Eight Gates
Secretly Canadian, 2020
8/10
Posthumous albums are never easy to digest, especially when it’s a life cut way too short from such an exceptional talent like Jason Molina. His last solo recording before his death in 2013 due to complications from alcoholism, Molina laid down these tunes while in London and recovering from a rare spider bite that may or may have not happened.
“Whisper Away” starts the listen with birds chirping before warm electric guitar enters the vocally gentle, moving delivery, and “Shadow Answers The Wall” follows with more emphasis on percussion as Molina delivers an ominous tone amid the vulnerable landscape.
With 9 tracks included and most hovering around the 2 minute mark, this isn’t a long listen but a very cathartic one, as Molina displays heartfelt song craft on the bare “The Mission’s End”, while the subtle viola of “Old Worry” helps showcase his expressive singing.
Back half highlights include the darker spirited “Fire On The Rail”, which carries a very poetic appeal, while “Be Told The Truth”, the album standout, takes on a cinematic quality to its somber template. “The Crossroad + The Emptiness” exits the listen spontaneous, stripped back and full of the intimate beauty that defined his career.
While some of these tunes seem unfinished, they all illustrate the creative sorrow that Molina was known for across hundreds of songs and several monikers. Though he never saw any commercial success while alive, recently his songs have been covered by people more known than him, and let’s hope that brings more visibility to his underappreciated output.
As far as this collection, for long time fans it’s a must, though for first time listeners Let Me Go, Let Me Go, Let Me Go might be a better starting point. Really, though, there is no such thing as dull spot in Molina’s catalog, and now that he’s gone, we can unfortunately place him alongside legends like Elliott Smith and Jeff Buckley in terms of skill and impact.
Travels well with: Damien Jurado- In The Shape Of A Storm; Ben De La Cour- Shadow Land