The Jayhawks - Sanctuary Park [White]

Forty years after their first record, The Jayhawks mark the milestone with Sanctuary Park, a warm, unhurried set pressed here on white vinyl.

It is the band's first new album in six years, and it reunites them with producer Bob Ezrin, who last worked with the group on Smile in 2000. Ezrin, better known for his work with Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel and Alice Cooper, brought them to Toronto, where Gary Louris, Marc Perlman, Karen Grotberg and Tim O'Reagan cut the songs playing live together in the room.

That approach suits them. The three-part harmonies that have always been the band's signature sit right up front, and the arrangements leave space for Grotberg's keys to glow. Lead single "Keeping Our Heads Above Water" sets out with a steady, rolling resolve, while "American Midnight" leans into the dusky, reflective mood that runs through the record. "Kingston Girl" brings a lighter step, and the title track takes its name from a real place in Dundas, Ontario, a fitting nod for a songwriter who now calls Canada home.

Memory, time and second chances are the threads here, handled with the grace of musicians who no longer need to prove anything. It is a record about staying afloat, made by a band that clearly has.