sun kil moon – Not a Sound

Review: Mark Kozelek with Ben Boye and Jim White 2

Mark Kozelek with Ben Boye and Jim White 2 allows listeners access to someone else’s unfiltered consciousness while also allowing them to make of it what they want.

Much has been said about Mark Kozelek, good and bad. From his slow-core days as front man of the Red House Painters in the 90s, to his rebranding as a folk-rock singer song-writer with Sun Kil Moon in the early 00s, to his resurgence of popularity with the release of his 2014 masterpiece Benji, there has been much artistic evolution and a fair amount of personal controversy. Kozelek is one of the few artists whose evolution has been almost totally transparent through his art, while still being almost entirely reclusive from the media and interconnected cyber-world. The lyrical content of his work has always been intensely personal, whether in the sparse poetry of his early work or his new, diary entry, sing-songy-spoken-word that he has adopted over the past five years. During this time his musical output has nearly doubled, often releasing two or more projects every year, whether as Sun Kil Moon or solo collaborations with other artists.

His latest release is Mark Kozelek with Ben Boye and Jim White 2. As the title implies, Kozelek has collaborated with these musicians before; this is the sequel to their first collaborative album from 2017. On the surface, this record is no different from any of his releases since 2015. The songs are long; all of the seven tracks are over eight minutes, with the full track list running to an hour and eighteen. There are no choruses or hooks, and little in the way of conventional song structure at all.

Instead, Kozelek and co. present an immersive, hypnotic world of lush piano parts, uneasy drum patterns, and harmonic guitars, all featuring Kozelek’s voice floating masterfully overtop. It is feels appropriate to describe this album as a short-story collection in musical form. Although he delves into spoken-word passages occasionally, the vocals are always subtly melodic, flowing easily along with the music. The amount of detail and care that was put into the arrangements makes it clear that these are not simply backing-tracks made to be played in the underneath someone talking; these are songs that double as stories. Kozelek has gone so far as to publish the complete lyrics to every song he has released from 1992-2019 in two volumes via his label Caldo Verde, demonstrating the importance of the lyrics to his art as being significant enough to form a body of work on their own. It is clear that the music and lyrics are of equal importance here and in his whole discography, intermingling to form a mesmerizing world of sound and unfiltered thought.

What makes this album stand out from others in Kozelek’s discography is the musical world it presents. Unlike the muddy This Is My Dinner or relatively sparse I Also Want To Die In New Orleans, the level of detail makes it possible to pay attention and be intrigued the whole way through. Each song features multiple movements that are tied together by musical and lyrical motifs that appear throughout, keeping them from feeling like directionless experiments and free-association exercises. Koz often breaks the fourth wall by talking about his own song-writing process, with lines like, “I find poetry in everything,” which typed out here out of context sounds incredibly pretentious, but comes across as sincere and true within the album.

There are moments of hilarious instrumental and lyrical quirks as well. On the middle track, “Chard Enchilada,” Kozelek spends each verse talking about underdogs who have to work harder to get ahead in life than others. One such person is the bassoonist, who’s supremely un-cool instrument makes it difficult to find success in the music industry (spoiler: there is a bassoon solo right after the verse). During the last track, he abruptly stops his musings to ask someone in the studio if he thinks the album is over eighty minutes yet, to which he replies, “um, I’ll have to check . . .” It’s a comical moment of self-awareness.

Mark Kozelek with Ben Boye and Jim White 2 allows listeners access to someone else’s unfiltered consciousness while also allowing them to make of it what they want. For me, there is usually one take-away that I get from these records, one phrase or verse that sticks with me when it’s all over. This record’s moment comes at the end of the closing track as Kozelek narrates the experience of answering the studio door to find some evangelists from The Church Of Latter-day Saints. He tells them, “Hey, this ain’t my cup of tea, but you showed up at my door to talk to me. I know all about the angel Morona and Joseph Smith and the Golden Plates. But you came here to talk with me, and I respect that. You’re brave. You showed up.”

Our Rating: 7.9 (Stand-Out)

Mark Kozelek with Ben Boye and Jim White 2 is out now via Caldo Verde Records.

Ian’s Top 25 Albums of 2018

Trying to make end of the year lists is an inherently subjective task. Here at Not a Sound we are committed to reviewing albums based upon how well they accomplished what they set out to do given their audience, genre, and vision. That makes ranking albums across genres and cultures difficult in many ways, because it is impossible to review Mark Kozelek and A$AP Rocky in the same way, or compare Ariana Grande to Deafheaven. At the end of the day, our favorite records are the ones that stuck with us the most, not only in terms of technical prowess, but in terms of an emotional and personal connection. So don’t take this list personally if your favorite record didn’t make it on here; this is simply the music that defined 2018 for me. Just because your favorite artists aren’t on here doesn’t mean I think they’re bad.

25 – How To Fix Everything by Fantasy Camp

Emo-rap singer and producer Fantasy Camp did a lot this year. He produced songs for other artists, helped form Misery Club, and released two of his own Eps. The second of which, How To Fix Everything, is huge leap from the first, demonstrating crisp, focused instrumentals and pristine vocals. As emo-rap continues to develop, it is clear that Fantasy Camp will be one of the artists at the helm.

24 – Historian by Lucy Dacus

I have to admit that I was one of the people who only found out about Lucy Dacus when the boygenius project was announced. After listening to her latest album Historian, I understand the hype that she has received from critics this year. The record is a perfect example of well written indie-rock, brimming with poise and sincerity. The best example of this is the track “Night Shift,” which characterizes her voice, lyrical style, and arrangement very well in its two part structure.

23 – TESTING by A$AP Rocky

A$AP Rocky has had a difficult time living up to the hype that he and the media have built around him since his breakout in the early part of the decade. Testing is no masterpiece, but I enjoyed all the weird detours and experiments he takes you on over the course of the record. It doesn’t flow perfectly, but it’s a fun, truly odd listen that was definitely a soundtrack to my summer. “A$AP Forever REMIX” is one of those songs that you gotta turn up to with the homies every once in a while. It just is.

22 – Corinthiax by Wicca Phase Springs Eternal

On this EP, Wicca Phase cleaned up his sound, and released a polished effort that is easily the most likeable and accessible work he has created yet. The EP loosely follows the theme of seeking after “Corinthiax” – “A dark manifestation of a love that I was given by the hollow moon.” It’s a dark, quirky listen that is an acquired taste, but one that I have learned to love given the right mood.

21 – Nasir by Nas

One of the five albums to come out of Kanye’s Wyoming sessions, Nasir lacks some of the focus of the other five, but is still a phenomenal listen. Kanye’s beats and Nas’ lyrics and delivery are a match made in heaven, and the album is crowded with great samples. The album drops off a bit at the end, but the beginning warrants a spot for me on this list. Also the song Simple Things might be one of the catchiest hip-hop tracks of the year.

20 – East Atlanta Love Letter by 6LACK

6LACK is the artist that I always hoped Drake would be. Unlike Drake’s bloated Scorpion, East Atlanta Love Letter is concise, and while it shares a similar moody hip-hop/modern RnB style to Drake, 6LACK sounds way more convincing than Drake ever has. On album highlight “Scripture,” he raps, “I’m and RnB n— with a hip-hop core” and you believe him.

19 – DAYTONA by Pusha T

On the first Kanye-produced project to arrive this summer, the president of G.O.O.D. MUSIC label made a scorching comeback. This is a nearly perfectly constructed album – Push’s delivery is intense, sadistic, and snarky as ever before. He spits bar after bar over Kanye’s beats and sampling, which are expertly crafted and chosen to fit the moment. This is a daring, experimental, and daunting example of what gangster-rap looks like in 2018.

18 – CARE FOR ME by Saba

The Chicago-native Saba wrote some of the most heartbreaking bars of 2018. Much of the album deals with the loss of a loved one, and the aftermath. On opening track “BUSY / SIRENS” he disdainfully and heartbrokenly raps, “Jesus got killed for our sins, Walter got killed for a coat / I’m tryna cope, but it’s a part of me gone / in this packed room I’m alone.”

17 – 7 by Beach House

Beach House is one of those bands that I’ve always flirted with, never fully committing to calling myself true “fan,” but this album may have won me over. I was swinging at the park up the street from my parent’s listening to it this summer when the song “Woo” came on. The gorgeous synths, electro beats, and airy vocals singing “I want it all, but I can’t I can’t have it” made me feel like I was in a dream.

16 – Lush by Snail Mail

A friend recommended this to me quite recently, and while I haven’t had the chance to get close to it, Lush is a strong example of what an indie rock album should sound like to me. It is full of tightly constructed songs, passionate lyrics, and earwormy melodies that stick with you when you’re done. Jordan’s vocals are emotional without overdoing it. This album is one that I will return to in 2019.

15 – Sweetener by Ariana Grande

I guess you could say I’ve been an Ariana stan (no that’s not a typo) for a while, and this album helped validate this title for me. While her excellent debut Yours Truly was a great 90’s throwback record, and her subsequent releases yielded massive hits, it did not feel as though she had a truly unique voice in the pop sphere. On this album she seems to have finally found it. It’s a massive, girly, sincere, and fun album that pulls out all the stops. This record proves that trap is the new pop, as many of her songs are oriented around trap influenced beats, while still maintaining the RnB-diva aesthetic of her previous work. As far as pop music goes, this is as 2018 as it gets.

14 – Tha Carter V by Lil Wayne

Wayne’s long delayed, incredibly hyped fifth Carter installment finally came this year. For an album that he had begun working on years ago, this record sounds surprisingly modern. Of course, in many ways it is nostalgic as all get out in terms of the lyrics and some of the beats, but it does not disappoint. It felt like a return-to-form for Wayne, a resurrection of the master MC of ten years ago, with fast bars on top of fast bars, and punchline after punchline. Where Wayne shines the most however is in his introspection as a veteran of the scene, as in the delightful and melodic “Mess.”

13 – Some Rap Songs by Earl Sweatshirt

Odd Future alum Earl Sweatshirt was another popular rapper who made his return this year on the psychedelic, jazz influenced hodge-podge that is Some Rap Songs. Earl has always been introspective, but he takes it to a new level on this release, reflecting upon the loss of his father. He successfully ages from the angsty punk we knew from his early career to a reflective, wise adult who is on the verge of a spiritual awakening.

12 – Mark Kozelek by Mark Kozelek

These days there’s not really that much of a difference between a Sun Kil Moon record and Mark Kozelek solo record, but it is evident upon this release. These songs mainly consist of guitar looping and Mark’s trademark, stream-of-consciousness storytelling. While not as engaging as some of his more dynamic work, this album is a testament to where he is at in his life and career. It means a lot when an artist chooses to release a self-titled record this late in their career. This album represents who Mark is, as he sings about his home town, boxing matches, memories from his childhood, and the day-in-and-day-out of his extremely normal, yet fascinatingly introspective life.

11 – Ordinary Corrupt Human Love by Deafheaven

I don’t usually listen to metal that much. One night this summer I was cramming an assignment for an online class, and I saw an album called Ordinary Corrupt Human Love pop up on my recommended page. The album title is what initially caught me, as the meaning of the statement was intriguing, and the words themselves just sounded powerful. I found myself struck by the dark beauty of the music. I couldn’t understand the words lead vocalist Clarke was saying, but I felt the emotion of the music, and the attempt to make something huge and important. “Canary Yellow” was blasted in my car on the way to work quite a bit in August.

10 – Kids See Ghosts by KIDS SEE GHOSTS

This is the colab album that both Cudi and Kanye fans have been dreaming of for years. It’s an extremely artsy-banger, with Ye and Cudi trading verses back and forth, across various genres and styles ranging from guitar-sampling rap, to straight up rock music, and even a song that sounds like Man On The Moon-era Kid Cudi. It’s the perfect example of the genre that Kanye and Cudi have carved out for themselves over the span of their careers – a unique blend of art rap and pop rap that has gone on to influence hip-hop as we know it.

9 – Astroworld by Travis Scott

Astroworld finally lived up to the hype that Scott has had since the start of his career. The album is like the fictional theme park it is named after; each song is a wild ride and a new attraction. While it inevitably drops off at some points due to its excessive runtime, it feels natural. Like any long hot day at an amusement park, there are highs and lows: long waits in line, stops in grimy bathrooms, overpriced food. But, most of the time, you’re still glad you went.

8 – This Is My Dinner by Sun Kil Moon

I’ve already written about this album, so I’ll spare the details, but I will reiterate that this is one of Kozelek’s best recent works. Rather than feeling oppressive as he did sometimes on 2017’s Common As Light, his stories here feel like they are coming from a better place of hope and often humor. The variation of instrumentals is engaging, and captures a melancholic beauty that I am often aware of in late fall. It is no wonder he waited to release this album until November 1^st, as it was written and recorded in November of the previous year and perfectly fits that mood.

7 – Twin Fantasy by Car Seat Headrest

I wasn’t sure if this should really count towards this year or not, as it is a re-recorded version of an album released years ago on bandcamp. But considering the work that Toledo did to literally re-record and rework the whole thing, I believe it does stand out as a new record. This is a densely packed, experimental indie-punk album that lays the writer bare to the listener. It’s a long, thrilling masterpiece that is a tribute to those suffering from mental illness that is also life-affirming in its exuberant weirdness.

6 – Club Misery by Misery Club

This is another that I’ve written about already this year, so again, I’ll spare the details. Misery Club is one of those underground groups that you run across every so often that you realize is bound to be huge. The melodies, tight beats, and emo lyrics are all geared perfectly towards rap’s current moment, as intense vulnerability is becoming more popular than ever. With the right publicity behind them, this group could be one of the biggest pop-rap sensations, if not on the radio, then in the larger underground scene.

5 – Bark Your Head Off, Dog by Hop Along

Hop Along’s third album is different than the previous two. It has far fewer explosive moments than Paint It Shut, which initially was a setback to me. Overtime though, the consistency of this record has caused me to come around to viewing it as potentially Hop Along’s best record. It is paced perfectly, a fantastic example of guitar-based indie pop. Lyrically, it touches on the emotional and personal memories, as well as on the current political moment in songs such as How You Got Your Limp and One That Suits Me. It is a timely release that hits all the bases.

4 – Skylight by Pinegrove

It took me a few days to listen to this album. Given the band’s past, I had mixed feelings about their return, and it had been a while since I had listened to Cardinal actively. In the end, Skylight turned out to be one of my favorite releases of the year. It is not a drastic departure from their previous sound; much of it is still the same brand of country-infused emo that made them popular. The difference here is that there is an amount of reflectiveness in these songs that hits the ears differently than Cardinal. The first half is slow-paced and linear, and there are far fewer catchy hits on this record than before. But give it a few listens, and you will find layers to the stories that these songs tell that will have you coming back time and time again.

3 – Swimming by Mac Miller

Mac’s final album is his best yet. I remember thinking this before he died, wondering where his career would take him next. It’s the best version of what he had been trying recently – a funky style of rap that infused RnB flawlessly. The lyrics are stark and personal, but also convey true joy and hope in the latter half. It is not a perfect record, but it is not one that reveals a perfect man, so the flaws feel appropriate. It’s a powerful testament to going through it (whatever your personal it might be) and coming out on the other side intact, a different person, but one who is ready and able to move on. This is the best legacy Mac could’ve left as his last testament.

2 – boygenius by boygenius

This is an indie-supergroup dream band. The possibility of Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus on one project makes total sense, but I still could not believe it was actually happening when it was announced. As three of the most powerful voices in indie-rock in this current moment, they come together to make a record that has variety, consistency, and beauty that is nearly unparalleled. They are all different-but-similar enough for it to work without sounding like their solo releases. Boygenius is undeniably a group effort that offers something new to fans of any of the three artists. I’m praying they do another release eventually.

1 – ye by Kanye West

Kanye had quite a year. It seems that he does almost everything he can to keep people from talking about what he does best: music. Kanye’s short, flash-in-a-pan ye is his most lyrically revealing, vulnerable album in years. In past releases, his usual pattern is to reveal something about himself – some guilt, pain or insecurity – and then immediately cover it with an expletive or a bad joke, but on this album, he gets as close to naked as we have seen him. The lyrics deal largely with his mental health, wrongs he has committed against his wife and the public, as well as drug addiction, and working through his role as a father. Through it all, the music is fantastic, crackly, a bit lo-fi (for blockbuster standards), adding to the rawness and emotional energy. As usual, it is packed with guest features, most uncredited. They usually take on a background role: these are not designed to gain hype, but to add to the over-all product. Despite his shortcomings as a person, ye is some of the best music Kanye has released. It will not be viewed as an influential super-hit the way most of his previous albums are, but to fans, it is a rare and real look into the most influential man in popular music.

Underrated Albums: This Is My Dinner by Sun Kil Moon

Initially rising to fame in the 1990s as the frontman of slow-core kings The Red House Painters, singer-songwriter Mark Kozelek is now mainly known for his work under the moniker Sun Kil Moon. Named after a Korean boxer, Sun Kil Moon’s sound has evolved drastically over the last two decades. The band’s first album Ghosts Of The Great Highway (2003) sounded like a somewhat more folk-driven version of The Red House Painters later work, even recorded with many of the same band members. 2010’s Admiral Fell Promises saw Kozelek shedding the full-band instrumentation of most of his previous work, favoring a nylon-string guitar and his voice. Two years later Among The Leaves was released, which featured more of the nylon-string style, but incorporated a stream-of-consciousness style of lyricism that stood in stark contrast to Kozelek’s previous writing, which was often sparse and riddled in metaphor.

2014’s Benji garnered widespread critical acclaim for Sun Kil Moon. For the most part, Benji stuck with the same style of his previous two releases, occasionally incorporating full band arrangements, and using the stream-of-consciousness lyric style to great effect. Most of all, listeners were affected by the brutal honesty of the songs, many of which deal with the loss of loved ones, from the perspective of a veteran songwriter who is coming to terms with being in the second half of his life.

Since then, Kozelek has struggled to gain acclaim. 2015’s Universal Themes and 2017’s Common as Light and Love Are Red Valleys of Blood received middling to negative reviews, as Kozelek delved even farther into the avant-garde, with both albums including many songs spanning over 10 minutes in length. Listeners complained that Kozelek was no longer writing with the focus seen in his earlier work, and was just elaborating on self-centered minutia.

2018’s This Is My Dinner is no different. The album spans an hour-and-a-half over the course of ten tracks, mainly chronicling Kozelek’s time touring Europe in November of 2017. The first track “This Is Not Possible” features a laid-back, old school jam beat over top of which Kozelek talk-sings, beginning with a story about trying (unsuccessfully) to get into a Frankfurt venue, and ending (nine minutes later) with Kozelek singing about the process of recording the song itself. Comedically, nearly every stanza of the song ends with the band softly chanting, “Yes, this is possible!” or “This is not possible!” back to Kozelek in response to a question in the narrative, almost like the chorus in a Shakespeare spoof. Example:

Koz: Is it possible that my favorite meal is chicken and waffles?

Band: This is not possible!

Koz: Is it possible that the United States President needs to be admitted into a mental hospital?

Band: Yes, this is possible!

Koz: Is it possible that I’m singing this song in Berlin in front of a thousand people tonight?

Band: This is not possible!

On this release, Kozelek’s lyrics jump from the hilarious to the heart breaking very quickly in the span of a single track. The title track finds him recalling a tour in Norway during which he received a call informing him that his beloved cat is near death. He embarks on the flight home, racing death to see his pet before she dies, “The whole thing was so upsetting / and the anxiety was building so badly on the plane / and I kept writing in my journal / ‘please Pink, don’t die on me / please Pink, don’t die on me / please Pink, don’t die on me while I’m up here in the sky / I’ll hate myself forever if I could not kiss you goodbye.’”

The second half of the album sees Kozelek revisiting his childhood and the music that he grew up with that influenced him to be a musician in the first place. In the song “David Cassidy,” he announces his intention to cover “Come On Get Happy” by the Partridge Family several times before the song cuts abruptly, jumping right into a one-minute rendition of the classic track. After, he plays a long rendition of AC/DC’s “Rock N’ Roll Singer,” and then wraps up the record with two now “standard” stream-of-consciousness tracks.

What makes this record great is not it’s unconventional form, or it’s humor or tear jerking moments, but the way in which Kozelek’s writing style opens you up and immerses you into his world. While some might view his writing as boring, tedious, and at times preachy, it offers a wholly unique perspective as you enter the head of a man who sees everything, and I mean everything, as significant and worthy of being written about.

When most of us look back upon our lives, we think of the big moments. Graduations, weddings, divorces, moves, deaths of those close to us. While those things are certainly significant, we often fail to recognize that the majority of life is lived between these moments. Most of our lives are lived rushing to work, going grocery shopping, staring at our phones, talking to friends, waiting for the next moment. Kozelek’s music makes every moment feel huge and this is where his writing succeeds. He recognizes the intricacies of our lives and pays attention to them, honoring the quiet, busy, monotonous, and annoying moments as sacred.

This Is My Dinner is easily the most light-hearted album Kozelek has released, maybe ever. He sounds like he’s having fun on this release, moving from story to story, detail to detail, reveling in the glory of all of it. Aside from diehard fans, most probably will not bother with this. If you haven’t heard a Kozelek album before, go back and listen to Benji, maybe a few Red House Painters albums, and then when you have an afternoon alone, sit down and crack open a beer and throw this on, and you’ll be surprised at how often you want to listen again.