Pre-Order Thread

This is the kind of post that almost -- almost -- makes me pull the trigger on buying as much of a discography as I can get in one fell swoop before remembering "Oh yeah, I've never actually dug into any of Molina's music."

Once you do...

The Magnolia Electric Co. releases are great for the full band effect.
His early releases as (Songs: Ohia) are more the most haunting and my preference,

I started with the Songs: Ohia release Magnolia Electric Co., which he did with the same band as on Sojourner and prompted the name change.
I find myself going back to Helca & Griper when I want to hear the early sound:
 
His early releases as (Songs: Ohia) are more the most haunting and my preference,
Haunting for sure but personally I always preferred his later Magnolia Electric Co. stuff were he let his inner Crazy Horse run free. The songs were just as amazing but guitar and reverb of his more rocking albums will always be the touchstone for me.

The Neil Young Comparisons fun deep in that he was a master of both the skeletal Lo-Fi man and his acoustic guitar style and the 9 minute epic electric guitar banger. I still miss his presence in my life musically as I am sure we woulda still been releasing amazing music had he not passed way too soon.
 
My journey down the Jason Molina rabbit hole started in the mid 00s. I had a friend online who had turned me on to the likes of Bonnie Prince Billy, Smog, Songs: Ohia, Cat Power, The Dirty Three, The Silver Jews, etc.. but I had only really began to scratch the surface. Well, this was back in the iPod days and though I hadn’t really explored much of his music at that point I kept a bunch of albums on my iPod with the intention of giving them a proper listen eventually. Back in Central IL I used to work at Corporate HQ I had worked some overtime and once my shift had finally ended the shuttle bus had stopped running so I had to walk a quarter mile to my car in a dark freezing cold barren parking lot. I didn’t know what song to listen to so I chose “Shuffle” and headed out. The opening lines of “Farewell Transmission” hit me like a ton of bricks while I walked. By the time the song was midway through I was frantically ripping off my gloves so I could fish my iPod out of my parka and see who was making such brilliant music. Once I finally reached my car I had already started the track over. Instead of heading straight home I drove around my dark cold Midwest city with Magnolia Electric Co. as my soundtrack. It was all too perfect. I spent the next week listening to the album pretty much nonstop while downloading his entire back catalog off of SoulSeek.

The best part was that Summer we got to see him perform live at Pitchfork Music Festival and he was fantastic. I wish I would’ve made it to see him again in his lifetime.
 
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If it's this, and assuming I am in the same boat as you, I am digging it and I am seriously considering pulling the trigger.


The box is very cool, and I'm tempted. But if you're really new to Molina, you should know that the box is sort of a deluxe version of the album Fading Trails. That album has 9 of the 33 tracks in this box set. Of course the cover art of Fading Trails may be a little problematic if you've got a significant other or kids around. Or maybe I'm just a middle-aged prude at this point. But the box featuring woodburned art would definitely go over a little better in my house.
 
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Should I just go ahead and buy it all though?
Molina is one of my all-time favorites, and I’m sure some shitbird is going to come in and crap all over it because that’s what shitbirds do. Buying all of it could be a lengthy and expensive endeavor. But that said, I think Songs:Ohia’s “Magnolia Electric Co.” at a minimum probably belongs in a lot of people’s collection, then go from there.
 
Fun “Fading Trails” story. My car has those little elastic net storage things on the backs of the front seats. I stuck the cd case to FT in there god knows how long ago and forgot about it.

Until my ex realized we’d been driving around with her (older, ridiculous, conservative) parents in the backseat with that cover staring down her mom for like an entire weekend, at which point my ex lost her mind because apparently her mother has never seen nudity before? I dunno. There’s a reason she’s my ex.
 
Molina is one of my all-time favorites, and I’m sure some shitbird is going to come in and crap all over it because that’s what shitbirds do. Buying all of it could be a lengthy and expensive endeavor. But that said, I think Songs:Ohia’s “Magnolia Electric Co.” at a minimum probably belongs in a lot of people’s collection, then go from there.
Farewell Transmission is an all-timer, and as someone mentioned earlier the overlap of Neil Young is on display here in the best way possible

Also goes without saying that Molina’s story is just as tragic as Elliott Smith’s
 
The box is very cool, and I'm tempted. But if you're really new to Molina, you should know that the box is sort of a deluxe version of the album Fading Trails. That album has 9 of the 33 tracks in this box set. Of course the cover art of Fading Trails may be a little problematic if you've got a significant other or kids around. Or maybe I'm just a middle-aged prude at this point. But the box featuring woodburned art would definitely go over a little better in my house.
My copy of Fading Trails is one of the shittiest sounding records I own. I know SC will eventually get around to repressing it but my god does that thing sound awful. At least I only paid something like $8 for it new.
 
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Still patiently waiting for his 70s albums to get reissued.
 
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