Paging Mr. Proust is the ninth studio album by the alt country band The Jayhawks, released in 2016.
Background.
The Jayhawks toured and recorded "Mockingbird Time" with founding member Mark Olson, who returned in 2011. Olson left again in 2012 and the band continued performing without him. Principal songwriter Gary Louris demoed the songs in his home studio before presenting them to the band. "We worked harder in pre-production than any previous Jayhawks record,” Louris said. Former member Kraig Johnson contributed to the recording, though left before the subsequent tour. The final album line-up of Louris, Johnson, Marc Perlman, Karen Grotberg, and Tim O'Regan is the same line-up that recorded the Jayhawks album "Smile". John Jackson, who played on the album as a session musician on guitar, mandolin and fiddle joined the group for the supporting tour, replacing Johnson.
Reception.
In his review for Allmusic, critic Mark Deming wrote the album "finds Louris and his bandmates mixing up their formula, introducing new edges and angles to the group's evocative, lonesome Midwestern sound." and "this album demonstrates that Louris still knows how to make a memorable album as the group's sole leader." "Paste" called the album ambitious, but "there is a stylistic cohesion to the band’s previous efforts that’s not always evident on this one. Though the songwriting is adventurous and the performances assured and occasionally even inspiring, what results is a collection of good songs comprising an album that is somehow less than the sum of its parts." Jeff Karoub of "The Washington Post" praised the album, writing the album "finds a band supremely confident of where it’s been, where it is and, one hopes, will be." "PopMatters" called "Quiet Corners &amp; Empty Spaces" one of the best songs the band had released and wrote the album "is a fitting addition to the band’s legacy and a confident demonstration that they are capable of keeping on for a long time coming."
Track listing.
All songs by Gary Louris unless otherwise noted.
Bonus Disc (available only to those who pre-ordered through PledgeMusic)
Tracks 1-4 &amp; 9 are "Paging Mr. Proust" outtakes from the album sessions.
Tracks 5-8 are demo recordings. All instruments and vocals by Gary Louris. Produced by Gary Louris at Pants Optional Studios - Minneapolis, MN
All songs by Gary Louris
The 9 bonus disc tracks were re-released digitally on The Jayhawks Bandcamp in October 2020.
Personnel.
with:
References.
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