What Comes After

With the wide acclaim of his final release under the Songs:Ohia moniker still lingering, Jason Molina went it alone on his eerie, vinyl-only Pyramid Electric Co album. Songs:Ohia now a thing of the past, Molina took up the name of his old bands’ final album, Magnolia Electric Co., for his new troupe, eventually going on to release a live recording entitled, Trials & Errors. Confused? Magnolia Electric Co have finally released their debut studio album for Secretly Canadian Records, titled, What Comes After the Blues. 

Beginning with the longtime crowd favorite, and previously unreleased studio version of “The Dark Don’t Hide It,” Molina and his new posse seem ready to own up to their influences, or rather, influence: Neil Young, circa 1969-1977. Never as catchy as Young’s work, Magnolia Electric Co, like Neil, strive to write classic, yet personal songs about modest life that could fit any ear. With master producer Steve Albini on his side, Molina’s first complete Americana release offers some of his most realized writing and playing to date.

Over big, twangy riffs, Molina sings his brand of steady, literate lyrics that leave their fair share of listeners wondering, “why didn’t I think of that?” His knack for simple words, often only outdone by his natural predilection for rock composition, are more so than ever the focus on Blues. It’s clear throughout Blues that Molina longs to fit the classic mold of being a “good man,” something that he clearly is, just not in the traditional Andy Griffith or Ward Cleaver sense. He sings openly about suicide, loss and running from his past, all things that real people think about, just not the ones in Mayberry or the Cleaver household. Molina uses Blues to fight his demons over the sound of sweet country rhythms that often seem to be fighting off their own rock demons, a trait often felt in much of Neil Young’s work.

With Neil Young aging and ailing, an album like What Comes After the Blues should do it’s part in keeping Shakey’s spirit alive. And really, even though Blues might not be breaking any new ground, could Molina have chosen a better influence? This one’s for Neil, one of the greatest rock songwriters of all.     7/10

Written by G. William Locke