Within the private rooms of Jason Molina's past Songs:Ohia albums, listeners have often found themselves bound to the dramatic confessions of an acute musician and theatrical craftsman. Working on "Ghost Tropic" with Ali Roberts and members of the band Lullaby for the Working Class, Molina has recorded another thick, atmospheric album, but with ritualistic melody and rhythm.
Ancient worldly waltzes move in front of the slow, almost still, tilt of his voice. The sad cycle of electric guitar moans and synthesized organ groans from previous efforts has been replaced with a wide variety of spicy instruments. But "Ghost Tropic's" weighty musical movement is still carried by empty space. This looming music is profound -- indeed, emotionally tolerable in the first place -- because we will always long for that which is absent. Thankfully, in "Ghost Tropic," this vacancy has become a more full-bodied, meditative calling.
