Sun Kil Moon – April [4AD]

Altering back and forth from the Red House Painters to Sun Kil Moon to Mark Kozelek and back again to Sun Kil Moon, one thing that always remains steady is Kozelek’s soft croon and slow but vivid story telling. The tragedies that once plagued Kozelek’s past haven’t disappeared in April’s lyrics; instead they have settled and matured. As giftedly melancholy as the Red House Painters were, at times the depressive overload came off as pathetic, self absorbed and whiny. With April this fragility has been fully dropped and replaced with a wisdom that only the greatest songwriters reach. The songs of April may not be received as being as classic as those from the Red House Painters, but the way they luster is nothing short of eternal. It’s surprising how little Mark Kozelek has changed, but it has allowed him time to explore the trenches of his own songwriting and though it’s hard to track any sort of evolution it’s noticeable in a subdued form. In a way, Kozelek’s consistence, and restrained development parallels that of Leonard Cohen, a songwriter that like Kozelek shouldn’t be regarded as petty or trapped.

Bardos Freedoom