| · Jason Molina’s finest work yet. Don’t miss Magnolia’s vinyl-only counterpart, The Pyramid Electric Co.
For his follow-up to the dark folk blues of Didn’t It Rain, Songs: Ohia’s Jason Molina re-assembled the core group of musicians documented on 2001’s import-only live album, Mi Sei Apparso Come Un Fantasma, and invited a few other friends to join them in Steve Albini’s Electrical Audio studios. Recorded live off the floor, The Magnolia Electric Co. expands Molina’s simple minimalist epics into fully realized rock ruminations on growth and change.
Acknowledging the other players’ contributions, Molina even hands over head vocal duties to Lawrence Peters on the expertly antiquated country creak of "The Old Black Hen," and to old Ohia associate Scout Niblett on "Peoria Lunchbox Blues."
Still, The Magnolia Electric Co. is Molina’s show. In the dying embers of "Hold On, Magnolia" – a song that may be his most sweeping ballad to date – he croons, "In my life I have had my doubts/But tonight I think I’ve worked it out with all of them." Like the rest of the album, it’s a unique highlight of an excellent discography.
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