Limited indies-only "shortcake splash" vinyl
Nine track posthumous collection comprising what are reportedly the final solo recordings made by Jason Molina before his untimely death in 2013. Like with Elliott Smith and David Berman, artists Molina ran concurrently with (if not alongside - these kinda guys mostly ride alone it seems...), it's not exactly easy listening when you're facing down the last musings of a troubled soul. But do it we do. The authentic romance of tragedy? Martyrs and saints? Stupid ideas, really. That said, Molina's music has always come out the same way, transmissions from the dark night of the soul - the trouble was always confronted directly in song. The melodrama looms large, but so does the pain that explains it. And so it goes - and fans should be pleased - that Eight Gates follows the same path, perhaps more intimate than ever because of their not-quite-finished nature, though a little heavier than before because of the context. The real sadness of course is that at his death at just 39, and still making the music that made people pay attention in the first place, creatively Molina still had a lot of gas in the tank. He just ran out of road. I'm usually cynical of these kinds of things, but maybe it's a sign of the (/my) times that i find myself drawn into its orbit. And of course, that voice still rings eternal. No surprise really when he already said it himself: "If I'm really what they're saying, I don't want to disappoint them".
