April

I generally hate the description but this album is a slow burner. The previous Sun Kil Moon album "Ghosts of the great highway" is in many respects a much more accessible and conventional album and contains the brilliant openers Glenn Tipton, the wonderous "Carry me Ohio" (the acoustic version is equally immense) plus the greatest song Neil Young never wrote "Salvador Sanchez". April alternatively has a very slow, incremental and meandering quality about it. Mark Kozelek is not going to be rushed. Three songs either exceed or touch 10 minutes and are all the better for it.When I first bought April I played it a couple of times and must admit that that it did seem somewhat repetitive. All great albums however "reveal" themselves to you with the passage of time and perseverance. The subtleties and nuances emerge; quiet background melodies catch your ear and the songs burn deep. Lost Verses is an example. Mark Kozelek has penned one of his greatest compositions here as good as anything by the Red House Painters and matching the brilliant Katy's Song. The lyrics are achingly beautiful as he rises from bed and contemplates leaving a relationship"Came out from under her warm sheetsInto the brisk late OctoberIf only for one last hopeI wanted my time with you to be over"It leads to a journey around San Francisco reflecting on the things that we all deeply care about; family, relationships, nature, the changing seasons and more. Then at 8 minutes the song pauses and turns in a joyful and uplifting guitar solo which is absolutely perfect. Further delights follow with Moorestown, Tonight in Bilbao and the Unlit Hallway which has the god like genius of Will Oldham on backing vocals. Heron Blue has a beautiful guitar work and is almost medieval with its folk underpinnings while the 10 minute "Tonights the sky" has a backing riff that checks Crosby, Stills, Nash and Youngs "Ohio" and charts another broken relationship (Kozelek's speciality) where he discovers "powers unrelenting, that pulled us apart".Ultimately April will not be everyone's cup of tea, try it on Spotify and see whether you like it. Its tone is as wintry as Bon Iver's "For Emma" and its sombre epic ballads are as far removed from the charts as is humanly possible. Mark Kozelek writes music for grown ups, for contemplation and reflection. I suspect he cares not a jot if it sells or not. Indeed "hurrah" that his Caldo Verde record label issues all his work and obcessives may wish to note that there is a epic live album "Lost Verses" which contains most of the best songs from April and "Ghosts" often superior to the album versions. If you want "sun and fireworks" get the superb Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion or Grizzly Bears more thoughtful "Veckatimest". Alternatively on those times when you want to engage both your head and your heart "April" provides a melancholy yet very warm answer.

An underrated music journalist once said: "trying to write about music is like trying to knit a gas jumper" (**** that **** about dancing to architecture).And from an underrated music journalist to THE underrated artist of our time: every week I tune in to Jools Holland hoping Mr Kozelek might be on somewhere between Radiohead and Mary J Blige; every week I'm disappointed, yet not surprised. He'll be on someday and then everyone will kid on they've been digging his stuff since the days of God Forbid.I'm not going to review this (I'm not worthy - you can try if you want to) other than to say I like it a lot...and there's a nice bit of banjo on "Unlit Hallway"...and remind me to seek out an ELP best of.

In a year of much competition - Bon Iver, Mogwai, Fleet Foxes etc This is the stand out CD for me. Listen to it in the dark with your headphones on and it will transport you to a great place.He mumbles and moans through the songs and somehow it all makes perfect sense - Moorestown and Unlit Hallway are amazing - whilst the guitars on some of the other tracks really lift the album.If you like I see a Darkness, Down Colourful Hill or Bon Iver - you will really love this.

Mark Kozelek's first album of original material in nearly 5 years, this was released in April 2008. The album doesn't break any new ground, Kozelek has been fairly single-minded in his vision since his Red House Painters days. The album starts somewhat underwhelmingly with 2 fairly mediocre tracks (for him), though The Light features a nice buzzing Neil Young-esque guitar tone. Lucky Man kicks the quality up a notch. It has Kozelek's peerless finger-picking to the forefront with a very fine melody, backed up by his characteristically lazy vocals.Unlit Hallway is a lighter track, evocative of lazy summer evenings with its languid stride. Again the guitar is quite fine, and the chorus features pleasant backing vocals here from Bonnie Prince Billy. Even better is the moment about halfway through when a banjo enters, merging perfectly with the rest of the music. Heron Blue is far more austere-sounding, with delicately picked classical guitar over Kozelek's lower register vocals. The guitar in the bridge is devastatingly pretty.Totally different is track 8, Tonight the Sky, which is 10 minutes of electric guitar heaven in the style of Crazy Horse with a great dirty distorted guitar riff. The track is undoubtedly self-indulgent but lopes along very pleasingly. The track doesn't feel anything like as long as it is, indeed there air-guitar moments all over this track, particularly as the bridge reaches its thrilling climax. I was lucky enough to hear Kozelek play this track live with his band and it didn't disappoint.Tonight in Bilbao is another long track at over 9 minutes, and is basically a travelogue set to more lovely guitar work. Some gorgeous strings enter the song about halfway through which adds to an already great track.One of the best is saved for last. Blue Orchids is another laste summer evoking track set to beautiful classical guitar. The midsection of this is quite something to behold, while the closing few minutes is heartbreakingly beautiful as Kozelek laments a departed lover with some beautiful imagery, singing "soft light pours into the room, fingers glide over my face.... how could I walk these old dim halls again, how could I leave this room... piano music weeps quietly" over a magical addictive guitar part. It's quite lovely and a great way to end the album.One of the finest albums of the last few years, it won't convert naysayers to Kozelek's work but is one for his fans to embrace and enjoy.