In 2000, The Jayhawks released Smile. Apparently Gary Louris, lead Jayhawk, got the idea to name their sixth album after Brian Wilson's nightmare from fellow Minnesotians, The Replacements. To the Jayhawks credit, they were the first band to release an album titled Smile. I understand why they did it though. The Jayhawks' Smile would be a Minnesota band's version of the sun-shining music that the Beach Boys sunk into all of our souls.
To helm production duties The Jayhawks brought on Bob Ezrin, producer of The Wall, albums by KISS, The Darkness and Alice Cooper among many others. Sort of an odd combination but the results were not bad. Together they come up with something that was a lot more popped out (and has drum machines) than any other Jayhawks album, before or since and seven years later the sound fits the band well. Despite a departure in sound, the album is pure Jayhawks, featuring the same melodic, chorus infused songs that Louris and Mark Olson should've made a better living for having created.
The one non-musical thing I remember about the Smile album was that when it was released it was accompanied by a top of the fold story about the band in the Sunday New York Times' Arts Section, entitled "What If You Made A Classic And No One Cared?"
Well I cared and to my credit at the time, I had the wherewithall to get my ass into Boston rock club, The Paradise, and see them rock this record out. Three things I remember from that night: 1. Upon entering the venue with my musical companion, we were the only audience members underage who had bought tickets so we had to get bracelets on our wrists to insure we would not be sold drinks at the bar. 2. Before the show began, I went into the bathroom to take a leak and Gary Louris, himself, ended up at the urinal next to me. Thankfully I didn't say anything to him because I'd be mortified now, though I really scratched my mind thinking for something, anything to say that wouldn't be lame. 3. The band covered Eric Carmen's All By Myself and it was fucking awesome (they also played a slew of Golden Smog tunes), though not as sweet as hearing them do Carly Simon's Your So Vain years later.
Anyway Smile will never go down as one of the best Jayhawks albums, but that really hits upon just how good much of their other albums are. Had any other band released it, Smile may very well have been their Hollywood Town Hall.
Smile is The Jayhawks "big" album. All of our favorite "small" bands should get the opportunity to make one somewhere along the way.
What Led Me To This Town
Better Days
Oakley Hall's Gypsum Strings is an album I wish I picked up last year upon its release because it probably would have been on my year end list. The band which credits itself as having a hefty sized lineup of ten or so musicians is from Brooklyn, NY. They describe themselves as Neil Young backed by Neu! and Linda Rondstadt. David Fricke in the pages of Rolling Stone explained that Oakley Hall sound like Wilco joined by both Lucinda Williams and John Cale on viola. Maybe a mixture of the two of is more appropriate.
In my mind, O.H. have guitar parts that sound like they were layed down towards the end of the 1960's somewhere in Northern California before the Canyon sound took over. They also employ both male and female vocals upfront and together with the music gravitate towards some twisted combination of country-rock and psychadelica that one would think had been ground already trekked upon but sadly hasn't been, or at least in any memorable way.
Their sound, as embodied on thier songs, has obviously been well-crafted and yet the music sounds as fresh as a first take. Whatever they got going on, it's worth checking out and I'm curious to see how they expand on it over the course of another album. As much as I like Gypsy Strings I can totally see this band only getting better and raising the bar. Much as you just knew from listening to the first few My Morning Jacket records that the band was going to take its time blowing your mind while building up an audience to be there when they did it.
The band just signed with Merge Records and are about to hit the road with Bright Eyes and Gillian Welch.
Lazy Susan
Visit Oakley Hall's Myspace Page
The picture of the band above was garnered from their website.
If you like what you have heard, please be sure to go and purchase a copy of the album anywhere.
2 comments:
Talk about classic and underappreciated album... For once the NYT had it right. The Jayhawks are the kind of band that are going to achieve legendary status once they're gone. Its a shame, because they have/had two of the best songwriters of the last 20 or so years.
I agree with you Rambler except, not to nitpick, they are pretty much gone, so it's time for that status to kick in.
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