The Magnolia Electric Co.: The Masterpiece Album 20 Years Later
Source: Wes Hicks on Unsplash
It is a rainy, frigid fall day, and the wind is picking up as the crackle of thunder bellows through the trees. This is a town with few inhabitants, the major oil company left years ago and the old wooden houses have been abandoned with the only major population being the crows that fill the treetops of old oak trees. This place is lonely, cold and dark, yet there is peace and a shred of hope around the corner. This place is The Magnolia Electric Co.
On March 4, 2003, over 20 years ago, released one of the most beautifully constructed albums of this century so far, “The Magnolia Electric Co.” by the Songs: Ohia, the visionary artistry of Jason Molina. The album was released to critical acclaim and garnered a well-sized audience willing to listen. Songs: Ohia had similar responses to their other albums, such as 2002’s “Didn’t It Rain” and 2000’s “The Lioness.” Nevertheless, Songs: Ohia never reached the massive audience that it deserved and is worth the underrated status. For fans of music with an emphasis on songwriting, strong themes and instrumentation, I strongly recommend this album and Molina’s other works.
However, what makes this album stand out and deserve acclaim in 2023? Especially in a time in which indie rock music has taken off since the early 2000s? Simply put, “The Magnolia Electric Co.” is a poetic, heartbreakingly written masterclass in music that is full of amazing, unique musical compositions that cement its tone and atmosphere, unlike any other albums that have come before or after it.
Molina’s songwriting on this album is the best he may have ever done with deep introspectiveness that blends perfectly with imagery of haunting highways, ghostly figures and the white, bright moon. Few albums I have ever listened to have such an encompassing amount of atmosphere, which is incredibly difficult for the artistic medium of music.
This album has my favorite opener of all time, “Farewell Transmission,” a truly epic song that perfectly begins this album as it spans for seven minutes, building to one of the most satisfying and emotional endings ever put on a record. The writing on this track is also stellar. The line “Real truth about it is there ain't no end to the desert I'll cross, I've really known it all along, Mama here comes midnight, With the dead moon in its jaws, Must be the big star about to fall” is tragically captivating. The story of this track is baffling, as it was recorded only once with 12 musicians including Molina, without any rehearsal and recorded completely live.
This level of rawness and fluidity is throughout the entire record. The next two tracks, “I’ve been Riding with the Ghost” and “Just Be Simple” are two of the shorter songs on the album but still deliver impactful lyrics and interesting instrumentation, such as soft electric guitars and chilling background vocals. The fourth song ”Almost was Good Enough,” is a true gut punch of a track with its themes of loss, regret,and unbreakable anguish making it the most vulnerable track on the album.
The 6th and 7th tracks, “The Old Black Hen” and "Peoria Lunch Box Blues,” are both absent of Molina’s vocals as he gives his lyrics to two guest vocalists, Lawrence Peters and Scout Niblett, and puts an old country influence on both of these tracks. The final two tracks, “John Henry Spilt my Heart” and "Hold on Magnolia,” dive into the final emotional elements of the album. “John Henry Spilt my Heart” is a track that begins the crescendo back into hopefulness from the low of “Almost was Good Enough,” as Molina gives this track an impactful rock influence with its heavy drums and feedback-induced ending guitar solo.
The final track of the album, “Hold on Magnolia,” is a swan song of Songs: Ohia, providing a passionate, hopeful ending. The final song feels like it is after the storm and is reconciling with the themes of the previous tracks, as there is now the strength to push forward. The story this album tells is not sweet or happy, but is realistic and mediates with its topics of loss, forgiveness, pain and in the end, hope and the power to push forward and live on.
After “The Magnolia Electric Co.” was released, Jason Molina retired Songs: Ohia and formed Magnolia Electric Co.,named after the album. Unfortunately, Molina struggled with alcoholism for years and passed away on March 16, 2013, due to organ failure. The music he left behind was special, beautiful, full of passion and some of the most insightful of his generation.