Songs:Ohia - The Magnolia Electric Co.

Jason Molina aka songs:ohia aka Magnolia electric company is an intriguing man. he's got one of those love it or hate it voices; think tom waits, paul demsey, that moron from nickleback. so his fan base is quite limited. that's a shame because his music is quite amazing. I would be hard pressed to leave Ghost Tropic, Axxess & Ace, and The Lioness from any list of favourite albums. These albums were full of simple songs, with desperate, heart broken lyrics. The songs of a man on love's death row, a heart so full of love, destroyed over and over its only outlet in song. I adore those songs, their simplicity, often just simple muted chords, their honesty, he's a man not afraid to share his hurt with world. This is the final album he recorded under the name Songs:Ohia before forming the Magnolia Electric Company referenced in the title. It's the first to include a full band on every track and whilst not as good as the earlier work, or the Magnolia Co. albums it is still a fine piece of work, the band allowing Molina to experiment with a number of dynamics and styles that he develops further on the later albums. This is a good bridge between the old and the new Molina. But really, if you care even a little about music you should check them both out.