A few months ago I wrote about Magnolia Electric Co. on here for the first time. Any regular readers will have to start getting used to hearing about Jason Molina as my collection of his music only keeps on growing. It saddens me that soon there'll be no more to hear, but in the meantime I keep discovering more and more beautiful music.
Trials & Errors is a live album recorded in shortly after they formed (so to speak) in 2003 and captures the band in a way no other recording I've heard has. I was lucky enough to see Magnolia Electric Co. once and this albums leads me to believe that every show was as incredible as the one I saw. There's a furiosity to way they play the songs that reminds me why I first fell in love with them along with hints of their gentler moments which are why I keep finding more and more in their music. If someone were to ask me where to start with Jason Molina, I'd be tempted to say start here; sure there are other important albums, but this one I think will grab most potential listeners.
A few of the songs made it onto other records (or found their way here from other records) but there are so many great songs that didn't appear in any other form - 9-minuters like Such Pretty Eyes For a Snake and Almost Was Good Enough as well as my favourite on the album The Last Three Human Words. That they had such great songs that never made it onto a studio album terrifies me - what other incredible songs did they play live that no one will ever hear again?
I hadn't planned to buy this record when I did. After moving to Oxford I discovered that the guy who runs Truck Records is huge Jason Molina fan and I knew they'd be a great source of his albums. I'd bought a few from there before and saw this one on a day when I was buying a couple of other albums. I'd considered buying it but figured I was already spending enough money that day. I think he saw me studying it and really strongly recommended buying it when I got to the till. I was easily convinced - I mean, I knew it was going to be good, so the guy telling me it was awesome was enough to make me add it to the armful of records.
Needless to say, I'm very glad he did convince me. I'm sure I would have bought a copy eventually, but sooner if definitely better than later in the case of this album. It's just such pleasing music to fill my ears that I wish I'd heard it sooner. I really can't recommend this album enough.
Format: Double 12", insert
Tracks: 10
Cost: £17 new
Bought: Truck Store, Oxford
When: 11/04/10
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: Download code
