Sun Kil Moon April
Caldo Verde
Massillon native Mark Kozelek has been making his bread in San Francisco for over fifteen years, delivering a consistent output of intimate, slow-mo folk-rock. As front man for the popular ‘90s mopesters Red House Painters, he scored a minor hit with an unrecognizable cover of the Cars’ “All Mixed Up,” and three years ago, the second Sun Kil Moon album featured similarly re-imagined—and even mellower—versions of eleven Modest Mouse songs.
April finds Kozelek delivering his first batch of original tunes since Sun Kil Moon’s superb 2003 debut, Ghosts of the Great Highway. And though there’s not particularly anything new or exciting going on here, it’s far from disappointing. Kozelek fans know what they’re getting into— simple acoustic arpeggios, atmospheric strings, and the occasional Neil Young style electric solo. It’s beautiful, nostalgic, rainy day music, with Kozelek’s voice still among the most honest and affecting in the business. Add in dream-team guest harmonies from fellow melancholy master Will Oldham, and ghostly tracks like “Unit Hallway” and “Heron Blue” really take off— relatively speaking.
(Andrew Clayman)
Published in The Cleveland Scene, April 2008
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