Song:Ohia Farewell Transmission

It is always a distinct pleasure that rarely occurs in my life, when a friend brings to attention a new song or artist that you enjoy. But the best is when someone brings to your attention music that affects you in a profound way, making you re-examine what it is that you consider to be music in the first place.

Last night qualifies.

songs:Ohia is really one man. Jason Molina. Growing up in Lorain, Ohio, this kid was playing for half a decade in Heavy Metal bands in the area as a bass player. Somewhere along the line he shifted his focus and began writing his own material that can very comfortably be described as Alt-Country. He's put out five albums and several EPs since 1996.
Now anyone who takes a look at the release date of Magnolia Electric Co. will notice that I'm behind on this album release by a whopping three years. So oops there. My only defense is that the alt country genre has always been one that I take with a grain of salt and don't have any real understanding of past the obvious choices like early wilco or Whiskeytown. In fact anybody who could make educated recommendations to me for this please do.
My recently moved-in roommate was kind enough to hook me up with this album, and I haven't had a chance to fully process it yet, but It's not really necessary. The first track on the album alone is worth the price of admission. Farewell Transmission has got one of the most haunting guitar hooks backed by Molina's distinctly unproduced vocals that just let the emotion speak for itself. Neil Young comes to mind, as well as Bob Dylan with a hint of Leonard Cohen. For whatever reason, this makes me think of the desert at dusk. As I have no other information on Molina aside from the brief piece I found I'll just let the song, and a few choice fan quotes pulled from the net speak for itself.

I should point out that I'm a big fan of nocturnal, atmospheric music with a distinctly rural-American tinge, and that pretty well describes this album.

Let's Get Drunk and Brood,

This is some of the most well crafted, fluently beautiful music I've ever heard.

I cannot stop listening to it. Over and over again. I never tire from it.

It's a classic--like OK COMPUTER or AEROPLANE OVER THE SEA. Not that it sounds remotely like either of those albums;
it's just a similarly unified, similarly dense musical statement.

It's far from an overstatement to say that Molina is one of the most talented, emotionally resonant songwriters of his
generation, as the collection of songs assembled here clearly demonstrates.

For those who likey, check out the Songs: Ohia website

Farewell Transmission