Among the Leaves
Sun Kil Moon
Caldo Verde Records.
SCQ Rating: 91%
As faultless as
2010’s Admiral Fell Promises was technically, it was that same adherence to method
and minimalism that occasionally parched the recordings. One might argue
self-exiled songwriter Mark Kozelek had a hunch in this regard, given that in a
catalog of seventy-some-minute marathons, he chose to wrap up that 2010 effort within an
hour. As a penultimate growers-album sitting atop a life’s work of growers,
Admiral Fell Promises confirmed that Mark Kozelek doesn’t have a lot of readily
comparable contemporaries: his scope is massive but understated, his
songwriting is intensely personal and, most importantly, he gets away with it.
Sun Kil Moon’s
latest addition, Among the Leaves, veers unexpectedly on impulses; its
seventeen tracks, much like chapters ripped directly from Kozelek’s tour-diary,
dive into matters close to the singer’s heart without the former record’s
relaxed, classical-guitar flourishes. This relatively direct approach allows
Kozelek to detail a myriad of lyrical topics in quick succession, and make no
mistake: the man has a lot to discuss. Among the road-weary muses, there’s
romance (“I Know It’s Pathetic But That Was the Greatest Night Of My Life”), disdain
(“Sunshine In Chicago”), and full-on fatigue (“UK Blues”, “UK Blues 2”) – all
of them delivered with Kozelek’s studious ear for melancholy and dry humor. He
even pens a tribute to his favourite guitar-mender on the mystery-tinged
“Song For Richard Collopy”.
With his temperament
placed closer to the front of the mix – making the lyrics more clearly
discernable – Kozelek risks alienating casual listeners over nearly eighty
minutes of storytelling; a track spent complaining about the chores of
songwriting (“Track Number 8”) should, in particular, draw ire. Yet longtime
fans of Sun Kil Moon will instantly gravitate to Among the Leaves’ various
snapshots and emotions. The potent immediacy employed by shorter compositions creates
a surprisingly digestible whole, with folk songs “Not Much Rhymes With
Everything’s Awesome At All Times” and “Red Poison” bridging lengthier new
classics such as “Lonely Mountain” and “Young Love”. Like a rough-hewn tapestry
spanning two or so years in a working-artist’s life, Among the Leaves occupies
a messily satisfying place in Sun Kil Moon’s formidable career.
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