When listening to this album I can’t help but think that this is what it would sound like if Neil Young wrote songs that I like: stylistically, this is not the type of album I would typically find myself spinning on a regular basis. Jason Molina’s vocals, while nasally and occasionally questionably in key, are genuine and lend heart to an album rife with overt homage to folk and country. The genius of this album is apparent in the choice of traditional instrumentation that transcends the typical indie rock foundation of the songs it contains, and yet fails to fall into the soporific trappings of the neo-folk movement. It would have been a solid five star album, but for the jarringly incongruous inclusion of guest vocalists on a few of the tracks.
[Rating:4/5]
