this is what my high school depression sounds like

I have already posted about the amazing Songs: Ohia here before, but his body of work is so retardedly large that it would be a disservice to just post one.

so here is one of my favorite albums of all time, Ghost Tropic. this sounds unlike any other Songs: Ohia release I have ever heard - it is dense, with a wide array of instrumentation beyond just Jason Molina's familiar guitar; it is also weirdly beautiful and incredibly sad. the songs build like a slow burn, but they burn strong and subtly. overall, the record is almost like a concept album, I guess - Molina has added bird sounds to some of the songs, and in fact two of the tracks (both titled "Ghost Tropic") are instrumental, set to creepy/beautiful tropic birdsong. it's as if you are lying silently in some tent in the rainforest at night, lending to the feeling of profound loneliness that this album has.

there are certain albums that you need to be in a specific mood, or a specific place, in a specific setting to listen to them. Ghost Tropic is one of those albums - it must be "experienced" as much as listened to. when you are feeling overwhelmed by life, turn off the lights, get rid of any distractions, put on this album, and just wallow in it - you have to listen to the whole thing. of course, doing that will make you feel way shittier, but I think it's worth it to appreciate the strength and emotion of this record.

fuck, even the album cover is depressing. just look at it.


Songs: Ohia - Ghost Tropic
download it

songsohia.com
myspace.com/magnoliaelectricco

alright, so fuck sleep.

what the hell is there to even say about Songs: Ohia? I'll try to keep it succinct, but I'm pretty sure I will fail horribly.

first, if you've never heard Songs: Ohia, what the fuck is wrong with you? also, if you like really delicate, slow, and absurdly sad sort-of-folkish music with beautiful lyrics then you will enjoy this. think Will Oldham/Palace Music, Sufjan Stevens or Low.

so... here is Pyramid Electric Co., an EP released alongside the LP Magnolia Electric Co. in 2004. while Magnolia Electric Co. marked a huge departure from the classic bare Songs: Ohia sound, Pyramid Electric Co. is more of the same quiet, mournful music that Jason Molina does so well. I don't know how this guy hasn't swallowed several handfuls of sleeping pills already, because holy shit, seriously, I don't think I've ever seen him write a song that wasn't completely mind-numbingly depressing.

this EP is really nothing shocking or new, it's a rehashing of what Molina does best, but goddammit if he doesn't do it better than anyone else I've ever seen. these songs take a while to build - the title track is just shy of 9 minutes - and at first listen it feels a bit like they don't quite deliver, although if you have heard any other Songs: Ohia album that's sort of par for the course. there aren't really any clearly defined choruses. each song features nothing but Molina's somber voice and a guitar (or a piano, as in "Red Comet Dust," my favorite track). his voice and cryptic lyrics are really the focal point; he delivers some fairly resonant lines about loneliness (a favorite subject of his) along with his usual bizarre and lovely imagery ("perfume and cigarette smoke in her wild hair / she smells a little like a train / hauling lilacs through the rain").

also, the happy gang of retards over at Pitchfork gave this album a pretty crappy review, which means it has to be good.


Songs: Ohia - Pyramid Electric Co.
download it!
buy it!

songsohia.com