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All in all, a fine introduction to the compelling Will Johnson, but a peculiar idea, to make a painfully intimate album with two songwriters rather than just one.
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Very few tracks manage to claw their way out of the monochromatic haze of too similar textures, tempos, and sentiments, leading one to believe that Johnson and Molina are too perfectly paired to push each other in any new directions.
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This empty feeling contributes to the quiet mood of Molina & Johnson, which feels dark and battered yet still gleaming, a compilation that's as evocative as the best work of either of its namesakes.
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Molina and Johnson manages to sound as good as the backstory: two friends crossing paths in winter, making an album that reflects the contemplative spirit of the season.
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Together, usually accompanied by little more than acoustic guitar and piano, they create emotionally rich musical miniatures that only ever take up as much room--both musically and lyrically--as they need.
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Written and recorded in 10 days, this debut collaboration is a testament to just how deeply these two songwriters sympathize with each other's work, revealing a shared penchant for evocatively detailed images that blossom into visceral narratives.
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The third of the record that’s truly Molina & Johnson shines the brightest, when their discreet identities fall away to create Burroughs’ and Gysin’s third mind.
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It sounds nothing like their other bands, and only shares that feel with their solo work. This, these twelve fragile, creaking, beautiful songs, is the sound of Molina and Johnson.
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Molina And Johnson is almost brutally spare, aiming only to capture the fleeting beauty of a one-off collaboration, then drift back out on the barely perceptible breeze that blew it here.
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Under The RadarAlthough slightly overlong, it remains a fruitful collaboration containing moments of great wintry beauty, and ultimately shows enough to whet the appetite for a follow-up. [Holiday 2009, p.83]
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UncutMolina's downhome style and tender vocals coalesce with Johnson's frugger voice on minor marvels like "Almost Let You In" and "Twenty Cycles To The Ground", while the tidal hum and strum of "Now, Divide" is moodily unusual. [Dec 2009, p. 103]
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Alternative PressMolina & Johnson's treasures are there, as long as you listen closely. [Jan 2010, p.95]