While the more lowly music press made a point of hyping their just-announced January tour dates yesterday -- you know, the work they'll actually make money on -- the Jayhawks gave RollingStone.com the exclusive scoop on the fact that they convened at the Terrarium studio in north Minneapolis last month to record a new album. We're certainly happy to hear the news, though, especially after reading this quote from Gary Louris in the interview posted today: "Our goal is to make the best Jayhawks album that's ever been done. Mark [Olson] and I both feel that there is some business left undone, and we got together and wrote some great songs."

The story hints that the album could be out by next summer while also pointing out that their past albums mostly remain critical/cult classics and never got too close to the mainstream. Olson said that might actually be a blessing going forward: "Lots of groups are trapped by their own success. They have huge, mega-selling albums and it's hard for them to come up with new songs that'll override the old songs. But we're gonna try to override the old songs. We've stuck with this kind of music and stuck with it and stuck with it. I've decided that I want to continue to play with Gary for the rest of my life and I think this is gonna be our time. Wish us luck."

We previously reported that Louris and Olson have been semi-regularly getting together to write songs following the early-'09 release of their duo album, "Ready for the Flood." And their three-night stand at First Ave in June made it pretty clear the band had found its old spark again. So this is really no surprise. This will be the first Jayhawks album with Olson and keyboardist Karen Grotberg since 1995's "Tomorrow the Green Grass." Unfinished business, indeed.