JASON MOLINA Eight Gates LP -Limited Shortcake Splash Vinyl Limited Edition Shortcake Splash Vinyl Indie Exclusive Eight Gates is the last collection of solo studio recordings Molina made before he passed from complications related to alcoholism in 2013. Recorded in London around the time of the supposed spider bite and Jimissupposed parakeets, some of the songs (Whispered Away, Thistle Blue) are fully-realized dark, moody textures that call to mind his earlier work on The Lioness. Knowing what we know about those parakeets andtheir peppered presence on the recordings, one cant help but think of that colorful tree of birds on Talk Talks classic Laughing Stock, certainly a spiritual guide for much of the set. Other songs (She Says, The Crossroads and The Emptiness) lay in a more unfinished states, acoustic takes that call to mind Molinas Let Me Go Let Me Go Let Me Go, and still tethered to Molinas humorous studio banter. You remember how young Molina was, and how weighty this art was for such a young man. On the closer, The Crossroads and The Emptiness, Molina snaps at the engineer before tearing into a song in which he sings of his birthday (December 30), a palm reading and the great emptiness with which he always wrestled. It is a perfect closer and, in many ways, the eighth gate incarnate: mythical, passable only in the mind, built for himself and partway imaginary but shared, thankfully, with us. SIDE A 1. Whisper Away2. Shadow Answers the Wall3. The Missions End4. Old Worry5. She S SIDE B:6. Fire on the Rail7. Be Told the Truth8. Thistle Blue9. The Crossroad + The Emptiness LABEL: SECRETLY CANADIAN CAT NO: SC203LP-C1 BARCODE: 656605020334