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January 21, 2005

Review: Magnolia Electric Co. - Trials & Errors

After hearing the first couple minutes of Trials & Errors, the new Magnolia Electric Co. live album, the seasoned Songs:Ohia fan will very likely search the record sleeve for a collar by which to grab and shake the record and ask "Who are you, and what've you done with Jason Molina?!" The downright bouncy southern-rock guitars that introduce "The Dark Don't Hide It" seem so far removed from what we may think of as traditional Molina fare that we can't immediately rule out foul play.

Indeed, Molina's apparent break with his own aesthetic tradition was pretty clearly the impetus behind his adoption of Magnolia Electric Co. as his new nom de rock (either that, or it was the result of a class action suit on behalf of record store owners whose "S" racks had collapsed under the weight of Songs:Ohia's sprawling discography). However, after the initial shock subsides, said break reveals itself to be only apparent. Sure enough, beneath the "Sweet Home Alabama" (or maybe just "Alabama") facade beats the same broken heart that pumped life through each and every Song:Ohia.

Whatever lukewarm sentiment remained in us after the first couple of tracks was completely obliterated by the time we get to "Such Pretty Eyes for a Snake." That song's narrator is debating whether or not to "go upstairs" with someone, but the conflict is resolved when Molina howls, amid Heavy-Brand Drumming (tm), "I learned how to make my living out of making mistakes / and besides, you've got such pretty eyes for a snake." Vintage, baby.

Our favorite thing about Molina's songwriting is the way he can turn on a dime from the intensely personal to the universal--from the emotional to the downright mystical. The way "Ring the Bell" transitions into "Cross the Road, Molina" by moving from a meditation on personal failure to the invocation of a "Wolf's-headed conjurer" makes us want to reach for our 12-sided die to roll a saving throw against dying from an awesome overdose.

Also, we can't help but love how Molina calls the sound-guy "the real star of the show." Bands, take note: always show love to the sound-person.

At any rate, by the time the record ends, and the show is over (we should add: the complete, uncut show), whatever psychic tension you thought you may have picked up on at the beginning will have disappeared completely. Magnolia Electric Co., while occasionally more rawk-based than Songs:Ohia, is still Molina through and through. We expect to hear the gust of a collective sigh of relief from everybody any second now...

Posted by matt at January 21, 2005 10:37 AM

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