Jason Molina and his revolving door of musicians have been consistently putting out amazing music under the moniker Songs: Ohia for a few years now, and he has regularly impressed me more and more with each new release. After last year's nearly perfect Axxess and Aces, I thought he had finally reached his peak as a musician, but with the release of The Lioness, he has once again topped his previous effort.
With help from Aidan Moffat and David Gow of Arab Strap, Ali Roberts of Appendix Out, as well as regulars from earlier albums including Geof Comings and Jonathan Cargill, Jason has been able to write his darkest and most impassioned release to date. On songs like "The Black Crow," "Tigress," and "Lioness," Jason lyrically compares and contrasts the human experience with that of other creatures, and tries to see life and relationships through their eyes. Throughout the rest of the album, Jason succeeds, again and again, in expressing some of the most somber, beautiful, and moving lyrics that he has ever written.
On The Lioness, Jason's warm and tender style of song and lyric writing seem to be perfectly balanced between the sincerity of Will Oldham and the sultry downbeat melancholy of Smog's Bill Calahan while still being able to hold onto the elements that makes his singing and songwriting so wonderful and unique.
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