When a prolific musician dies, it sends a ripple throughout the entire music community. Jason Molina, a true modern blues artist active during the end of the 20th century and early 21st century, passed away in 2013, leaving behind a legacy that will thrive for years. He poured his heart out with such acts as Songs: Ohia, Magnolia Electric Co. as well as under his own name. Themes of despair, isolation and struggle circulated in and out of his work, always earnestly and unfiltered. He paved the way for the many blues-inspired indie artists and maintained the gritty realism so perfectly encapsulated in those genres.
On Farewell Transmission: The Music Of Jason Molina, a collection of musicians who double as fans, pay their respects to Molina by covering some of his greatest hits. My Morning Jacket performs titular track “Farewell Transmission,” offering a more digital sound that has a similar raw, desperate voice to it; the same Molina paid-up in all of his work. Murder By Death plays “7th Street Wonderland” with acoustic instruments, moving the attention from the sound to the lyrical poetry that makes the song so great. The Black Swans contributed a version of “Two Blue Lights,” a melancholy, twang-blues track. They maintain the stillness and reflective feeling Molina initially produced, and add their own western spin.
Each artist’s contribution isn’t simply a cover, but a story. A story of what Molina’s music meant to them. They are bringing in sounds, inflections and tones they felt listening to the original recordings, telling listeners what Molina meant to them. This compilation-tribute album pays respect to Molina as a musical obituary. Moreover, it functions as a reminder of what Molina has done for rock 'n' roll. Each band and artist uses their spot on the album to remember Molina, and tell listeners what his music meant for their careers and artistic soul.
Rating: A
