intimate on the demo version as is Louris' gorgeous ballad All the Right Reasons. And what better way to end this collection than with Gary playing Waiting for the Sun all by his lonesome.There will be those who still say the Jayhawks aren't the same without Mark Olson. Well, yes, this is a different incarnation of the Jayhawks. One, in my opinion, just as glorious as when Olson was co-fronting the band. Gary Louris has had the bravery to march forward into new territory, to constantly challenge himself and his bandmates by respecting the past but never trying to relive it. With 'Rainy Day Music' the Jayhawks continue to evolve. I can't wait to see what's next."

Walking on water

A. J. Williams | Cotswolds, UK | 04/09/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"They say that most artists have one great record in them and that they tread water from then on in, trying to recapture that elusive 'something'. I remember hearing Hollywood Town Hall, buried under my first job, playing in bad bar bands and thinking things mattered more than they did. I also remember listening to the opening riffs of waiting for the sun, the fuzz pedal illuminating a staccato drawl and being hit by how pure the harmony was and how easy they made it sound. The Jayhawks were my big secret - living in the UK they hardly got mass media attention - and they were where I went to escape. Songs that made you feel something.
The first bars of Stumbling through the Dark, the simple chord progression, the layers of instrumentation building up until the drums kick in then the voices holding it all together, harmony and counter harmony. And the one thing that rings out is the simplicity of it all. A great production, open and clear allows the instruments to come through separate but together.
All the reviews I've read rely on other bands as markers. It sounds like the Burrito's, it sounds like the Eagles, and it's the Byrds, CSNY revisited. It's all of these but more importantly it's the Jayhawks. That's not to say references can't be made. Marc Perlman's bass lines could have come straight from John Wesley Harding era Dylan. The guitar on SarahJane out Keefs Keith Richards. One Man's problem has a Stones swagger to it. Don't let the world get in your way draws heavily on Bowie but takes Major Tom to a bar and gets him drunk on good whiskey and makes him empty his heart.
But when people have to use comparisons drawn from the past, it's because they don't sing songs like these anymore. And these are songs - not samples or compressed theft from others with more talent. They'll get into your head and into your heart and you'll carry them with you gladly. These are songs of hotel rooms, early mournings, last and lost chances, faces and names gone but not forgotten. And the beauty of them is that they aren't so specific to mean one thing to one person only. They'll end up being reference points on your rainy days. Hollywood Town Hall will always be my sentimental favourite Jayhawks album. Trouble my favourite song. But Rainy Day Music has memory in it that you'll make your own. This isn't the sound of a band treading water. They're walking on it. Superb."

The most accurately titled cd ever

Lisa McKinley | Citrus Capital of the World, CA USA | 01/22/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One of Amazon's most helpful (and fun) features is the "Customers who shopped for this item also shopped for these items" section usually found in the middle of the screen of each item you view. This is an invitation to serendipity! If you are adventurous, you can click and find treasures you would otherwise probably never discover. This is how I found this cd.Having no prior background of The Jayhawks, my review is not a comparison of their previous work, it focuses strictly on this cd. This is a beautiful piece of work. The style is hard to pigeonhole, but I would describe it as a combination of countrified-folk-rock. The songs are lyrically simple/basic, but the instrumentation has such a variety of sonic layers and the melodies are so classic that when combined, they become a feast for your soul. This really is rainy day music. The first time I listened to it was at work and I noted to myself "This would be great rainy day music" and then I realized that was the title! It is also great driving music, particularly when it is late at night and you are driving a minivan full of sleeping kids who are exhausted after a big day at Disneyland. This cd has provided a soundtrack for my contented moments, as well as my sullen moments. It's pleasant and unobtrusive. While I enjoy the cd as a whole, my favorite songs are "Stumbling Through The Dark", "Tailspin", "All the Right Reasons" and "Save it For a Rainy Day". Get the Limited Edition w/Bonus CD if you can!I suspect Ethan Johns' contributions, as "Produced, Engineered, and Mixed by" and instrumentally, are a big factor in the ultimate sound of this cd, so I am now going to skip along that tangent and find other Ethan Johns' productions, as well as devour other The Jayhawks works. All because I was willing to take a gamble with Amazon's recommendations. This cd will be a favorite in my collection for a very long time."