Bands change their names for all sorts of reasons. Whether the change is meant to turn over a new leaf or wipe the slate clean, critics and fans alike will question the motive.
When singer-songwriter Jason Molina decided to rename his one-man band, Songs: Ohia, questions flew. Why now? What will the new band sound like? What Comes After The Blues, Molina's debut as Magnolia Electric Co., answers these questions, leaving no emotional stone unturned.
The heavy-handed opener, "Dark Don't Hide It," rumbles out of the gate as Molina's catchiest song to-date. An obvious Neil Young and Crazy Horse influence shimmers proudly with every distorted guitar strum, the logical acoustic-to-electric progression from Molina's past folksy work. (See Young, Dylan, et. al.)
On "The Night Shift," Molina takes a backseat to the song's writer, Jennie Benford, who tackles the lead vocals. While proof that Magnolia Electric Co. isn't a solo project, "Night Shift's" blue-collar anthem reads like an excerpt from Molina's characteristic prose --- an assembly-line worker's day is never done: "I can hear my old machine still running even in my dreams."
The album's centerpiece, "Leave The City," is pure, autobiographical Molina. A lone trumpet soars above broken-hearted verses about leaving Chicago, the city that nurtured him: "Broke my heart to leave the city/ I mean it broke what wasn't broken in there already." Roots-derived country and blues riffs compliment a hollow bass-drum sound that churns the song. A glimmering message of hope, however, lightens the song's somber tone.
Even for an album as short as the 36- minute After The Blues, the middle songs "Hard To Love A Man" and "Give Something Else Away Everyday" feel tedious. These songs are far from awful, but Molina's musical restraint often leaves listeners unsatisfied.
"North Star Blues" signals a welcome change of pace from the electric-heavy opening half of the album. After the Blues' first genuinely acoustic song features a sad fiddle and weary slide guitar supporting an emotional two-part harmony shared by Molina and Benford. I don't know why paired male and female voices in close harmony always works, but Molina surely knows we've heard this before.
The closing "Hammer Down" and "I Can Not Have Seen The Light" evoke the old folk and country songwriters Molina adores without a trace of trite reiteration. The latter, in fact, is a direct response to Hank Williams' "I Saw The Light" in which Molina muses that salvation is a one-time affair.
What Comes After The Blues is the album Molina has been working toward his entire career. While it isn't his most consistent work, Molina has learned to keep his artistic ego in check. None of Magnolia Electric Co.'s eight songs overextend themselves or house gratuitous guitar solos, and crisp production has captured the sound of a promising band that has finally found its identity.
If you ask me, the name has a nice ring to it.
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