hold on magnolia

continuing my favourite albums of 2007 list. this gets its own post because its four discs.

magnolia electric co. sojourner box set
i’m amazed that their wasn’t more noise about this release, i don’t think i heard anything at all. what i really dig about it is just how listenable it is. even though this is split into four discs i have always listened to it as one, partially because it only exists to me as a bunch of mp3s in one folder. at over thirty songs and about two hours long i would expect to get bored before reaching the end but even the first time i gave it a listen i enjoyed it in its entirety and didn’t ever get anxious waiting for it to get to ‘the good songs’. this is just a steady listen which never really gets too exciting at any point but i love it. i have only started to get into the works of jason molina over about the past year or so and i love the sort of alternate world he lays out in his songs, i think i’ll have to do a post about it sometime. the songs are bluesy and sort of classic rockish, i generally hate classic rock but there is something modern in their style and songwriting which i really enjoy. a line like, “you used to say i had what it takes, i think i did if you meant too little too late” from the song ‘north star’ while delivered sincerly is both hilarious and tragic and i just can’t get enough of it. a few of the songs that stand out in this excellent collection: ‘lonesome valley’ (download below), ‘north star’, ‘in the human world’, ‘hold on magnolia’, and ’shiloh temple bell’.
magnolia electric co. – lonesome valley.mp3

and here is a video of the song ‘a little at a time’ from the dvd included in this box set:

up next, the final installment of my favourite albums of 2007: the fairer releases

~ by mwn on January 25, 2008.