Sun Kill Moon :: April
In addition to REM’s Accelerate, last week also marked the release of Sun Kil Moon’s third full length album, April. Other than its release date, this album shares absolutely nothing in common with the album that debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 (and topped the charts throughout Europe). While Accelerate is a loud, in-your-face, brash affair, April is a contemplative mood piece. Accelerate clocks in at less than 35 minutes, while April paces itself for a staggering 74+ minutes. In other words, it’s business as usual for Mark Kozelek, the man who has been releasing some of the most consistent and beautifully sad music since 1992, initially with his first band the Red House Painters, briefly under his own name and now with Sun Kil Moon. (Band names are largely inconsequential when discussing Kozelek’s music, as these albums could just as easily be considered solo affairs.)
April follows up 2005’s Tiny Cities, Kozelek’s album comprised entirely of Modest Mouse covers. Kozelek has always had a knack for unlikely cover choices (AC/DC, the Cars, Yes, the Star Spangled Banner), but he’s never failed to make a song sound uniquely his own. That said, April is a return to entirely original compositions and in that sense is the natural successor to the first album under the Sun Kil Moon moniker, 2003’s uniformly excellent Ghosts of the Great Highway.
April is a fairly demanding listen. It’s not challenging or confrontational, but rather is the kind of album that requires a kind of immersion. Kozelek often writes the kind of song that can ease along a level plane for upwards of 7 or 8 minutes. If you don’t pay attention, you might just miss it. It’s a style that certainly reveals the massive influence of Neil Young. Like Neil, Kozelek is as at home plugging in and leading an epic Crazy Horse-like plod as he is quietly fingerpicking an acoustic (adequately displayed in the selections below). One might go as far as to say that an appreciation for Shakey might just be a required prerequisite for Sun Kil Moon.
April might not be the equal to Ghosts of the Great Highway, the album that would certainly serve as the best introduction to Kozelek’s rich discography, but it’s steeped in much of the same unshakable sepia-toned beauty. It’s a grower for certain.
Sun Kil Moon, April (Caldo Verde, 2008, Purchase Here)
The Light
Harper Road