Sound Of Lies

Now at Mid Price and remastered in 2014, and reissued with 5 rare bonus tracks! 1997 album and their first without co-founder Mark Olson. Includes Big Star. Following Mark Olson's amicable departure, the remaining Jayhawks reconvened under the direction of Gary Louris to record Sound of Lies. Like Wilco's Being There, Sound of Lies uses country-rock as a foundation and wanders off into a variety of different sonic territories, including surf rock and Beatlesque pop, bringing the music closer to the sound of adult alternative pop / rock. Although the surface of the album is pleasant and melodic, Louris has written a uniformly harrowing set of songs, inspired both by the dissolution of his partnership with Olson and a recent divorce. The lyrics have a naked, emotional honesty which would have been more affecting if the music echoed its sentiment, yet the record still has a subtle grace and power, proving that the Jayhawks remain a distinctive band without Olson.