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You had to know this was coming; you had to know that a combination of these two men could lead you to nothing but greatness. Jason Molina and Will Johnson live two separate lives. One man, Jason, fronts Magnolia Electric Co, while the other hangs out in Texas and fronts Centromatic, not to mention his own solo stuff under the name, surprisingly, Will Johnson. United, they have risen above their individual prowess and united to make a conglomerate of sad-bastard music that surpasses most everything else that came our way this year, in regards to that particular genre at least.
When you first hear “Twenty Cycles to the Ground” you immediately feel the comfort of home. Will Johnson‘s voice always sounds like your aged father singing on the back porch with his acoustic guitar in his hand. At the same time, the warmth of Molina accents the throatier moments from Johnson. Such a natural harmonization could not be imagined in this mind.
And for the larger part of this album, you encounter such beautiful moments time and time again. “Almost Let You In” sees the two gents casually trading vocal duties over gentle piano structures and simple strumming of acoustic elements. There is such a clarity in the music that can only come from its simplicity, leading the listeners to the height of audial enlightenment; such as it is when the two combine near the end of the song, just as the piano begins to carry you away.
You are not very likely to find anything overtly beautiful and fanciful in this album. It seems steeped in a sense of melancholy, which is mostly due to the instrumentation. Yet, despite the down-trodden mood simulated by the instrumentation, nothing is as enchanting as Will Johnson walking quietly through his songs, with throaty vocals intact, pushing you to the edge of your bed, grasping, no, hanging, on every last syllable that he emits. The light in this album comes largely from Molina, however.
Take, for example, “The Lily and The Brakeman,” one of the songs that only goes to Molina. There is a different emotional appeal in his vocal delivery, and as it yanks on your heartstrings, it also seems to soothe you just a bit more than his counterpart. This is precisely why this album is such a wonderful collection of songs. There exists a perfect juxtaposition between the warble of Johnson and the calm delivery of Molina, both captivating, and both working together in unison. Together, they’ve created an album that seems born of the past, only to live in the current landscape.
Not a moment on this album is really discardable; not a one. Perhaps the off moments will be off-putting to casual listeners, but once you immerse yourself in the waters of Molina & Johnson, you’ll feel as if you’ve been washed in one of the most masterful collaborations. Do yourself a favor and get lost in the world of these two, as you’re likely to never want to leave.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/almostletyouin.mp3]
Download: Molina & Johnson – Almost Let You In [MP3]
Nathan and I were just discussing some of the original bands we first posted about and have steadily shared over our 10+ year run. After a bit of poking around in older, and terribly formatted posts, our very own Austinite Will Johnson was featured quite a bit in the early days and frequently over the years. Bottom line, we love his music and everything he’s been involved in over the years. Currently Will is going under his own name again with a new album called Wire Mountain coming on September 27th via Keeled Scales. Prior to that new release date, we’ve got this new single “Necessitarianism (Fred Merkle’s Blues)” ready for your ever awaiting ears. It’s a familiar Johnson sound with his ever raspy, haunting vocals, but this time with more of dark, edgy sound to his ever evolving Americana style.
You attach the name of Centro-matic to anything and you can pretty much guarantee that someone at ATH is going to give it some time. So here we are with Static Diary, the project of Scott Danbom and the announcement of a new record. Our first listen has this careful pop approach, moving in slowly over piano lines and carefully plucked guitar strokes. There’s an almost otherworldly feel to the tune, especially with the slight tonal change that comes during the chorus…sort of reminds of Grandaddy in a sense. The self-titled debut album from Static Diary will be released on July 27th via 
Centro-matic