Send "Magnolia Electric Co. " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Popmasters |
 The humble beginnings of Josephine came about when Jason Molina and bassist Evan Farrell got together to work on some new song ideas. What began to emerge was something a little more cyclical and thematically linked than anything the band had ever done. And when tragedy struck in December 2007, and Evan Farrell passed away, Jason Molina and the rest of the band wanted to create Josephine as a tribute to their fallen friend. But though their personal loss is palpable on the record, this is not just a tearful goodbye. This is the band’s attempt to bring to life Farrell’s artistic vision and hopes for the album. The resulting record is certainly heartbroken, but also the most focused and potent set we’ve seen from Magnolia Electric Co....full text |
| Slantmagazine |
| Al ready known for operating at a consistently mournful pitch, dark things might be expected from a tribute album by Jason Molina, especially considering it's one devoted to Evan Farrell, his band's former bassist, who died in late 2007. Yet Molina, the brains and heart behind Magnolia Electric Co. (formerly Songs: Ohia), pays homage to his friend on Josephine by tempering that sadness with a surprising level of light, crafting a narrative that's equal parts crushing and uplifting. Sadness, of course, still abounds. "I feel as lonely as the world's first ghost," the singer notes near the beginning of opener "O Grace," and this sets a clear tone, a morbid, offhand fascination with the murky borders of life. Molina's lyrical milieu is familiar by now: the endless desolation of the road, dreary bars, empty hotel rooms, a gloomy landscape by which he represents the Midwest in a state of perpetual dusk. That feeling is retained here. The band reworks the already forlorn "Whip-poor-will" into a lugubrious crawl, one where lines like "For all those up in heaven not busy ringing bells/The rest of us down here ain't doin' very well" gain a poignant new significance....full text |
| Noripcord |
| f one thing can be said about Jason Molina, it’s that he’s prolific. Over thirteen years, Molina has released around sixteen albums under various monikers. Prince would be jealous of that kind of work rate. Despite reliably releasing at least one full record every year, Josephine ends a three year gap in productivity; that is, if we ignore 2007’s box set Sojourner. The immediate question, of course, is whether any thing has changed musically since Magnolia Electric Co. (Molina’s current project) released Fading Trails in 2006? Purists will be glad to hear that nothing of note has changed. Having one of the most distinctive voices in rock and generally sticking to the same alt-country template with every album guarantees that Josephine has the same characteristics shared by most Magnolia Electric Co. releases. The songs deal with the usual topics of desperation, loneliness, and longing. The same ghosts are still haunting Jason Molina, and it’s this stalwart dependability that is at once a curse and a blessing. On the one hand, Josephine is as good a representation of Magnolia Electric Co. as any of their other albums. On the other, it’s almost too good a representation. There are no real stand-out tracks here, and Molina sounds more comfortable than he ever has. If anything, it’s the most countrified record he’s released and, as such, lacks some of the more distinctive and heart-breaking qualities shared by his best work....full text |
Magnolia Electric Co. lyrics
|
| |||||||
