Autumn Bird Songs

Sadly, but fittingly, the 22-minute *Autumn Bird Songs* is the last EP that Jason Molina released while he was alive. This collection of acoustic guitar–and–voice songs sounds slightly more hi-fi than his boombox-recorded album *The Ghost* (as Songs: Ohia) or portions of The Magnolia Electric Co.’s *Sojourner* box set—the intimacy is exactly as Molina always searched for. When these recordings were made is unclear. He’d been in poor health before his death on March 16, 2013; he’d released his final full-length albums in 2009 (and abruptly cancelled a tour with Will Johnson). Regardless of those circumstances, the songs here actually show signs of light and even an upbeat feel. The lyrics remain dark, but rather than dwell on the same minor key and suspended chords, Molina puts an extra skip in his step for “No Hand Was at the Wheel.” “Heart My Heart” and “Owl and Raven” do their business in less than two minutes apiece, a rarity considering that Molina often let songs linger for more than five minutes.