Magnolia Electric Co. Preview

Magnolia Electric Co.
Abbey Pub, Chicago
Friday, October 20, 2006

In the ’60s, when the record industry was operating under a completely different — albeit nascent — model, the idea of taking two years off to tour was unheard. The Byrds, Beatles, and Dylan recorded as they went along, giving fans a window into their progress. The Byrds were under contract to do so, but by the time one album was finished and on shelves, the band were unable to gauge public reaction and thus unaffected by it when it came ’round to record again. Although it happened before his time, Jason Molina is a relic of this era.

Formerly under the guise Songs: Ohia and now using different backing bands as Magnolia Electric Co., Molina is currently on a streak that has reportedly yielded six albums in the can this year with potential for one more. The prolific songwriter told the Arizona Republic he hasn’t written more than usual, he has just had more opportunities to record. Earlier this year he released the vinyl-only Let Me Go Let Me Go Let Me Go (Secretly Canadian, as Jason Molina), and followed it in September with Magnolia Electric Co.’s second album, Fading Trails.

True to the frequency of his recording sessions, Fading Trails was scraped together from no less than four different engagements with three different bands. (It has been rumored on his Web site’s news section for the better part of a year under assorted titles with innumerable track listings.) As you’d expect, it’s uneven. Worked on partially at Electrical Audio, Sun Studios, and even his Chicago home, the nine tracks bask in Molina’s typically stark presence, beginning in slow-burn/Crazy Horse mode (title track, “Montgomery”) and ending with the solo “Steady Now,” culled from the demos of the lost “Shohola” album.

— Steve Forstneger

Click here to download “Lonesome Valley.”

Category: Stage Buzz, Weekly