If you know me or you read this blog a bit then you know my feelings toward alt-country, folk, and mellow music in general. Having worked in the bar business and DJed forever, my mindset is all about music with energy and being upbeat and so much of alt-country, folk, et all just isn't. But there are always exceptions...there are always things that hit the right spot and soothe the savage beast. Jason Molina's Magnolia Electric Company is one such group. While not necessarily upbeat in a club sense, his group of troubadours simply have the ability to create emotionally credible music that's as beautiful and mellow as it is good.
Their latest album, Josephine is a concept album of sorts. It's an honest attempt on part of the band to pay tribute to the life of fallen bassist Evan Farrell. Molina believed that each tune was a good faith attempt to make real Evan's hope for the record. So when the band sings of the loss of, "Josephine," it's a reflection of what they went through with Evan and it will just bring you to a standstill. This is a touching record that will hit home with anyone that's ever lost someone close and perhaps that's one reason why I find it such a great piece of art. These sorts of ideas and the concept of loss and loneliness are not strangers to Molina and MEC but on Josephine they are by far the most focused that they've ever been and that's probably because of how close the ideas are to them.
Aside from the touching story behind Josephine,much of the record seems to be an experiment for the songwriting genius that is Jason Molina. Dabbling in all sorts of sounds, Josephineis painted with a colorful palette that includes horns, tinges of doo wop, and more strummy country guitar then a Hank Williams Sr. record. It's a nice step for the band as it adds dimension and texture to their repertoire. While I've always enjoyed the bands sparse minimal approach the additional colors which they use throughout Josephine give the album depth and round the edges on an already solid album; it breathes life into the record.
Having listened to this a bunch it's easy to say Magnolia Electric Company has come up with another great album. Josephineis a beautiful tapestry of mellow sounds and a stirring tribute to someone dear to the band. It's an honest effort that's difficult not to love and will leave you with some thinking to do. Jason Molina is secretly one of the best American songwriters you've never heard of and that has got to change. Go buy Josephine.
No comments:
Post a Comment