Talk To Me Devil, Again : A Jason Molina Retrospective

With the sad news that Jason Molina (Songs:Ohia, Magnolia Electric Co.) is battling his demons in the face of spiralling medical costs, it got me thinking about the massive influence his music has had on me over the past ten years or so. An incredibly prolific artists, there did seem to be something untoward about the two-year musical silence since he cancelled his tour to promote the album he made with Centro-Matic's Will Johnson. So, here at 78sDW I'm taking a look at the music of Jason Molina, and pointing you to some career high points.

The first time I heard Molina's name was on the Amalgamated Sons of Rest EP, a one-off project between Molina, fellow 78sDW hero Will Oldham and Alasdair Roberts. Although Molina's voice was somewhat in the background, it was enough to get me interested in what else was out there. What came next was something quite different, as the first Molina record I bought was the goodbye to the Songs:Ohia moniker, 2003's Magnolia Electric Co. Turning up the volume to an extent, this record was my first immersion into the world of Jason Molina, a world of snakes, wolves, stars, the moon, the dark, crossroads, and many other leitmotifs that continually crop up throughout his body of work. It's a record of Springsteen/Neil Young blue-collar road-rock, plus some sparser alt. country moments, all produced by Steve Albini.

Just to give you an idea of the brilliance of this record, witness opener 'Farewell Transmission'. A one-take recording with musicians who didn't know the chord progression beforehand, the song takes everything about Molina and squeezes it into 7 truly wonderful minutes of music:

http://soundcloud.com/user420254/01-farewell-transmission

There are many more moments to be cherished here, such as Scout Niblett's falsetto on 'Peoria Lunch Box Blues, and the crunch of 'John Henry Split My Heart', before it ends on the heartbreak of 'Hold On Magnolia'.

Before going on to the post-Songs:Ohia future though, my next experience was that name's 2002 record 'Didn't It Rain'. This album remains my favourite Molina moment, and one of my favourite records. A sparse and desolate experience compared to the record that followed, it's often Molina, his guitar and piano, and the backing vocals of collaborator Jennie Benford. It's a sad and exhausting record, pulling the listener in and forcing you to share Molina's emotions. There are many wonderful moments on the album, with 'Ring the Bell' and 'Cross the Road, Molina' to name but two, and Steve Albini's contributions to the record earn him a name check, but the opening track, 'Didn't It Rain', says everything you need:

http://soundcloud.com/teunnis/songs-ohia-didnt-it-rain

"They think you got it, they're gonna beat it out of you /through work and debt, whatever all else there." That one couplet expresses the heaviness all across this record. It's actually the sixth Songs:Ohia record, with Ghost Tropic and The Lioness being the ones you should really check out.

With Songs:Ohia laid to rest, 2004 saw Molina release Pyramid Electric Co. under his own name. Intended to be released as a companion piece at the same time as Magnolia Electric Co. the records could not be more different. A vinyl-only release (with a CD inside), it's basically just Molina with detuned and spiky guitar, and some piano for company. It's far from an easy listen, but does contain one of my favourite Molina moments, 'Division St Girl'. It's hard to track down online, but here it is. Molina's voice is raw throughout, but it's an album worth hearing, if you can stomach the depressive mood throughout. And you should, 'cos it's bloody brilliant.

The first studio album under the name Magnolia Electric Co. came in 2005 (following a blistering live album, Trials and Errors), and What Comes After the Blues was something of a hit-and-miss affair. Still miles better than most alt.country albums, it lacked a bit of power but still contains the wonderfully meandering and harmony-drenched 'Northstar Blues' and 'I Can Not Have Seen the Light':

http://soundcloud.com/circespell/i-can-not-have-seen-the-light

2006's Fading Trails is a better affair, although suffers from being a collection of knitted-together recording sessions, which leads us into 2007 and the epic undertaking of box-set Sojourner.

A 4-CD set of recordings from various sessions, it takes the songs on Fading Trails and returns them to their proper contexts. Split into 'Nashville Moon', 'Black Ram', 'Sun Session' and 'Shohola', and coming with a DVD, postcards with original artwork and a medallion, all boxed in a wooden container, it was a massive undertaking from both Molina and Secretly Canadian, and it's the ultimate immersive Molina experience. There's so much to enjoy across 33 tracks, whether it's the Molina and his guitar sparseness of the 'Shohola' songs, the traditional country reworkings taped at the legendary Sun Studios, or the use of two different bands on 'Nashville Moon' and 'Black Ram'. And just to show it's not all intense and moody, here's Molina and band rolling through a joyful version of 'What Comes After the Blues', better than what's found on the album of the same name.

And that takes us to the last Magnolia Electric Co. recording as it stands for now. 2009's Josephine was a true return to form after the minor disappointments of the last two regular studio albums. A soulful record with Molina sounding in great voice, it came after him roadtesting songs on a brief solo tour. I saw him play in Glasgow, just Molina and his electric guitar, and the songs were great, and Jason himself looked in great health. The record is a fine example of his songwriting, the usual motifs are there with tributes to the places of his childhood scattered throughout. In October of that year the band stopped by Daytrotter to record a great session, that includes a rollicking take on Warren Zevon's 'Lawyers, Guns and Money'.

I do hope that Jason Molina overcomes whatever problems he has and returns to making great music. I wish him all the best in his recovery and hope that farm life restores him to rude health.

If you want to send well-wishes, or make a donation, see this link for more details:

http://www.magnoliaelectricco.com/