An ex-girlfriend of mine loved Magnolia Electric Co. (and Songs:Ohia, Jason Molina’s previous outfit). I never understood why – where she claimed to hear beauty and heart-rending honesty all I could hear was dullard guitar almost-country with a pisspoor Neil Young impersonator whining over the top. ‘Fading Trails’ is more of the same. Why anyone would buy this when they could go out and get the real deal from Mr Young baffles me. Sure, Neil Young is horrible, rightwing, over-earnest, self regarding, humourless, drab, stodgelike dogshit but he’s still a million times more vibrant that Magnolia Electric Co.
