2014 has been full of reissues, anniversary editions, etc. I've posted about a few of them here, but it's nice to see one of my favorite albums of all time get the remastered treatment.

I won't bore anyone who doesn't already know all the details of The Jayhawks history, but this record shouldn't have been this good. Bands who lose their main singer/songwriter usually pack it in or wallow in mediocrity for a few more years before finally giving up. Gary Louris decided to regroup, forge ahead and made one of the band's best albums. While not on the same par as Manic Street Preachers' 'The Holy Bible' when it comes to depressing records, it's equally as sad in a totally different way. It's full of songs about love, longing and disappointment. The band would make a couple of more good albums before reuniting their classic lineup, but none came close to this.

It's somewhat disappointing this has just a handful of bonus tracks and not a full multi-disc reissue like 'Tomorrow The Green Grass' a few years ago, but honestly given the circumstances under which this record was made, it's still a surprise they managed to even record the 12 songs originally on the album. Expecting there to be too much more in the vaults was maybe a bit presumptuous. The extra tracks are good enough, but they don't really add anything to the record.

If you haven't heard this album, go buy it immediately. If you already own it, the remastered sound might be enough to convince you to purchase it again. Shame it couldn't have gotten a bit more of a deserving release though.