Somewhere along my musical journey, my Neil Young phase went from cool to perhaps cliche'. When Pearl Jam and Nirvana reigned during my college years, listening to Neil Young was another way to showcase to your friends a prowess of all things grunge. However, the coolness faded and his music became part of your typical playlist that can be heard on any Classic Rock radio station. Listening to Neil Young will never have the same impact on my ears as it did in the early 90's.
I mention this because Jason Molina, singer-songwriter and frontman of Magnolia Electric Co, has a voice and musical style which is eerily similar to Neil Young's. Before you assume that this would negatively affect my thoughts of Jason Molina, realize that it works in the exact opposite way. Jason Molina has always remained a very unique and ever-evolving artist. Yet, like with any good artist, the sound is always clearly identifiable as Jason Molina. Whether recording as Magnolia Electric Co. or formerly as Songs:Ohia, the fact remains that Jason Molina is a prolific songwriter who has a first-rate ability to blend the styles of lo-fi, folk, and alt-country. It is music that continues to provide the listener with added details on each successive listen. In 15 years, I foresee my ears still craving Jason Molina's music.
The new Magnolia Electric Co. album comes out in July and is titled Josephine. Here is the title track.
Magnolia Electric Co. - Josephine
Sunday, May 31, 2009
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1 comments:
While I like this Molina character, and think his voice/lyrics/sound are admirable, I think it is a stretch to call him a "prolific songwriter" while at the same time painting Mr. Neil Young into "Cliche Classic Rock" corner.
Playing music for over 40 years, of course a handful of Youngs "hits" may end up overplayed and sound boring after hearing them 800 times. But look down the playlist past "Heart of Gold", et al and find the obscure underplayed Young songs. Ones that obviously shaped Molina. And ones that shaped so many other genres. Bet you never heard Cortex the Killer on the 98.5 WNCX.
Thanks for the update and the link to Jason Molina. I will ask you about him in 15 years!!
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