Originally a limited-edition release of 500 copies sold exclusively on tour, Protection Spells was the second of three Songs: Ohio albums released in 2000, in between The Lioness and Ghost Tropic. Unlike those records, Protection Spells has a rough-hewn, unfinished quality. As usual, the songs center on a few simple repetitive chords and Jason Molina’s self-described oblique poetry, which always circles around complicated love and the difficulties in handling the reality around him. “Darkness That Strong”—with just an electric guitar and a drummer who sounds like he’s road-testing his equipment, since the meter is so slow and trudging—best explains the route Molina has chosen. The often-skeletal arrangements and the uncompromising pace make the album a more difficult journey than usual, though Molina does achieve the sense of taking ancient spirituals and updating them for the '00s. For those who enjoy Molina at his most sparse, however, “The World at the End of the World” and “Fire on the Shore” are surely integral when compiling a greatest-hits of sorts.