Songs: Ohia Didn’t It Rain (ReVINYL Edition) vinyl LP

Jason Molina’s Didn’t It Rain, back on ReVINYL ecomix vinyl LP, feels like a turning point: his first perfect record. Recorded live in a single room, with no overdubs and parts created on the fly, it builds on his usual approach but lands with a rare clarity and purpose.

These songs arrived fully written, and that confidence gives the album its shape. The creaks, string scrape and room noise all belong. When Molina calls for another chorus on the title track, it sounds essential. Even the passing bus mid-song becomes part of the record’s careful atmosphere.

Molina’s voice is remarkable here: matured, assured and subtly lower in tenor. The mood recalls Neil Young’s “On The Beach”, and even Boz Scaggs’ 1969 self-titled album recorded at Muscle Shoals. Spacious, intimate and brilliantly realised.