Sun Kil Moon - April
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Free Music Notes for April
Free Music Review: another gem
Hit: 5 Stars
Sun Kil Moon fans should not really expect anything startlingly different on this record from his previous entries. It has the same delicate intricacies of Ghosts of the Great Highway, and many of the same timbres of Kozelek's solo cover records. Plus, a number of these tracks he's already played live and are available on the live double-disc Little Drummer Boy. (These songs, such as Unlit Hallway, have been expanded with harmonies and arrangements here.) There are some interesting new rhythmic pulses and timbral tweaks -- this record is a bit mellower than Ghosts, even though you probably thought that was not possible, and there's a greater use of banjo to give it an even more haunting sound. Thematically it is a bit different, focusing more on relationship songs and less on lonesome roads and long-forgotten boxers of the early 20th century.
But overall, this is the perfect follow-up record, and high time. Kozelek, in his solo career, has hit upon a blissfully melancholic sound. These songs are long, meandering, gorgeous. Get this disc.
Free Music Review: Exactly what fans have been waiting for
Hit: 4 Stars
The album opens with "Long Verses," a rich 9:43 epic that shows you exactly what to expect from the album. April is fine piece of Americana songwriting and the fans of Sun Kil Moon who have waited a long time for new material won't be disappointed. Kozelek's voice is a soulful as ever and his songs seem somehow bigger, more expansive in their sound. While the entire album is solid and works together to create a somber ambiance, April lacks immediate accessibility. I'm not denying its beauty on a first listen, but for me there are not gems like "Glenn Tipton" or "Carry Me Ohio." Nevertheless, it's an album that grows on you, perfect for lonely listening in a dim room or cruising across an open country road. Sun Kil Moon epitomizes the americana genre and April upholds this standard.
I highly recommend April to fans of Sun Kil Moon. If you're not familiar with the band or their album, "Ghosts of the Great Highway," then I would recommend starting there first. It's not easy to come by but is well worth the effort.
Free Music Review: This is what talent sounds like
Hit: 5 Stars
I agree with the first two reviewers on the major points. I would just add that while this is not groundbreaking material for Kozelek, I think it is his best. Further, there just are not very many artists around who can pull off an album like this.
If you want to hear one beautiful song, go ahead and download "Verses" or "Moorestown". If you are interested in a very listenable album that is artistic brilliance at the same time, this is it.
Free Music Review: Beautiful, as usual
Hit: 5 Stars
I'm not going to do a song-by-song annotation of the CD, but instead I'll just say that if you like what Kozelek does, you will really like this CD. I lucked across a used copy of "White Christmas" at Half Price Books last month, and I listened to that obsessively until I received my copy of "April" in the mail, which is just as good. Yes, as the first reviewer asserted, there's not any new ground here. But I don't think that's what's important to Kozelek. I sense that he's more about expressing emotion through song, and he does that exceptionally well. If you can get your hands on the double-CD version of this (I preordered it from Caldo Verde), it's worth it, since there are a couple of alternate versions that I think outshine the originals. In my estimation, "April" is right up there with "Ghosts" and "Songs for a Blue Guitar" as the pinnacle of Kozelek's craft. I highly recommend it. If you aren't sure about buying the entire CD, buy "Lost Verses" from ITunes for .99 and have a listen. It's brilliant. Free Music Review: Lucky Man
Hit: 4 Stars
First listen to "Lost Verses," the sweeping, majestic 10-minute opening track to Mark Kozelek's new album "April" made me think, 'This is the perfect distillation of everything amazing and good he has done as an artist in his career.' All the hallmarks are there, the beautifuly played, hypnotic and well-recorded guitar parts, the voice flat-yet-full and mournful, the lyrics that remind you of your own missing friends and lost memories... It's gorgeous. And yet, rather than what we would call "growth" and expansion, Kozelek continues to drill down deeper into his obsessions. That means if, like me, you have been following him since the dawn of the Red House Painters, you know what this sounds like. The grades are noted in levels of gorgeousness, not newness. For a neophyte fan, this is a perfect introduction into everything that makes Kozelek so distinctive and moving. But I found myself drifting at times during the middle cuts. One song is a chord-for-chord take, with new lyrics and melody, of "Rock N Roll Singer," already a reimagining of an old AC/DC song. The guitars and drums have the exact same fuzz and sound to them. It feels like a complete lift, and for the fans -- almost as obsessive as Kozelek is -- it should not be enough. It's irksome.
I made sure I didn't play "April" for the first time until very late at night/early in the morning because when everyone else has gone to bed or out of the house, that's when Kozelek's flower blooms -- in the hard hours. It certainly worked its way into me at its best points, and there are many. It is more of the very good same, but same nonetheless. How that is judged will be deeply personal. Again, for newcomers, by all means, this is a great introduction to Kozelek. Longtime fans, of course, will want to stay close by as the artist performing as Sun Kil Moon continues to build his monument to loss.