As lovers we did not fail…

It’s the time of the season when I’m anxiously scanning through the end-of-year lists that are starting to appear in magazines, for all those indispensable releases I’ve contrived to miss. It’s a bit of a job, I can tell you, and not one that I ever manage to complete satisfactorily, the pile of “should’ve bought / should’ve listened to better” records seems to grow more and more substantial every year. The situation is not helped by my own attention-span-of-goldfish tendencies, nor by well-meaning friends who send me dazzling records from years gone by …

Axxess and Ace

This time, the record in question is Jason Molina’s wonderful, spare, incredibly weary Axxess and Ace, which came out six years ago, but which I, of course, missed even though it was no doubt part of 2009’s pile.

It’s a helluva a record, full of understated recriminations and bitter bewilderment, all conveyed in the simplest, harshest terms with the minimum of fuss, played out by Molina’s workmanlike guitar style, some sympathetic drumming and the occasional contribution from bass, or backing vocals. He’s a man singing from literal and metaphorical depths.

I was going back and looking at some of the reviews written at the time and in a rare moment of lucidity, Pitchfork’s review seems prescient (if a little hammy):

“This is that rare kind of album that won’t grab you until you’ve reached a certain mood, at which point it will unexpectedly brandish the switchblade it was hiding in its back pocket and carve its initials into your heart.”

Not sure, I’ve “reached a certain mood” but I’m encouraged by this nonetheless.

There’s not a lot of really good video of A & A Molina or Songs: Ohia available, it seems, but there is one remarkable collection of material by a feller called Matthew Siegfried who has posted such a lot of Molina videos and recordings that I can’t help think there’s a connection. A lot of the videos are soundboard recordings of gigs and they’re really good quality.

Here’s one of “Captain Badass” from Axxess and Ace, in Cork:

 

For laughs, if you go back to here, you’ll see the records I actually nominated as my best of 2009; they’re OK, but no mention of Jason Molina anywhere…

Now…

I need to get onto that Ryley Walker record…

I’d do it all again for another crack at the hit parade. Oh what do you think?

Lawks-a-mussy! A new record by this old rascal…

Such is the lack of interest in Wreckless Eric these days that I quite literally know not a single person who is likely to care in the slightest about a new Eric Goulden long player. But since I became aware in the nineties of his irregular trickle of eccentric and rather uneven albums, he’s become a bit of a furtive pleasure of mine.

Wreckless Eric

I think I wrote a while back about the Hitsville Houseband, but another favourite of mine was the 2008 joint release with wife Amy Rigby, all the old battered and kicked-about charm of old still very much to the fore. A post-punk version of the Johnny & June / Gram & Emmylou thing, if you will, all seen through the eyes of Tom Waits.

I was going to look for a YouTube clip from that record but came across something much better:

 

Wreckless Eric. The Flamin’ Groovies. What’s not to like?

Amy Rigby plays on the new record too, but AmERICa is more of a Wreckless Eric release than their previous joint release. I’ve only just bought it and given it a couple of listens today, but it’s going to be a lovely record. I’m already enjoying it.

And you can too! Yes, the whole thing is available for live streaming on his Bandcamp page. And if I can get it right…

 

He’s even touring now… Maybe it’s finally Eric’s time!