Sun Kil Moon "Welcome to Sparks, Nevada" (2020)

Welcome to Sparks, Nevada

release date: Sep. 18, 2020

format: digital (10 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,48]

producer: Mark Kozelek

label: Caldo Verde Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Angela" - 3. "The Johnny Cash Trail" - 5. "Long Slow Spring" - 7. "Lemon Balm" - 9. "Morning Cherry"

11th studio album credited Sun Kil Moon by solo artist Mark Kozelek following the album I Also Want to Die in New Orleans (Mar. 2019). In recent years, Mark usually releases new studio albums within frequent intervals of months instead of years, so this following 1½ years since his most recent album is a rare thing but also not quite true. Yes, it is his follow-up to his 2019 album as Sun Kil Moon; however, in 2019, 6 months after that, he released the collaboration album Joey Also Smiled (Oct. 2019) made with Petra Haden, and only 4 months succeeding that he released another collaboration album Mark Kozelek with Ben Boye and Jim White 2 (Feb. 2020), and another two months later [!] he released the Mark Kozelek solo album All the Best, Isaac Hayes (Apr. 2020) - so to think the man has slowed down on his production frenzy doesn't really relate to the whole picture.

Welcome to Sparks, Nevada consists of a regular number of 10 compositions but it comes with a total running time exceeding 92 minutes [!], which means it was physically issued in double CD format. The album doesn't fall far from many of the other releases he dominates that are all issued via his own label Caldo Verde, but there are always small variations, and overall, this one appears as a more quiet album held in gentle arrangements with strings, piano, acoustic guitars and with vocal harmonies all executed by Kozelek and his recent favourite musicians: Ben Boye, Chris Connolly, and Petra Haden. It's a mix of free spoken-word 'songs' in the stream of conscious-type-of-way he has turned to lately and some more traditionally structured songs. Thematically, it's one of his COVID-19 albums filled by subjective views on lock-down issues leaning towards irritation / wryness about restrictions and people dealing with the consequences of the whole situation. It's like many of his other post-Benji (2014) albums by containing fine moments and then not quite documenting his potential, and I guess that's really not the bet sales-argument to his recent discography but Kozelek is this live-persona, who both makes a great deal about not giving-a-f*!k about what people may think or feel and spending hours on expressing deep emotions and personal sensitive narratives in this Mark Kozelek-way that is extremely unique. So, whether you'll find it appealing or not, there's much to be found in his productions, I think.

Btw.: The front cover photo is credited Kozelek, which is his usual approach, but it's the first Sun Kil Moon album since the 2012 Among the Leaves to have an actual title on the front cover with letters indicating who made the album. Usually, albums by Kozelek are identified by one of his own photo-snaps.

Sun Kil Moon "I Also Want to Die in New Orleans" (2019)

I Also Want to Die in New Orleans

release date Mar. 1, 2019

format: digital (7 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,55]

producer: Mark Kozelek

label: Caldo Verde Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Coyote" - 2. "Day in America" - 4. "Cows" - 6. "Couch Potato" - 7. "Bay of Kotor"

10th studio album by Sun Kil Moon following only 4 months after This Is My Dinner (Nov. 2018) may only consist of seven compositions but it has been issued as a double CD album (not yet on vinyl) as the total running time accumulate to 1½ hours (89 mins).

The album features music written by Kozelek with music composed by Kozelek together with jazz saxophonist Donny McCaslin and drummer Jim White - Kozelek himself is credited guitar and bass parts.

At a first listen, the album may seem like a second chapter to his most recent album from Nov. 2018 but it soon turns out that this one comes out as a simpler specimen of sorts - I guess, naturally, given the fewer contributing musicians. More coherently it appears to sticks to a particular theme or idea, which I think, lifts this in terms of listening quality. I enjoy the stronger jazz-feel that sweeps through all compositions and add a different colour and tone to Kozelek's narratives, which here is executed with more focus on sound, as yet another instrument, and as opposed to his more recent releases where you may find it easier to follow the narrative. Regardless the fact that this may also include improvs, it doesn't dabble off, as I sometimes felt it did on the predecessor. On the other hand, the music here often takes form as repetitive patterns that succeed as a kind of meditative state.

The album was generally met by negative and luke-warm response, and my guess is that many people only wish he'd still be making music as he did a decade earlier.

Recommended.

[ 👎allmusic.com 2,5 / 5, 😞Pitchfork 3,2 / 10, 👍Needledrop 7 / 10, New Noise 4 / 5 stars ]

Sun Kil Moon "This Is My Dinner" (2018)

This Is My Dinner

release date: Nov. 1, 2018

format: digital (10 x FILE, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,38]

producer: Mark Kozelek

label: Caldo Verde Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "This Is Not Possible" - 2. "This Is My Dinner" - 3. "Linda Blair" - 4. "Copenhagen" - 5. "Candles"

9th studio album by Sun Kil Moon, aka Mark Kozelek, you may add. This is actually Kozelek's seventh studio album over the past two years (!). It follows six months after the album Mark Kozelek (May 2018) released under his own name, and, Okay, three of these seven albums are collaborations but still, it documents Kozelek's productive stint these days. Since Among the Leaves (May 2012), Mark Kozelek has released 13 albums including this one over a six-year-period - that's more than two albums per year (in 2017 alone he released 5 albums!). This release appears to have been recorded in the span of only a few days - one day at a studio in Copenhagen, Denmark, and three days spent in a studio in San Francisco, and Kozelek has put down 75 mins of music.

Mark Kozelek is main songwriter with most of the compositions being credited Ben Boye, Ramon Fermin, and Tony Scherr. The backing band consists of keyboardists Ben Boye and Chris Connelly, drummers Jim White and Scott McPherson, new-found guitarist Ramon Fermin, and jazz-sessions bassists Tony Scherr and Jeff Cleland. Two covers are included: track #7 "Come on Get Happy" written by Danny Janssen and Wes Farrell - a track stemming from the American musical sitcom, and this is the theme song to "The Partridge Family", and track #8 "Rock 'n' Roll Singer" by Australian hard rock band AC/DC credited Bon Scott, Angus Young, and Malcolm Young - a song Kozelek already included on his solo ep debut Rock 'n' Roll Singer (Jun. 2000) in a different version.

The album basically continues where Mark Kozelek ended, although, this one appears as a more incoherent product and perhaps an even bolder album founded on improvs. As a songwriter, Kozelek has evolved from writing more traditional conscious lyrics to a contemporary state where he seems to take inspiration in news subjects, and occurances from his private life, as well as things related to where he performs. It appears that many of his new songs have been made during live tours and then later put down in a studio - possibly with an attempt to recapture what had previously worked in live situations.  Also his choice to include two tribute songs: tracks #6 "David Cassidy" and the AC/DC composition releates to the fact that David Cassidy and Malcolm Young (of AC/DC) both passed away during his live tour. I feel that the second half of the album (tracks 6-10) stand as more irregular / unprepared improvs, as if to see what happens if-we-just-tape-whatever-noices-we-make-in-the-following. This shouldn't work but the first half of the album actually has more than decent moments that I enjoy, but still, when comparing with many of his previous releases, this is not one of his better attempts.

Not recommended.

[ allmusic.com 2,5 / 5, UnderTheRadar 3 / 5, Exclaim! 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Mark Kozelek "Mark Kozelek" (2018)

Mark Kozelek

release date: May 11, 2018

format: 2 cd

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,62]

producer: Mark Kozelek

label: Caldo Verde - nationality: USA

Track highlights: Disc 1) 1. "This Is My Town" - 2. "Live in Chicago - 3. "The Mark Kozelek Museum" - 4. "My Love for You Is Undying" - 5. "Weed Wacker" - 6. "Sublime"

Disc 2) 1. "Good Nostalgia" - 2. "666 Post" - 5. "I Cried During Wall Street"

Solo album by Mark Kozelek following the ep Night Talks (Mar. 2017) but this is only when counting pure Kozelek releases 'cause in between these two, Kozelek has issued two collaboration albums: Yellow Kitchen (Jun. 2017) together with Sean Yeaton (bassist in noise folk band Parquet Courts) and Mark Kozelek with Ben Boye and Jim White (Oct. 2017) - Boye has performed on several albums by Kozelek (often when performing as Sun Kil Moon) and Australian drummer Jim White (who has a long history as sessions musicians for e.g. Cat Power, Nick Cave, PJ Harvey, and Martha Wainwright), White also plays drums on the Yellow Kitchen album. This album consists of 11 tracks. It comes as an 11 track digital album, a 2 CD issue, and as a 2 lp vinyl issue, all with a total running length of more than 88 minutes.

Kozelek continues his flow of releases, which has been an ongoing production in the fast lane for most of a decade. He has issued an abundance of releases either using his birthname, his moniker Sun Kil Moon, or he has been engaged in various collaboration projects with a long list of others with different musical background. The common denominator is, however, Kozelek's songwriting - it's primarily long compositions, varying in length from typically 4 to 15 mins and characterised by drone-like or progressive backing, which at times, and especially when referring to his latest works, are pure improvs. Also his lyrics. Kozelek has taken a move away from written material to compositions which are pure streams of consciousness. A negative response to this labels some of his albums as 'babbling', and then others appreciate his original style. The thing is, when listening attentively to his narrations, there are always funny aspects and if you accept the style and forget that lyrics should be sung - Kozelek often just rambles along like reading aloud from diary notes mixed with journals or news paper articles, and he always takes a starting point in experienced episodes - but this may take him far. He returns to certain preferred subjects, which include boxing, music, drinking, authors, films and actors, and then he also talks explicitly about sex. A constant are his everday life experiences of ordinary things like shopping, meeting people in the street, discusssions with someone about life or death or just about who's right and who's wrong, and then: descriptions of the road, the apartment, where he finds himself at, seing cats or dogs, about forgetting, about remembering something important / not really important, about what he thinks of this or that song, this or that album, this or that artist. It's like listening to someone talking about everything and nothing. But. That can be a fascinating journey, and that's what I have come to enjoy about Kozelek: he's basically a great narrator.

It has taken me quite some time to get accustomed to Kozelek's change of style going from what some labeled 'slowcore' onto a more distinct alt. folk scene with bonds to americana and indie folk and / or indie rock to this modern expression of his, which at first could sound like he's not really making any efforts anymore. But I mostly just enjoy his sometimes hilarious observations, and I have come to see it more in line with other types of artistic advancement. Think of the progression of style by Picasso - imagine the sublime painter, who was fully capable of producing natural / photo-like and detailed sceneries, and then he went through stages with surrealism, developing cubism and a freer form of new-cubism - fra from his starting point. Now, Kozelek is not a contemporary Picasso, and the comparison may seem ridiculous, but Kozelek too has gone his own ways in forming a new musical style based on improvs in a scenery of spoken-word arrangements. Like it or not, but this is his prefered expression at this point in a long career.

Recommended.

[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, Pitchfork 6,8 / 10, TheNeedleDrop 7 / 10, SputnikMusic 3,6 / 5 stars ]

Jesu & Sun Kil Moon "30 Seconds to the Decline of Planet Earth" (2017)

30 Seconds to the Decline of Planet Earth

release date: May 5, 2017

format: digital (9 x File, MP3)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,55]

producer: Mark Kozelek & Justin Broadrick

label: Caldo Verde - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "You Are Me and I Am You" - 3. "Needles Disney" - 4. "The Greatest Conversation Ever in the History of the Universe" - 5. "He's Bad" - 6. "Bombs" - 7. "Twenty Something"

2nd collaborative work by electronic artist Jesu (aka Justin Broadrick) and alt. folk artist Mark Kozelek released on Kozelek's label Caldo Verde. The first album by these two isn't much more than the year old album Jesu / Sun Kil Moon (Jan. 2016).

Stylewise, this is not just a second chapter to his joint-productions with Broadrick as this appears more in line with some of Kozelek's other recent releases, which means without electric and / or rock-instrumentation as backing, as was the case with the Jesu / Sun Kil Moon album. Instead, this turns out like another chapter to Kozelek's improv-sounding and spoken-word-like progressive experimental and long sessions about everything and nothing - and mostly: small dairy-snippets from recent impressions of ordinary lived life and small conflicts with people he meets on any random day in his everyday life. And yes I know, some would say it's ramblings, or they would describe it as babbling along. Anyway, to me it's both, meaning sometimes I get why people have negative feelings about it, and then, at other times I'm equally entertained. Musically, this album is more like subdued electronic / experimental backing music by Jesu. Mark Kozelek has recently excelled in this type of spoken-word compositions on solo releases either using his name, Mark Kozelek, e.g. on Night Talks (ep) (Mar. 2017), and on solo releases as Sun Kil Moon, e.g. on Universal Themes (Jun. 2015) as well as on his most recent Sun Kil Moon album Common as Light and Love Are Red Valleys of Blood (Feb. 2017). In that sense, this one sounds more than a new chapter to that as opposed to a natural follow-up to his and Broadrick's first collaboration album - there's just a longer distance to that.

Regardless, if Kozelek issues music in his own name, as Sun Kil Moon, or he invites someone else in as collaborator, the end-result comes close to something installed and directed by Mark Kozelek. Track #4 and #5 here are the album's highlights and they both follow a pattern in Kozelek's artistic progression where he dwelves on story-telling in a progressive set-up of sorts, arrangements where the backing instrumentation works as sound tapestry, and when it really works, it comes out as a fascinating synergy. The downside is twofold: it sounds similar, and sometimes much alike other fine tracks, and often it doen't really work, but there are always these glimpses of 'whoah! That's just gooood.' Pure sunbeams.

I find that this is easily bettering their first album out where Broadrick perhaps brought some original remains of alt. rock and industrial rock to the table that I didn't enjoy in the company of Kozelek.

This ain't bad. It may not be great, but there's definitely more to it than what first meets the ears, and if granted attention, it's funny, entertaining, and really off but in that non-politically correct way of intentionally who gives a f*c# anyway!

[ 👍allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, PopMatters 3 / 5 stars ]

Mark Kozelek "Night Talks" (2017) (ep)

Night Talks, ep

release date: Mar. 22, 2017

format: digital (5 x File, MP3)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,52]

producer: Mark Kozelek

label: Caldo Verde Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Night Talks" - 2. "I Love Portugal" (Acoustic Version) - 3. "Astronomy" - 5. "Famous Blue Raincoat"

Ep release from Mark Kozelek as follow-up to his only one month old double Common as Light and Love Are Red Valleys of Blood (Feb. 2017) released under the stage name of Sun Kil Moon.

Night Talks consists of five tracks and Kozelek is back as how he sounds on Universal Themes (Jun. 2016). It's alt. country with acoustic guitar and Kozelek narrating about big and small things from everyday life to dramatic stories he has heard about on TV or read about in a newspaper. The track "I Love Portugal" is included here in an acoustic version but the track is found in its original version on Common as Light and Love... And precisely the acoustic part is perhaps the small common denominator you'll find on his most recent releases as this EP, because otherwise, the basic material is not immediately different to what he has released under his own name and to what ends up being attributed Sun Kil Moon. In any case, Night Talks is released on Caldo Verde with Kozelek in full control as producer, songwriter, composer, just as he often is only musician. Much to his usual procedure, there has been room for covers: "Pretty Little Flowers" by Kath Bloom and "Famous Blue Raincoat" by Leonard Cohen, which is the actual highlight of the ep, here in a live recording on which Kozelek is accompanied by piano.

Night Talks is Kozelek as fans have come to love him: mostly alone with acoustic guitar, and himself narrating / singing about big and small subjects, and with the additions of a some covers. And in that way there is hardly anything new or surprising about this release - it's fine and welcome.

Sun Kil Moon "Common as Light and Love..." (2017)

Common as Light and Love Are Red Valleys of Blood

release date: Feb. 17, 2017

format: digital (16 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,62]

producer: Mark Kozelek

label: Rough Trade Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "God Bless Ohio" (4 / 5) - 2. "Chili Lemon Peanuts" - 3. "Philadelphia Cop" - 4. "The Highway Song" - 8. "Butch Lullaby" - 9. "Stranger Than Paradise" - 11. "Bergen to Trondheim" - 12. "I Love Portugal" - 16. "I Love You Forever and Beyond Eternity"

8th studio album by Sun Kil Moon is, in CD and vinyl formats, a double album issued on Caldo Verde with a total of 16 tracks and a running time of monstrous 2 hours and 10 minutes. As a digital release only, the album is released on Rough Trade. The album follows the same recipe as Sun Kil Moon's most recent solo, the 1½-year-old Universal Themes (Jun. 2015) - following closely in the wake of the critically acclaimed Benji from 2014 - with Kozelek as songwriter, composer, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist alongside ex-Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley as only other musician. The most recent release featuring Kozelek is the collaboration-project Jesu / Sun Kil Moon (Jan. 2016). This is just one of a handful of releases featuring Kozelek in 2017. A month later he released the solo ep Night Talks (Mar. 2017), and then he released 30 Seconds to the Decline of Planet Earth (May 2017), his second collaboration album with Jesu, and a month later Yellow Kitchen (Jun. 2017), a collaboration album with bassist Sean Yates (of Parquet Courts and Dweller on the Threshold), and he released Mark Kozelek with Ben Boye and Jim White (Oct. 2017) - all issued on Kozelek's own label, Caldo Verde.

The shortest track here runs more than 5 minutes, three tracks exceed 10 minutes playing time, and the majority of songs are somewhere between 7 and 9 minutes long. By that alone, this is a different collection of songs, but the individual compositions are also of a special breed. Some tracks - the best to my ears - are reminiscent of older Kozelek releases, where you find clear verses, choruses and Kozelek both singing and handling acoustic guitar. More demanding tracks include Kozelek's spoken word passages on which he appears to be reciting from a diary. He rants about masturbation, he argues with a music journalist about which Bowie songs are the best and how he came to know about Bowie's death, or he goes on about mass shootings, etc., as for example on "Philadelphia Cop", which nevertheless has a certain strength once you get 3-4 minutes into the almost 11 minutes of the composition.

In terms of style and on the surface it comes much as usual in an alt. folk and singer / songwriter setting, but you also find various elements from other styles that Kozelek is influenced by. We hear traces of hip-hop, funk, indie rock, punk rock, and passages with spoken word, where Kozelek opens up about something sounding as an endless reading from his own diary. It's basically The Fall, Hüsker Dü, Pixies, Mark Eitzel, Arcade Fire, Johnny Cash, and many more - all in the same pot, and without being completely structureless, but let's just conclude by saying it presents natural challenges from a listener's perspective.

Common as Light and Love... is a strong album and one of Kozelek's better. There are flaws, peculiar passages and unconventional structures, but overall, it's mostly a joy where you may encounter funny detours, weird existences and slightly hidden beauty.

Recommended.

[ allmusic.com, Drowned in Sound, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Jesu & Sun Kil Moon "Jesu / Sun Kil Moon" (2016)

Jesu / Sun Kil Moon

release date: Jan. 21, 2016

format: digital (10 x File, MP3)

[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,06]

producer: Mark Kozelek & Justin Broadrick

label: Caldo Verde Records - nationality: USA / England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Good Morning My Love" - 3. "Last Night I Rocked the Room Like Elvis and Had Them Laughing Like Richard Pryor" - 4. "Father's Day" - 9. "Exodus" - 10. "Beautiful You"

Collaborative project between British musician Justin Broadrick under his stage name, Jesu, and American artist Mark Kozelek under his stage name, Sun Kil Moon. The album is like Kozelek's collaboration Perils From the Sea (2013) with electronic musician Jimmy LaValle released on Kozelek's label Caldo Verde. Jesu emerged in 2003 as a trio after the break-up (2002) of the British industrial and metal band, Godflesh, but from day one it was Broadrick's idea and from 2007 Jesu has been a one-man project. Similarly, Sun Kil Moon was originally a band formed from the remnants of the Red House Painters (disbanded in 2001), which after a few years became Mark Kozelek's solo project. Kozelek and Broadrick have already been close acquaintances for several years, beginning when Kozelek reportedly contacted Broadrick back in 2007 about releasing music with Jesu on Kozelek's label Caldo Verde, which lead to the release of the Opiate Sun (2009) ep, which is also the first release from Jesu as a solo project, and later also the full-length album Ascension (2011). Kozelek also named his 2013 covers album Like Rats after the Godflesh song of the same name (the track is featured as the second cut on the album).

Stylistically, it's quite an original mix of shoegaze, noise rock and alt. folk, which is in no way surprising when you consider Broadrick and Kozelek's musical career. These are mainly compositions with lyrics and music by Kozelek and Broadrick, and with individual guest appearances from various vocalists, which include Will Oldham (better known as Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, featured on "Fragile"), Rachel Ann Goswell of shoegaze band Slowdive ("Father's Day", "Exodus" and "Beautiful You"), and Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse ("Beautiful You").

Apart from a single track where he also plays acoustic guitar, Kozelek is solely credited as vocalist, while Broadrick is featured as multi-instrumentalist. And it is also the latter's characteristic wall of sound, which forms the background for the music on Jesu / Sun Kil Moon, while Kozelek, with his characteristic vocals in the foreground, creates a form of traditional musical structure and acts as a counterpoint to the electric discharges, even if he occasionally indulges inspired by the wall of noise and almost manically spits out the words. However, it is Kozelek's stories that carry the tracks forward, while Broadrick's soundscape in a way represents the noise that Kozelek talks about.

It's Kozelek's more self-experienced short stories that press forward. The form is diary-like notes, or fan letter readings like on track #3, about what he does, who he runs into, and what they said and did in momentary glimpses that fill out the lyrics. In this way, Kozelek demonstrates the path he is on as a songwriter in terms of the narrative. To the astonishment and irritation of some - and to the delight of others - because it is indisputable that Mark Kozelek is a storyteller with something on his mind, even when he tells about apparently insignificant incidents.

All in all, it's an exciting constellation, albeit also a demanding album that doesn't reach the same artistic heights as Kozelek's collaboration with Jimmy LaValle.

[ allmusic.com, Drowned in Sound 3,5 / 5, Uncut 4 / 5 stars ]

Sun Kil Moon "Universal Themes" (2016)

Universal Themes

release date: Jun. 2, 2015

format: 2 lp vinyl / digital

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,68]

producer: Mark Kozelek

label: Rough Trade / Caldo Verde - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "The Possum" - 2. "Birds of Flims" - 4. "Cry Me a River Williamsburg Sleeve Tattoo Blues" - 6. "Garden of Lavender" - 7. "Ali / Spinks 2" - 8. "This Is My First Day and I'm Indian and I Work at a Gas Station"

7th studio album from Mark Kozelek's solo project Sun Kil Moon following a little over one year after the critically acclaimed Benji (Feb. 2014). Musically, it is somewhat in the same vein as his other recent albums, although, there's a new bearing of compositions with a more informal tone. This approach consists of several passages of spoken word and compositions consisting of more complex arrangements, where parts of songs sound like single tracks that together form a whole. The album features a reunion with Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley, who also appeared on Benji, and who here is only other musician besides Kozelek on all tracks. There are quiet semi-classical tracks, compositions where Kozelek mostly dwells on pure narration, tracks with a more distinct folk feel, and more uptempo sequences that remind us of his former heydays with Red House Painters. And then there are abrupt shifts from distorted electric guitar to acoustic passages and vice-versa, as well as passages that mostly sound like studio improvs.

The album consists of 8 compositions of relatively long playing length with the shortest track ("Ali / Spinks 2") at 6:45 minutes, and the longest ("Garden of Lavender") running for more than 10 minutes, and a total playing length of 60 minutes. Kozelek seems long ago to have given up on the idea of ​​reaching a greater audience and he basically sounds like someone who only releases music for his own pleasure - which is a super nice premise, and in that way, Universal Themes is so unlike anything else. I like Kozelek's weird universe, his acoustic guitar sound, his melancholic and occasionally devilish expression where he sounds like a distant cousin of Black Francis.

Universal Themes is not an album with ear hooks but with distinctive songs about colourful people from Kozelek's life. It's narrations of meetings with family members and short and long stories about daily life - life and death. There are also the usual references to the sport of boxing, specific boxers (Ali / Spinks) and it all needs to be taken in at full length and preferably just attentively listened to.

Recommended.

The front cover image, as on the latest album, is a photo by Mark Kozelek.

[ allmusic.com, Mojo, Q Magazine, Spin, NME 4 / 5 stars ]

Sun Kil Moon "Benji" (2014)

Benji
release date: Feb. 11, 2014
format: 2 cd (LTD. 2-disc Edition)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,84]
producer: Mark Kozelek
label: Caldo Verde Records - nationality: USA

6th studio album by Sun Kil Moon following nearly two years after Among the Leaves (May 2012) but only six months after the fine collaboration album Mark Kozelek & Desertshore (Aug. 2013). Despite being credited Sun Kil Moon, Benji is basically just another solo project by Kozelek, who changes from releasing new material either in his own name or via the moniker Sun Kil Moon adopted from what was initially the continuing of Red House Painters. The album is also released in a Limited Edition with a bonus disc containing five live recordings taken from five different concerts in 2013: in Aveiro, Portugal at Teatro Aveirense, in Göteborg, Sweden at Stenhammarsalen, in Copenhagen, Denmark at Jazzhouse, in London, England at SBE, and in Leamington Spa, England at The Assembly.

The music here is predominantly acoustic alt. folk, alt-country, and singer / songwriter compositions featuring Kozelek on vocal and on acoustic guitar. It's gentle music and fine stories about everyday life and often about meetings with friends, lovers or family - stories of his past and present - all delivered as if the told story is of highest importance.

The album was lauded by many critics as one of his major works, and it ended up on many lists presenting the best releases of the year.

It's definitely good - almost as usual - it may not offer much new, but it presents Kozelek at his best, when he he's left with his acoustic guitar and is given room to present any given story. Presenting the expected is not the same as being of lesser value, which this serves to document.

Recommended.

The front cover is a photograph by Mark Kozelek.

[ 👎allmusic.com 3 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5, 👍NME, Spin, PopMatters 4 / 5, Uncut 4,5 / 5 stars ]

Mark Kozelek & Desertshore "Mark Kozelek & Desertshore" (2013)

Mark Kozelek & Desertshore
release date: Aug. 20, 2013
format: digital (10 x File, FLAC)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,88]
producer: Desertshore, Mark Kozelek
label: Caldo Verde Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Mariette" - 2. "Livingstone Bramble" - 4. "Katowice or Cologne" - 5. "Seal Rock Hotel" - 6. "Tavoris Cloud" - 7. "You Are Not of My Blood" - 8. "Sometimes I Can't Stop" - 9. "Don't Ask About My Husband"

Collaboration album by Mark Kozelek and instrumental duo Desertshore consisting of guitarist Phil Carney (also of Sun Kil Moon and former guitarist of Red House Painters) and pianist Chris Connolly. Here the three are assisted by drummer Mike Stevens, who also played drums on Among the Leaves (2012) by Sun Kil Moon. Kozelek previously produced Desertshore's debut album Drifting Your Majesty (2010) and the follower Drawing of Threes (2011) on which he also contributes with lyrics and vocals on six songs, but this is their first official collaboration release. The album release follows another collaboration release Perils From the Sea, (Apr. 2013) by Kozelek and Jimmy LaValle, which again follows Kozelek's solo covers album Like Rats (Feb. 2013).

Musically, it doesn't fall far from Kozelek's regular repertoire. It's primarily alt. folk, indie folk with hints of americana, but the music here is composed by Desertshore and Kozelek "only" contributes with lyrics, vocals, bass and additional guitar... It is however, a more uplifting musical journey by these three friends. On solo albums, Kozelek sometimes indulges himself in extremely scarce arrangements but here there's a fine ever-present accompanying melody running along and even electric guitar, which to my regret seems almost abandoned by Kozelek. In my mind this is one of Kozelek's finest albums in years and it bonds nicely with albums by Red House Painters and the first albums by Sun Kil Moon.

It's a fine and most welcome addition to the expansive Kozelek collection.

[ 👍allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

Mark Kozelek & Jimmy LaValle "Perils From the Sea" (2013)

Perils From the Sea
release date: Apr. 20, 2013
format: digital (11 x File, MP3)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]
producer: Jimmy LaValle & Mark Kozelek
label: Caldo Verde Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "What Happened to My Brother" - 3. "Gustavo" - 4. "Baby in Death Can I Rest Next to Your Grave" - 5. "Ceiling Gazing" - 6. "You Missed My Heart" - 9. "By the Time That I Awoke"

Collaboration project by Mark Kozelek and electronic multi-instrumentalist Jimmy LaValle (aka The Album Leaf) with music exclusively by LaValle and lyrics and vocals by Kozelek. It's quite lengthy with its eleven compositions running for nearly 78 mins. The album follows only two months after Kozelek's solo covers album Like Rats.

Stylistically, it's probably the album with Mark Kozelek that has come the farthest away from any of his other releases - be it with Red House Painters, as Sun Kil Moon or as soloist always in the neighbourhood of alt. folk and indie rock. This is electronic but with a clear alt. indie feel or a dimension of singer / songwriter to it. Kozelek's vocal is certainly not the most varied nor the sonic representation with the widest register. In fact, that's perhaps exactly what LaVille likes about Kozelek's expressive vocal: a narrow outcome - like the register of a specific instrument - controllable tones, on which you can add layers of instruments. It's not strongly electronic but LaValle builds soft synthpop layers of spacious melody to a narrating Kozelek, and the result is by no means a generic album. It's a nice and subtle collection of uplifting gentleness.

[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

Mark Kozelek "Like Rats" (2013)

Like Rats
release date: Feb. 19, 2013
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,02]
producer: Mark Kozelek
label: Caldo Verde Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 4. "Young Girls" - 7. "Silly Girl" - 9. "Carpet Crawlers"

A cover songs studio album by Mark Kozelek featuring Kozelek's very personal versions released on Caldo Verde. The original songs represent a huge mix of styles and genres as well as covering multiple decades. In Kozelek's acoustic singer / songwriter versions they all become alt. folk-styled with Kozelek on acoustic guitar and vocal. "Young Girls" is a song performed by Bruno Mars, "Silly Girl" is a song performed by The Descendents, and "Carpet Crawlers" is by Genesis.

Kozelek is an artist who doesn't forget to praise the music and artists he admires. On Songs for a Blue Guitar (Jul. 1996) by Red House Painters, he included three covers, on his ep-debut Rock 'n' Roll Singer

(Jun. 2000) he included four covers, and his full-length debut album What's Next to the Moon (Feb. 2001) is entirely made up of covers originally by the Australian hard rock band AC/DC, and the second album released under the name of Sun Kil Moon Tiny Cities (Nov. 2005) is entirely made up of songs by indie rock band Modest Mouse. Likewise, his live-concerts never seem to miss covers, and he simply enjoy doing covers from all styles and genres, and by doing so, heavily alters the original arrangements.

I have tried, and mostly I really enjoy albums by Mark Kozelek, but I just don't get this very complex album.

Sun Kil Moon "Among the Leaves" (2012)

Among the Leaves
release date: May 29, 2012
format: 2 cd (LTD.)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,46]
producer: Mark Kozelek
label: Caldo Verde Records  - nationality: USA

Tracklist: 1. "I Know It's Pathetic But That Was the Greatest Night of My Life" (3,5 / 5) - 2. "Sunshine in Chicago" - 3. "The Moderately Talented Yet Attractive Young Woman vs. The Exceptionally Talented Yet Not So Attractive Middle Aged Man" - 4. "That Bird Has a Broken Wing" - 5. "Elaine" - 6. "The Winery" - 7. "Young Love" - 8. "Song for Richard Collopy" - 9. "Among the Leaves" (4 / 5) - 10. "Red Poison" - 11. "Track Number 8" - 12. "Not Much Rhymes With Everything's Awesome at All Times" - 13. "King Fish" - 14. "Lonely Mountain" - 15. "UK Blues" - 16. "UK Blues 2" - 17. "Black Kite"

5th studio album by Sun Kil Moon released on Caldo Verde. The album is much like the previous album by being primarily acoustic Spanish guitar-driven with Kozelek playing and singing, thus continuing the band as his solo project, at least for studio and album releases as Sun Kil Moon still exists as a live band with Jerry Vessel, Phil Carney and Anthony Koutsos. All tracks are written and composed by Kozelek, who seems satisfied by accompanying himself while strumming his guitar. I just long for his more orchestrated compositions like the title track, alas, it stands much alone.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5 stars ]

Sun Kil Moon "Admiral Fell Promises" (2010)

Admiral Fell Promises
release date: Jul. 13, 2010
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,66]
producer: Mark Kozelek
label: Caldo Verde Records - nationality: USA

Tracklist: 1. "Ålesund" (4,5 / 5) - 2. "Half Moon Bay" - 3. "Sam Wong Hotel" - 4. "Third and Seneca" - 5. "You Are My Sun" - 6. "Admiral Fell Promises" (4 / 5) (live) - 7. "The Leaning Tree" - 8. "Australian Winter" - 9. "Church of the Pines" - 10. "Bay of Skulls"

4th studio album by Sun Kil Moon following two years after April (Apr. 2008) is like that produced by Kozelek and released on his own label, Caldo Verde. His follow-up is the Mark Kozelek live album Lost Verses - Live (May 2009) consisting of material written for Red House Painters, Sun Kil Moon, as well as songs released under his own name.

On Admiral Fell Promises, the music is acoustic guitar-driven compositions and they are according to Kozelek inspired by the great Spanish classical guitarist Andrés Segovia. Despite being released under the name of Sun Kil Moon, the album consists of tracks written and composed entirely by Kozelek and they all basically only feature his vocal accompanied by his acoustic nylon Spanish guitar. The title track is one of Kozelek's finest compositions.

Sun Kil Moon had basically been the continuation of Red House Painters, however, songwriter Kozelek made nearly all of the band's studio releases on his own and the band only existed as a live constellation and even at this point it seems that Kozelek did whatever he felt like regardless any of the former members. Former guitarist Phil Carney founded the duo Desertshore with pianist Chris Connolly. Drummer Anthony Koutsos had turned to real estate business and occasionally supported Kozelek on live tours when playing under as Kozelek or as Sun Kil Moon. Bassist Jerry Vessel soon founded Heirlooms of August with Frances Everett, and other bassist Geoff Stanfield began work as studio musician and producer.

[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

Show lyrics <- click...

~ ~ ~

"Admiral Fell Promises"

"Come out from the burning fire, butterfly
Let me lock you in my room and keep you for a while
Could you be the answer to my every prayer?
Could you be the one now for who I care?

Come into my arms and let your worries die
Come out from the web of all your tangled lies
But be true to me and I’ll be true to you
Judge me not for what I’ve done but what I’ll do

A million nights have led
to this one that we are spending
And I know it’s better here
than anywhere I’ve been going
Where every morning grew
a void more wide and endless"

Come out from the burning fire butterfly
Let me lock you in my room and keep you for a while
You watch over me and I'll watch over you
And if you go tomorrow, choke me till I'm blue

A thousand days have passed
In this house, she and I were sharing
And I hate myself for it
But I have stopped caring
The Marilyn sky tonight
Is so black and blue and beautiful"

~ ~ ~

Mark Kozelek "Lost Verses - Live" (2009) (live)

Lost Verses - Live (live)

release date: May 12, 2009

format: digital (14 x File, MP3)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,84]

producer: Mark Kozelek

label: Caldo Verde Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Unlit Hallway" - 2. "Carry Me Ohio" - 3. "Four Fingered Fisherman" - 5. "Salvador Sanchez" - 8. "Tiny Cities" - 9. "Lucky Man" - 10. "Send in the Clowns" - 12. "Tonight in Bilbao" - 14. "Katy Song"

Live album by Mark Kozelek released between two Sun Kil Moon studio albums: April (Apr. 2008) and Admiral Fell Promises (Jul. 2010). Most recently, however, Kozelek also released the live EP 7 Songs Belfast (Jul. 2008), and, on a whole, Kozelek's discography doesn't appear to lack live releases. From 2001 to 2014, he has released no less than (approx.) 16 solo live albums.

Lost Verses - Live consists of 14 tracks with a total running time of 74 minutes with songs recorded from seven concerts between 2007 and 2008. More precisely, it's mostly two concerts from Kozelek's European tour recorded Nov. 2007 - the first in Gothenburg, Sweden, and the second is from Lisbon, Portugal. The remaining five live recordings are from concerts across the USA between Apr. and Nov. 2008. As usual, Kozelek has included some cover songs - here limited to two by Modest Mouse (tracks #3 and #8) and the classic "Send in the Clowns" by Stephen Sondheim. Kozelek's own compositions are mainly tracks released under the name of Sun Kil Moon, either made with the band or for later albums under the same name but while performing as a solo artist, but there has also been room for songs from his time with the band Red House Painters, as there are tracks released under his own name.

All recordings mostly sounds like renderings of Kozelek's solo performances, and maybe that's the whole point, although Red House Painters' guitarist Phil Carney is credited as guitarist, and the recordings also come from tours where Carney supported Kozelek in Europe as well as in the States, and he doesn't appear on all fourteen tracks.

With this, Kozelek documents his abilities as songwriter, as vocalist, as guitarist, and not least as a skilled storyteller. Due to the sparse instrumentation, it's in a quiet and perhaps somewhat introverted domain, but the compositions and the performances are definitely not flawed.

Lost Verses - Live is a super fine and highly recommended album from a most gifted songwriter.

[ PopMatters, Sputnikmusic 4 / 5, Pitchfork 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Mark Kozelek "7 Songs Belfast" (2008), live

7 Songs Belfast (live)

release date: Jun. 10, 2008

format: digital (7 x File, MP3 - 2012 reissue)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]

producer: non-produced

label: Caldo Verde Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Michigan" - 2. "Around and Around" - 4. "Gentle Moon" - 5. "Carry Me Ohio" - 7. "Tonight in Bilbao"

Live EP by Mark Kozelek count six takes from The Black Box, Belfast, Nov. 4, 2007, and the final seventh track recorded from The Dancehouse Theater in Manchester, Oct. 30, 2007. The EP was originally issued as a limited free CD for customers on the record company's website and sold for Kozelek's Autumn tour 2008. In 2012 the EP was issued as a digital album.

The seven compositions here are acoustic versions with either Kozelek solo or supported by guitarist Phil Carney on six of Kozelek's own songs and "Around and Around" by John Denver.

The EP's two best tracks originally stem from the Sun Kil Moon debut Ghosts of the Great Highway (Nov. 2003), and of these two, track #5 is found in a better version on the live-album Lost Verses - Live (May 2009).

Excellent live release, which is however overshadowed by the 2009 album.

Sun Kil Moon "April" (2008)

April
release date: Apr. 1, 2008
format: 2 cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,88]
producer: Mark Kozelek
label: Caldo Verde Records - nationality: USA

Tracklist: 1. "Lost Verses" - 2. "The Light" (4 / 5) - 3. "Lucky Man" - 4. "Unlit Hallway" - 5. "Heron Blue" - 6. "Moorestown" - 7. "Harper Road" - 8. "Tonight the Sky" - 9. "Like the River" - 10. "Tonight in Bilbao" - 11. "Blue Orchids" (4 / 5)

3rd studio album by Sun Kil Moon following the covers album Tiny Cities (Nov. 2005) is a 2-disc and 2 lp standard release issued on Caldo Verde. The CD issue contains a bonus disc containing four alternate versions (not included on the vinyl issue) of tracks #10, #2, #9 and #8 on the standard album.

Again, the style is intact and there's only small changes from Kozelek's "normal" alt. folk style. The compositions here are just a bit more orchestrated than was heard on its predecessor Tiny Cities and a few tracks are more folk rock-oriented, which suits their harmonies so fine, and they also point more directly back to the fine indie rock debut Ghosts of the Great Highway (2003). All tracks here are credited Kozelek and that's really when he shines the most. And therefore, this album also makes it to be the so far second best by this interesting artist, in my opinion.

[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Slant 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 3 / 5 stars ]

Sun Kil Moon "Tiny Cities" (2005)

Tiny Cities
release date: Nov. 4, 2005
format: cd (CV001)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,84]
producer: Mark Kozelek
label: Caldo Verde Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Exit Does Not Exist" - 2. "Tiny Cities Made of Ashes" - 3. "Neverending Math Equation" - 4. "Space Travel Is Boring" - 6. "Jesus Christ Was an Only Child" - 8. "Grey Ice Water" - 9. "Convenient Parking" - 10. "Trucker's Atlas" - 11. "Ocean Breathes Salty"

2nd studio album by Sun Kil Moon is the band's first to be released on the newly-founded record label, Caldo Verde founded by Mark Kozelek - and the release is issued with the identification number CV001. The music is closely related to the debut Ghost of the Great Highway (2003) BUT this is like most of lead vocalist Mark Kozelek's other albums - either as pure solo artist or with Red House Painters - mostly alt. folk and singer / songwriter material without the characteristics of folk rock with electrified guitars, thus being more acoustic-founded and by some referred to as an example of 'slow core'. Also, on this Kozelek has taken up his "tradition" of re-arranging other artists' compositions into his own alt-folk and singer / songwriter-styled songs. All songs here are originally composed and performed by American indie rock band, Modest Mouse. The title is a derivation from track #2 taken from the album The Moon & Antarctica (2000).

Now, this is far from bad, and it really contains some fine ballads and arrangements and it's a bit of a task to pin out the best tracks here 'cause it all sounds like one whole. It's amazing how Kozelek is capable of making these songs sound so much like his own. It does bear much in common with other releases by "Kozelek and Co", however, all other and successive albums under the name of Sun Kil Moon are reserved to material written by Kozelek, and in that sense this is an exception.

Recommended.

[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, 👎Rolling Stone 2,5 / 5 stars ]

Best of 2003:Sun Kil Moon "Ghosts of the Great Highway" (2003)

2018 reissue

Ghosts of the Great Highway [debut]
release date: Nov. 4, 2003
format: 2 lp vinyl (2018 reissue - gatefold) / 2 cd (2007 reissue)
[album rate: 4,5 / 5] [4,65]
producer: Mark Kozelek
label: Rough Trade / Caldo Verde - nationality: USA

Tracklist: 1. "Glenn Tipton" (4 / 5) - 2. "Carry Me Ohio" (5 / 5) (acoustic live) - 3. "Salvador Sanchez" (5 / 5) (live) - 4. "Last Tide" (4 / 5) - 5. "Floating" (4 / 5) - 6. "Gentle Moon" (5 / 5) (live) - 7. "Lily and Parrots" (4 / 5) - 8. "Duk Koo Kim" (5 / 5) (live) - 9. "Sí, Paloma" (4 / 5) - 10. "Pancho Villa" (4 / 5) - *11. "Gentle Moon" (acoustic)

*Bonus track on 2018 vinyl issue - The 2007 2 cd issue contains 6 bonus tracks.

Studio album debut by Sun Kil Moon originally released on Jetset Records (reissued in 2007 as a double cd containing 6 bonus tracks issued on Kozelek's own label Caldo Verde Records and reissued in 2018 by Caldo Verde in the US and by Rough Trade in the UK). The album follows 2½ years after the Kozelek-led band Red House Painters' final album Old Ramon (Apr. 2001).

This is gentle, voluminous music only requiring ears that will find... joy. "Mark Kozelek & Co." you could call it, since Kozelek was founder, singer, composer, guitarist and bandleader of Red House Painters before Sun Kil Moon, and his solo albums are hard to distinguish from both bands' releases. Despite the fact that Kozelek wrote both music and lyrics, this album stands out, however, being the most electrified indie folk rock of "his" albums so far. Apart from Kozelek the band consists of two bassists, Jerry Vessel (former bassist of Red House Painters) and Geoff Stanfield, as well as two drummers, Anthony Koutsos (former drummer of Red House Painters) and Tim Mooney. Guitarist Phil Carney of Red House Painters is not credited on the album but he would join Sun Kil Moon on a later point, although only for live performances.

Mark must have a certain fascination for boxing, it appears. The band name Sun Kil Moon is a direct reference to the Korean boxer, Sung-Kil Moon, and three of the tracks on this album are named after boxers who faced untimely deaths - the "ghosts of the great highway", presumably. Salvador Sanchez was a Mexican boxer who died in a car crash in 1982; "Duk Koo Kim" [an absolutely amazing track lasting 14:30 min.] is the moniker [real name is Kim Deuk-Gu] of the Korean boxer who died after a knock-out in a title match against Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini that put him in a coma in 1982 - a sad story of tragic deaths, which had serious effects on both Mancini and Kim's mother; and Pancho Villa [aka Francisco Guilledo] died after a tooth extraction in 1925. The two tracks "Salvador Sanchez" and "Pancho Villa" have the exact same lyrics and song structure but the first is with electric guitar and the latter is only with acoustic guitar. Although, most music by 'Kozelek & Co.' normally is quiet folk-oriented music, he is influenced or inspired by heavy metal and hard rock. The track "Glen Tipton" is simply named after the guitarist of the British heavy metal band, Judas Priest, and his earlier solo debut album What's Next to the Moon (Feb. 2001) only features Kozelek's musical adaptations of AC/DC songs (insofar, he has only kept the lyrics but completely altered the music).

Musically, this is indie rock and folk rock with a fine balance of swirling electric guitar-arrangements as well as subtle and gentle parts with strings and acoustic instrumentation. Sometimes it's raw energy that may be influenced by Neil Young with Crazy Horse without plagiarism, other times it's more in the domain of Simon & Garfunkel or Nick Drake, sometimes to Spanish composer Andrés Segovia; but most of all, it's without confining bonds to others with a highly original style embracing it all.

I really enjoy his more quiet acoustic guitar folk-based releases but they do have a tendency to sound a bit much alike - this one, however, is simply out of this world altogether fantabulous.

Imho, this is no less than the best album of a decade and naturally a highly recommend listen.

[ allmusic.com, Pitchfork, Uncut 4 / 5, 👎Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5, 👉Sputnikmusic 5 / 5 stars ]

2003 Favourite releases: 1. Sun Kil Moon Ghosts of the Great Highway - 2. Bo Kaspers Orkester Vilka tror vi att vi är - 3. Rufus Wainwright Want One