Sun Kil Moon - Tiny Cities
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Free Music Notes for Tiny Cities
Free Music Review: Mark Kozelek is a great songwriter
Hit: 5 Stars
and you really feel his music too. It sounds cheesy but its true. His approach is so earnest. Every album is great so I will go ahead and recommend all of them.Free Music Review: a bit disappointing
Hit: 3 Stars
for the most part, sun kil moon & red house painters = mark kozelek. he writes, produces and plays practically everything. koutsos and stanfield make appearances, but in my mind their additions to the music are pretty negligible.
kozelek has always done an excellent job covering songs throughout his career, from the cars to ace frehley [of kiss fame] to ac/dc. in general, his covers are interesting because he for the most part tosses the melody and invents his own, keeping only the lyrics. in this way, he makes the song his own--it conforms to kozelek's own style and idiosyncracies.
the best comparison here is 'what's next to the moon', his ac/dc covers earlier in the decade. but whereas that cd covered relatively unknown [at least to most 'alternative music' fans, whatever that means] tunes with radically changed melodies, this one falls short. few of the tunes get a radical reworking and practically all of them are well-known to even casual modest mouse fans.
there are some exceptions, especially 'exit does not exist' and the last track, but these tunes are not even the best isaac brock tunes lyrically. where is 'baby blue sedan', 'bankrupt on selling', 'wild pack of family dogs'? if you are going to toss the music and keep the lyrics, at least pick better tunes
Free Music Review: Perhaps a different view...
Hit: 5 Stars
I have read the reviews for this album on Amazon.com, and I must say that I am somewhat underwhelmed by what most people have written. Underwhelmed, but not surprised.
Both Sun kil Moon and Modest Mouse are amazing, so much so that they both reside in my top 10 favorite bands. Because both of these bands are so great in their own way, they have a way of creating hardcore fans who may close their minds to something different. And that is the problem. Sun Kil Moon and Modest Mouse can almost be considered to be polar opposites. People from both camps may be somewhat turned off because of the involvement of the other. To me, that is the real genius of 'Tiny Cities'.
Being familiar with both bands before I heard this album, I knew the beauty and power that these bands can infuse in songs. I loved both of these bands, but never imagined Sun Kil Moon covering Modest Mouse songs. So, when I heard that this album existed, I bought it immediately and with much enthusiasm, without even listening to the samples. And, as a fan of both of these bands, I would like to say that I love it!
Currently, I have a playlist open in media player, playing the Modest Mouse song, then the Sun Kil Moon cover, (I had already owned all the Modest Mouse albums that had all the original songs) and I could not be happier. The real genius behind 'Tiny Cities' is that it manages to transform songs that would seem impossible to interpret because of their level of musical challenge. What is even more impressive is that the heart from the original songs is somehow kept intact, and expressed through someone else's voice and musicality.
Okay, I will admit that when it comes to music, my tastes are extremely eclectic. Also, I have a very soft spot for cover albums, because I love to hear other people's interpretations of things that I already like. Also, given that this is essentially a Sun Kil Moon album, it may seem a little dense for exclusive fans of Modest Mouse. But I believe that fans on both sides can use this as an opportunity to broaden their horizons a little. 'Tiny Cities' is a great album, and is a labor of love and admiration. I like to look at it that way as well.
I recommend this fully to all who love music.
Free Music Review: this project has no business working as well as it does but...
Hit: 5 Stars
... it does. For those who like Sun Kil Moon, the flavor of this record is very reminiscent of Ghost of the Great Highway, a very delicate, lonesome-road kind of sound. How Modest Mouse's brash, disjointed edginess got melded to this style I have no idea, but it works, way, way better than you'd expect. This stuff goes right up with the Ghosts material for soul-searing beauty. I think Kozelek fans will like the outcome more than Modest Mouse fans will, but any way you slice it this is a terrific record.Free Music Review: The best so far from Kozelek!
Hit: 5 Stars
Not being a huge fan of the Red House Painters with the exception of the superb "roller coaster" album, I have come to admire their music more from the solo work recorded years later by Mark Kozelek. All of Kozelek's albums including the wonderful first Sun Kil Moon CD (which is also highly recommended) are uniquely filled with longing and melancholy in different ways. This effort by Sun Kil Moon is in my opinion their triumph. At first I was skeptical about picking up a CD of covers, but I am glad that I did. I consider the track "Trucker's Atlas" to be a flawless song of unparalleled musicianship. Most of the other tracks are equally as brilliant. Kozelek's work makes anyone that was born in the mid to late 1960's recall childhood and growing up. This album again has that melancholy that catapults you into the past. A fine effort and his best so far!