Before I begin writing, I must start with a disclaimer: I am reviewing a product I have not personally seen, touched, or heard. That’s because it’s not available until August. But it looks like it will be something pretty special. And they sent me a sampler, and it did not disappoint.
I’ve written about Jason Molina in the past on this site, most recently when we offered a Songs: Ohia concert. I’m more familiar with that side of Molina’s work, I confess, but I’ve dug what I’ve heard from this later phase in his life. The box set is from four sessions Magnolia Electric Co. recorded after their first studio album, What Comes After The Blues. The tunes represent recordings made with the help of Steve Albini, Sun Studios in Memphis, David Lowery, Andrew Bird, and Molly Blackbird, among others. One of the CDs is just Jason Molina, self-produced with a guitar and microphone.
This is a great “get” for fans. Check it out.
Hammer Down-Magnolia Electric Company
Full Song List:
Disc 1
Lonesome Valley
Montgomery
Don’t Fade On Me
Hammer Down
No Moon On The Water
Nashville Moon
What Comes After The Blues
Don’t This Look Like The Dark
North Star
Bowery
Texas 71
Down The Wrong Road Both Ways
Disc 2
In The Human World
The Black Ram
What’s Broken Becomes Better
Will-O-The-Wisp
Kanawha
A Little At A Time
Blackbird
And The Moon Hits The Water
The Old Horizon
Disc 3
Talk to Me Devil, Again
Memphis Moon
Hold On Magnolia
Trouble In Mind
Disc 4
Steady Now
Spanish Moon Fall And Rise
Night Country
Shiloh Temple Bell
The Spell
Take One Thing Along
The Lamb’s Song
Roll The Wheel
Disc 5
The Road Becomes What You Leave (DVD)
