The Magnolia Electric Co.

The Magnolia Electric Co.
Cover Art by William Schaff
Studio album by Songs: Ohia
Released	April 3, 2003 (2003-04-03)
Recorded	July 1–3, 2002
Genre	Folk Rock, Singer-Songwriter, Indie Rock
Length	45:09
Label	Secretly Canadian
Producer	Steve Albini
Songs: Ohia chronology
Didn't It Rain (2002) Magnolia Electric Co. (2003) Trials & Errors (2005)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Pitchfork (2003)	(8.2/10)[2]
Pitchfork (2013)	(9.0/10)[3]
Stylus Magazine	(A)[4]

The Magnolia Electric Co. is the seventh regular and final album by Songs: Ohia. It was recorded by Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago and released by Secretly Canadian on March 4, 2003. It received critical acclaim according to Metacritic (with a composite rating of 85, ranking 24th among best albums of 2003).^[5] Delusions of Adequacy called it "a watershed album, an artistic breakthrough, and the first album to fully realize Molina's potential."^[6] Allmusic was more reticent in its wording, claiming that "Magnolia Electric Co. may not be the best Songs: Ohia album, but it is certainly the most approachable. It has a big, open feel certain to appeal to any classic rock fan, but retains the warm intimacy of previous albums."^[7]

The naming of the album and comments by Jason Molina have led to discussions whether it is not, in fact, the first album by Molina's new band, also named Magnolia Electric Co. In fact the artwork for the album does not contain the name Songs: Ohia anywhere. On the other hand, the album was recorded with different musicians than the current members of Magnolia Electric Co., and the decision to take on the new name was not announced until the tour following the release in the spring of 2003. Molina has later declared Didn't It Rain the final Songs: Ohia album.^[8]

Track listing

Original release

All songs written by Jason Molina.

1. "Farewell Transmission" – 7:22
2. "I've Been Riding with the Ghost" – 3:20
3. "Just Be Simple" – 4:20
4. "Almost Was Good Enough" – 4:28
5. "The Old Black Hen" – 5:48
6. "Peoria Lunch Box Blues" – 5:48
7. "John Henry Split My Heart" – 6:09
8. "Hold on Magnolia" – 7:51

The Japanese edition contains an additional track, "The Big Game Is Every Night". The first U.S. edition contained a bonus disk of demo recordings by Jason Molina.

Deluxe edition reissue, November 2013

LP 1 (The Magnolia Electric Co.)

1. "Farewell Transmission"
2. "I've Been Riding With the Ghost"
3. "Just Be Simple"
4. "Almost Was Good Enough"
5. "The Old Black Hen"
6. "Peoria Lunch Box Blues"
7. "John Henry Split My Heart"
8. "Hold On Magnolia"

LP 2 (Jason Molina's demos for The Magnolia Electric Co.)

1. "Farewell Transmission" (Demo)
2. "I've Been Riding With the Ghost" (Demo)
3. "Just Be Simple" (Demo)
4. "The Old Black Hen" (Demo)
5. "Peoria Lunch Box Blues" (Demo)
6. "John Henry Split My Heart" (Demo)
7. "Hold On Magnolia" (Demo)
8. "The Big Game Is Every Night" (Demo)
9. "Whip Poor Will" (Demo)

10″ (Studio Outtakes)

• A – "The Big Game Is Every Night"
• B – "Whip Poor Will"

The 10” was only available with the first 3,000 copies of the 2xLP. Both tracks are included at the end of first CD on the 2xCD edition.^[9]

Recording information

• Jason Molina – voice, guitar
• Jennie Benford – voice, mandolin
• Mike Brenner – lapsteel
• "Three Nickel" Jim Grabowski – piano, organ, wurlitzer
• Dan Macadam – guitar, voice, violin
• Jeff Panall – drums
• Lawrence Peters – voice (on "The Old Black Hen")
• Scout Niblett – voice (on "Peoria Lunchbox Blues")
• Dan Sullivan – guitar
• Rob Sullivan – bass

• Songs by Jason Molina
• Recorded by Steve Albini

References

External links

• Secretly Canadian press release
• Reviews at metacritic.com