Favourite Songs:

All of them



If you've red the news section (aka craptalk section) you're aware that I often get very excited about some band or artist. Still I would say that finding Songs:Ohia was something more than just the usual excitement of hearing great music from an artist formerly unknown to me. Finding new music is the greatest thing about this sick music fanaticism. On sunday evening a few weeks ago I was watching football game (Tottenham vs ManU) at Tourula and while doing it I browsed through the latest Uncut magazine. Red the review of Songs:Ohia's latest album 'Magnolia Electric Co', got home, hit the name 'Songs:Ohia' to google and soon I was pretty much in love with the group and decided to order this old album.

And now the album is here. Is it good? No, it's not just good, it's bloody marvellous. It's the greatest piece of music I've heard..since.. uhm.. Office Building's 'To See Only Shadows'... perhaps... and I would already like to add it to my all-time favourites list, but I suppose that would be a bit too soon. And I just red a minute ago how it was done and it makes this even more amazing. It was recorded almost entirely live and first take and the musicians heard the songs for the first time on the day they made the record. Apart from Jason Molina of course who is the mastermind behind this music. As I'm not fully able to decribe the beauty and magic of this record, I'll leave it to Jason Molina and quote him:

"There is no bullshit on this record. It's a love song record, so I wrote as directly to the point as I could. There is nothing snarling or cynical anywhere on the record. It is not invented stuff either. It's a desperate record, it's a jealous record, it's an imperfect record. It is also as incomplete as a man. This record wasn't made to rid me of any doubts or to heal me. The end result should show a man, anxious to learn, anxious to share, anxious to curtail all that is selfish." (taken from secretly canadian website)

I don't even start going through the songs. This is not just a collection of songs. It's a complete piece of musical perfection. Magical, desperate, haunting and beautiful. Folk/country typish ballads with truly exceptional vocals. Perfect music to listen to after the midnight. Headphones optional, but works best with them. Forget rock, forget even pop music for a moment. Songs:Ohia will steal your heart (a word of warning: I feel this is music is something which you either love or don't like at all, so listen to it before heading to the record store).




Songs:Ohia at Epitonic


Written 14.05.2003