Sojourner
Label: Secretly Canadian
Length: LP
Media: CD
Format: Album
WorkNameSort: Sojourner
Four CDs, a DVD, a poster, postcards and a medallion in a boxed set. These things are usually reserved for artists who sell records. Neil Young may never get around to emptying his vaults, but Jason Molina ‘ who’s recorded as Songs: Ohia and now Magnolia Electric Co. ‘ isn’t waiting around to die for the archival treatment. Following the release of 2005’s What Comes After the Blues, Molina hit several recording studios to work on the follow-up. He recorded at the Chicago studio of his favored engineer, Steve Albini, for the pedal-steel and organ’flavored ‘Nashville Sessions,â?� the legendary Sun Studios in Memphis with Cracker’s David Lowery for the ‘Black Ramâ?� numbers and, finally, alone in a room for the ‘Shoholaâ?� tracks. The ‘Black Ramâ?� songs are four straightforward numbers and are the real highlights of this set; despite the presence of a completely new lineup, they could easily pass as the product of Molina’s usual group. It’s an overwhelming batch of material, not nearly as striking as Songs: Ohia’s best work (Ghost Tropic, Didn’t It Rain), but anyone enamored with Molina’s high-lonesome drawl will find plenty of room to stretch out and wait.
This article appears in Aug 15-21, 2007.