Eight Gates

The album Eight Gates arrives in August 2020, seven years after songwriter, guitarist, and singer Jason Molina died following a long struggle with alcoholism, and 12 years after it was recorded in London in the wake of a real or imagined brush with death following a spider bite. First heard from this chronological distance, its hard to say exactly what Eight Gates really is. Is this a set of recordings Molina never finished to his satisfaction? Is this material he completed but opted to keep on the shelf? Did he leave it behind with the intention of bringing it out before fate scuttled his plans? Its difficult to guess just what Molina might have had in mind, in part because some of the tracks sound fully thought out while others feel like thumbnail sketches created on the way to a more refined interpretation. Just as importantly, Molina was an artist who could be perfectly happy letting the seams and stitches show in his recordings, so its all but impossible to know which are here by design and which remain simply by chance (in particular the sounds of birds that rise and fall in the mix and the occasional bits of studio chatter). One cant help but feel a sense of mystery in this music and its reappearance, but for the most part that doesnt matter so much. Eight Gates is clearly the work of Jason Molina, as the eloquent sense of dread that permeates these songs and the introspective glances into many dark nights of the soul feels like the work of no one else. This music is predictably rooted in sorrow; its also very beautiful, and the mingled yearning and hurt in his vocals is striking in its unaffected humanity. Most artists could go their whole lives without creating something that speaks as clearly of a damaged heart and soul as Be Told the Truth, and the notion that a track this strong could go unnoticed for over a decade speaks to the degree and lasting importance of Molinas talent. Eight Gates runs less than 25 minutes, and it doesnt play like a major statement from Jason Molina. Its just a short but compelling set of songs from a singular artist, and however it made its way to a public hearing, listeners can only be grateful it has emerged at last. ~ Mark Deming