Songs: Ohia - Magnolia Electric Co.
(Secretly Canadian)
Damien Jurado - Where Shall You Take Me?
(Secretly Canadian)
Jason Molina has spent quite a few years plowing away at his Songs: Ohia moniker, and the results over the last few years have gotten decisively better. He has spent most of those years attempting to clear his name from the long shadow of Will Oldham's, and arguably, in the beginning he deserved the comparisons. His last 2 LPs, Ghost Tropic, and Didn't it Rain, both served to not only distance himself from Oldham, but show that Molina was a powerful songwriter in his on right. This is his 8th record (depending on who you ask) and the first were he seems totally comfortable exploring the roots of his musical education. The band, 10 musicians strong, take a breathtakingly fresh and non-ironic approach to American rock music. A good dose of country and folk vernacular are tossed in as well: Neal Young for sure, Dylan and The Band maybe too. Spiritually, Molina sounds as stark as ever (only made more evident by the CD of acoustic demos that comes with the vinyl). On "Keep it Simple," one of the highlight tracks of the record, he languidly declares that "You'll never hear me talk about/one day getting out/why put a new address/on the same old loneliness" while a pedal steel cries in the background. Moments of optimism do arise though, and the LP closer, "Hold on Magnolia" is a flash of light at the end of the long dark tunnel.
Damien Jurado, who now finds his home next to Molina on Bloomington's Secretly Canadian records also has a lot to owe to the American musical tradition, although he speaks from a different side of its mouth. Where Shall You Take Me? is an old sounding record, full of reminiscent spirituals and innocent love songs. Jurado's voice and guitar playing are executed with a sepia-toned softness, and often they fade behind layers of reverb and Sunday morning church organs. In the dark moments it reminds me of Springsteen's Nebraska. Crimes of passion in a small town, or lives lived with unrequited love. His choice of a second female vocalist (see: "Window") is, for the most part nothing short of stunning, adding just enough longing to keep you coming back for more.
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