Sun Kil Moon
Benji
[Caldo Verde Records]
My relationship with the work of Mark Kozelek had previously been somewhat distant. An ex bought me the elegantly boring Red House Painters’ swansong Old Ramon, while Kozelek’s debut as Sun Kil Moon, Ghosts of the Great Highway, has remained a pleasant fixture due to the reliance on boxing iconography. Other than that however, I never felt sure that there was much Mark Kozelek to know.
Benji proves that feeling desperately incorrect. My instantaneous infatuation with this has made me want to get to know Kozelek badly. And moreover, listening to this record will pretty much help you get to know Kozelek quite well. Lyrically, Benji spews its’ guts right in front of you, revealing a palette of death, death, desperation, a little more death and then some regrets about ageing.
At times it’s practically diaristic, full of actual biographical details about his family and friends and his relations to their travails. Dicing with material like this could be tough. The danger of calling TMI on Kozelek is ever-present here. But Benji pushes beyond the point where things become tasteless, such is the therapeutic honesty on display here. Kozelek dispenses with metaphor but in his honesty manages to approach a universally empathetic vibe through the constant tumble of lyrical truths and rippling nylon guitar strings. – Ian Lamont
See also: Mumblin’ Deaf Ro – Dictionary Crimes; Mountain Goats – The Sunset Tree; Smog – A River Ain’t Too Much to Love
Further reading:
Mark Kozelek’s three posts in the ‘Measure for Measure’ section on writing songs for Benji on New York Times’ Opinionator blog.
