Songs: Ohia - The Magnolia Electric Co. (Album Review)

 

Songs: Ohia - The Magnolia Electric Co.

(2003)

My copy: 2013 deluxe reissue by Secretly Canadian.

By 2003, Jason Molina’s sound had evolved confidently; firmly embracing country and roots-rock influence. The Magnolia Electric Co. was an identity-affirming piece for its author as it ushered in a whole new era and sound. This elaborately written record also contains some of Molina’s most emotionally impactful and intelligently woven lyrical stories of all his releases, with the musician also inviting guest vocalists to his ensemble cast of recording partners. 

The seven minute opener “Farewell Transmission” gently invites listeners in with arpeggios and sweet lap-steel guitar melodies before Molina’s heavenly voice begins with its perfectly slight southern accent. Though lyrics tackle depression and other heavy topics, this is a song with bombast and relative vigor, coasting and peaking over steady waves of instrumental builds before slowly receding like a layer of foam that cooly dissipates on the beach’s edge. This ambitious start is proof that Molina’s Albini-produced country record is anything but typical, despite the slightly bland tonal palette that blankets the record (that is fortunately varied by an array of other instruments).

“I’ve Been Riding With The Ghost” and “Just Be Simple” are accusatory and melancholy respectively, with each tackling a different branch of country-music songwriting. “I’ve Been Riding With The Ghost’s” swaying lap-steel and vocal harmonizations make for beautifully poignant moments while “Just Be Simple” strips to a wonderfully breathable second half, always ensuring the spotlight is on Molina’s heart-wrenching lyrics. “Almost Was Good Enough” introduces organ and assorted effects for guitar, giving some much needed sonic variance with a gloomier tone and lyrics that touch on defeat and anxiety. 

“Old Black Hen” features guest vocalist Lawrence Peters, whose more traditional southern drawl suits the addition of fiddle and wistful saloon piano quite well. The guest performance by Scout Niblett on “Peoria Lunch Box Blues” then delightfully contrasts the former song through her higher-pitched, innocent crooning in a woeful waltz with twinkling piano accents. Molina returns to the forefront with the powerfully dynamic instrumentals of “John Henry Split My Heart,” which ends up being the most confident and assertive track from a writing perspective as well. The album closes with the mournful finality of “Hold On Magnolia” which holds an unassuming yet firm pulse as it glides along, dying slowly in the end like the tired old embers of a once great blaze, giving in to darkness and cold as is nature. 

Molina’s lyrical work is only made more emotionally impactful in the wake of his tragic demise at the age of 39; with the honesty of his struggles unfortunately leading to severe reliance on alcohol. The Magnolia Electric Co. is a unique work that transcends its usual genre tags through Molina’s starkly intelligent and intimate poetry, somewhat contrasting the usual simplicity of country music lyricism (at least in most popular circuits). The actual sound isn’t particularly groundbreaking, though the compositions and song lengths make this an ambitious release.