I play these two songs a lot, so much so that I paid to download the mp3s on Bandcamp to be able to listen to them even more. As an added bonus, the mp3s include and extended version of Ring the Bell, so there's even more loveliness to be had.
Goshen Electric Co is the name that the regular members of Magnolia Electric Co (who weren't Jason Molina) and Timothy Showalter (from Strand of Oaks) decided to record under. When this came out, they'd played a few shows together in the US as Memorial Electric Co or Songs: Molina, depending on how you choose to interpret the name the shows were billed as. This record came out around the same time that they took that show on tour throughout Europe. The shows, and the 7", were an opportunity for these people to keep playing Jason Molina's songs together and I was incredibly pleased that they did. I consider myself very fortunate that I got to see Magnolia Electric Co once (and very nearly didn't - I only got offered a ticket that morning because someone had a spare) but didn't know any songs at the time. I knew nearly every word when the tour came through Bush Hall in London in 2018.
Ahead of the shows they put out a video for The Gray Tower and I watched it a bunch of times. I wasn't familiar with Strand of Oaks at the time, but was very pleased with how Timothy took on the vocals. By the nature of both bands, they play it much more like a Magnolia Electric Co song than a Songs: Ohia song and it works amazingly; I love both versions - Jennie Benford's vocal round out the sparse original version so the two sound and feel very different. Ring the Bell from Didn't it Rain is a much less niche choice (The Gray Tower is only on a 7" and the Journey On boxset or as a demo called The Gray Tour on the Didn't it Rain reissue) and also becomes a much bigger sounding song (even more so on the nine-minute extended version). The extended one takes a lot of inspiration from the original, which itself is over six minutes in length.
As a result of this record, I started listening to Strand of Oaks and really got into them. I started off with their fitting tribute to Jason Molina, JM, and spiralled from there (JM even got an airing at the Songs: Molina show). Turns out I'd seen them at Primavera in 2015 on the recommendation of one of Matt's friends. I enjoyed them, but saw another nine bands that day and they got forgotten in the blur of great music. I'm now a huge fan.
Format: 7"
Tracks: 2
Cost: £5 new
Bought: Gig, London
When: 27/09/18
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: none
