Friday, June 29, 2007
Jason Molina Week:: Friday
Going to keep going with Jason Molina week and focus on the Lowery produced disc, The Black Ram. David Lowery's tyle is completely different than Albini's and offers up yet another style for Molina. The opening song is a dark, sad number that uses basic sounds and it sets a completely different tone for Sojouner.The Black Ram is powerful, evoking loneliness with subject and textures. The arrangements are minimal, and it would be easy to use words like haunting or any other blogger approved go to, but any of those terms fit. The pace moves is like a tired, old man, plodding along determinedly, waiting for any glimmer of hope. Sadly, it never really appears.
Like a great director or author, Molina creates this aura of depression and solitude and it's hard to escape. The record is like a movie that rips your heart out and you leave the theatre silently, unable to discuss it. Although the record is a collection of similar tracks, the subtle nuances grab you. Will-o-the-wisp essentially uses the same drum beat as Kanawha, but the guitar work adds the wrinkle you need to keep listening intently. Blackbird adds nice harmonies and a slide guitar and the mix seems so loud when you hear the whole album.
This record won't jump out of your headphones, but it might be the strongest of the whole collection.
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