Unless you’re like me and have been anticipating Sun Kil Moon’s new record April, due out April 1st on Caldo Verde, since January, now would be the appropriate time to get pumped. In case you’re not familiar, Sun Kil Moon is a folk group fronted by Mark Kozelek of Red House Painters fame and April will be Sun Kil Moon’s first original music since the 2003 release of their debut LP Ghosts Of The Great Highway. Ghosts Of The Great Highway bore some similarities to the Red House Painters; Kozelek’s signature croon over introspective and intricate guitar lines. But the album leaned more towards folk than anything the Painters had done, with more of an acoustic feel and spectacular lyrics that focus around various famous boxing champions.
4 years, an album of Modest Mouse covers and a Ghost Of The Great Highway re-release later, April is born. The album, which you can stream in full from their myspace, is truly breathtaking and will not fail to disappoint eager fans. Take the opener, “Lost Verses,” an ambitious 10 minute acoustic masterpiece whose noodling guitars and high pitched moans establish the traditional Sun Kil Moon sound, while sounding richer and bolder than anything on Ghosts Of The Great Highway. “Harper Road” is delicately intimate and short but sweet while “Tonight The Sky” is full of dirty, distorted electric guitars and dissonant lead guitar work. The album is simply stunning, showcasing Kozelek’s beautiful voice and superb guitar playing. I can’t say that there’s anything that new here, the songs stick to the Ghosts Of The Great Highway formula of acoustic ballads and the occasional gritty electric song, but the album just has a bold, mature and full sound that I think can be appreciated by fans of Kozelek or just folk music in general. So do yourself a favor and pre-order April and catch Sun Kil Moon on their summer tour. It will make your April Fool’s Day all the more enjoyable.
From Ghosts Of The Great Highway:
mp3: Gentle Moon
mp3: Glenn Tipton
i saw sung kill moon fight he was all action all heart is this band like that i doubt it i saw iggy and the stooges in 73…and the sex pistols were tame by comparision bigglenn ny ny lets chat 718 465 1661
Is glenn leslie a bot?
I’m not really sure how I feel about sun kil moon, I’m a fan of songs for a blue guitar but a lot of kozelek’s stuff sounds the same to me.