Labels: secretly canadian
Review by: Alex Deller
Listening to ol’ Molina unburden is somewhat akin to reading Steinbeck – the journey is long and littered with loss, minor triumphs, a love of the land and the knowledge of what it’s like to knuckle down and do an honest day’s work. What Comes After The Blues is a somewhat lighter affair than we might’ve previously been treated to, still touched with longing and sorrow, but in such a way that it’s more like a reassuring hand on the shoulder than the crushing yoke of misery.
Accompanied by a full band (including keening brass, the yearning vocals of Ms Jennie Benford and perhaps the only pedal steel player to be seen sporting a Mayhem shirt) Magnolia are clearly keen on rocking it in true Crazy Horse style, letting the upbeat twang rule the roost and all but sideline the quieter acoustic moments. But, while old fans might resent the traces of hope and levity creeping in amongst the moonlit howls and bitter regrets, the strength of the songs carries the album aloft with such weather-beaten pride that you can hardly begrudge Jason Molina and his pals their hard-won smiles.