Singer/songwriter slowcore. Sun Kil Moon is San Francisco’s own Mark Kozelek, formerly of 90s slowcore pioneers, Red House Painters. This is the first Sun Kil Moon release that definitively moves away from Crazy Horse worship to a stripped-down approach. The sound is Spanish classical guitar-influenced fingerpicking and only depends on light backing vocals and guitar overdubs here and there. There are many lyrical references to San Francisco places and culture, as well, and surprisingly, parts of this record are warm and uplifting. As a long-time Kozelek groupie I can safely recommend it all as a perfect fall add to the a-file. This is where Bill’s taste overlaps with Adrian’s. Pretty, drawn out music for fans of “songs”; pop music for fans of the “x” labels in the library. No FCCs.

*1. One of my favorite songs he has made. Song launches into a gorgeous rhythmic picking pattern; intro and outro wander a bit from the main refrain. Kills me the way he sings, “tonight you were my muse.”(6:27)
2. Repetitive, trebly guitar lick anchors a song about Half Moon Bay. (6:53)
3. Relaxed, slower feel, contemplative, syncopated plucking; lovely chorus and overdubbed guitar solo/interlude thing. (5:11)
4. Most easily comparable to Kozelek’s “Tonight in Bilbao” for its hypnotic, complex fingerpicked guitar and endless geographic location references. Pretty great, though. He pulls off a line about hipsters in tennis shoes. (7:14)
*5. Very warm, falsetto vocals and melodic strum, the bridge to this song is blissful – so sweet and wonderful. (4:55)
6. Title track and also long-time unreleased Kozelek song. Gentle, naked, tragic, austere. (3:52)
7. My least favorite song on here. Skip it; it’s also a bit long. (7:55)
8. Bare bones, relatively dark, very cyclical. (4:41)
*9. As psychedelic as Kozelek has ever been, light percussion utilized to a nice effect. (6:05)
10. This is another great song that is a bit of a pastiche of previous Kozelek songs and sounds including his Modest Mouse cover “Ocean Breathes Salty” and a few of the later songs on April. (7:37)