Magnolia Electric Co...

It can get a little confusing trying to figure out what moniker Jason Molina is going under. His 2003 album entitled Magnolia Electric Co. under the name Songs:Ohia was easily one of my top 5 albums of that year. Tomorrow the good folks at Secretly Canadian release a live album entilted Trials and Errors recorded under the name Magnolia Electric Co. and taken from a live show in Belgium in 2001. Personally, I've been starved for some of Molina's work. I was a bit disappointed in his last release (under the name Pyramid Electric Co.) but I've been hearing really good things about this live album. The Secretly Canadian site has a couple of tracks available for download and it sounds great. How do you describe Molina? He plays a brand of rural influenced country blues that carries certain echoes of Will Oldham's best work, but tends to rock harder and gets jammier (don't like that word). Molina's voice isn't going to win any beauty contests, but that's ultimately the charm of his heart-on-his-sleeve lyrics; they're delivered in a melodic but edge of cracking fashion. If you're unfamiliar with Songs:Ohia Magnolia Electric Co. I urge you to go out and get IT. Also note that April 9th is the release date for Songs:Ohia's next album.

from Trials and Errors:

Dark Don't Hide It

Cross The Road

from Songs:Ohia's Magnolia Electric Co.:

Farewell Transmission