It has been sometime since the demise of the Red House Painters (15 years to be precise) and while Mark Kozelek using the moniker Sun Kil Moon, may have initially kicked off his 'solo' career in similar vein, that is no longer the case.
Things began to get interesting round about the release of the poetic and emotional 'Admiral Fell Promises' in 2010. For me, the development reached fruition last year with the superb and intensely personal 'Benji'. Now, a mere 16 months after the release of 'Benji', Kozelek has released the even more astonishing and unusual, 'Universal Themes'.
Casual listeners who are not familiar with his post 2010 work may well be put off by the style and structure of the 'songs' on offer here, for Kozelek defies the usual conventions of songwriting. Forget what you may be used to - a couple of verses followed by a chorus. What we get from Kozelek is a stream of consciousness that emerges almost like a conversation set to music. Furthermore, the songs have a habit of changing at unexpected times so a track that may start off rocking like something by Neil Young and Crazy Horse ('With a Sort of Grace I Walked to the Bathroom to Cry) suddenly and without warning changes to a slow burning guitar blues with words almost spoken over the top. Other tracks dissolve into spoken interludes backed by gently plucked nylon strung guitar.
The themes of the songs are quite simply about life (Kozelek's) and death though perhaps not quite as much of the latter as was featured in 'Benji'. The death referred to in the opening track is that of a possum Kozelek and his girlfriend initially find injured. Interspersed with a tale of going to see the band Godflesh play, the track is in truth a meditation on mortality.
There are a lot of subjects covered in the eight tracks on this album (none of which are under 6 and a half minutes in length) and the subject matter is not always easy. I am occasionally put in mind of Bob Dylan's 'Ballad in Plain D' a track I like but which was so close to a situation Dylan was less than proud of that even he later confessed his regret at writing it. Perhaps Kozelek will one day look back at these confessional songs and have some regrets. Personally however, I suspect he will not give a shit.
I notice that there are a few new albums on the horizon which have caused a wee flutter of anticipation here in the White Room.
In April there will be a new offering from Calexico. Called 'Edge of the Sun' it will be their first release since 'Algiers' in 2012. You can listen to the track 'Cumbia de Donde' by clicking here.
On the same date, Villagers will release the follow up to the brilliant '{Awayland}'. The track 'Hot Scary Summer' is also currently streaming and can be heard on this link.
I see that both bands also happen to be touring to promote the albums but the bad news for me is that they will not be appearing in my area. Which means I either travel or miss them altogether. Decisions, decisions!
Pretty much imminent is an album 'New York Before the War' from Jesse Malin. It will be his first new album in five years so it will be interesting to see what he comes up with. In my view he is a very underrated artist. I note that he is touring also though the date he hits my area, I have other plans so I will have to miss out. I've seen him on several occasions previously and he never fails to deliver a first class show. Unfortunately on the eve of my 59th birthday he was playing in Newcastle but I was otherwise engaged. My son was able to attend and as he happened to be carrying his birthday card to me, he was cheeky enough to get Malin to sign it for me. A nice little memento for me to keep.
No doubt I will have more to say about Jesse's album in due course.
Also in April I see a new album is due from the Alabama Shakes. I wonder whether 'Sound & Color' will match their debut 'Boys & Girls'. Have a listen to 'Future People' by clicking here and see what you think.
Yet another anticipated release in April comes from Bill Fay. We waited 41 years for his last album, 'Life is People' but thankfully only three years for his latest which will be called 'Who is the Sender?' A track called 'War Machine' is currently available to stream if you click here.
Finally I am looking forward to summer for the release of another album by Sun Kil Moon. It will be called 'Universal Themes' but the exact release date has not yet been announced.
It looks as though 2015 could be another great year for new music.
Well I hope all of you had a very merry Christmas. I'm just catching my breath after all of the festivities and while everyone else seems to be at the sales, I at last have time to sit and ponder on the best new album releases of 2014.
I have to say, for my money it hasn't been a year of outstanding album releases. For a start there were a few disappointments which included a lacklustre album from Bruce Springsteen with the ironic title 'High Hopes'. Neil Young released not one but two albums but neither quite hit the heights of his best work. 'A Letter Home' featured some fine cover versions but was recorded in such a lo-fi way as to drastically reduce any enjoyment one might have had of listening to it. The other, 'Storytone' did feature Young's original material but sadly fell well short of what we have come to expect from him. The fact that we were presented with two versions of each song, one performed solo and the other performed in front of an orchestra or band, did little to alleviate the disappointment with the material.
Goat were a band I had high hopes for after their 2012 debut 'World Music'. Despite plaudits from a number of critics, I found the follow-up, 'Communion' to be just more of the same. I was also disappointed with '... And Star Power' from Foxygen who had impressed me greatly with last year's 'We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace and Magic'. Shame, but that gets the disappointments out of the way so we can move onto the good stuff.
The early part of the year saw the release of 'English Oceans' by the Drive-By Truckers. As I asked at the time, have they ever released a duff record? OK this may not be quite up there with their finest work but it is good to see Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley equally sharing the songwriting credits again. For some time it looked as though it might make it into my top slot.
The album 'Benji' by Mark Kozelek who operates under the moniker Sun Kil Moon was another early contender. Pitchfork were even daring enough to declare it one of the best albums of the decade so far. Heavy praise indeed! The subject matter of the album tends to be mortality so there are a few deaths to deal with but there is humour in there also. All in all it is a very fine album though fans of Sun Kil Moon don't need me to tell them that.
I was impressed with the return to form of Jack Bruce with his album 'Silver Rails' on which he was supported by several family members and friends. It was almost as if Jack was saying his goodbye and although he sounded strong on the album itself I
watched a documentary about the making of the album and I thought he looked vary frail. Of course as we now know, he did not have long left with us which makes this album all the more poignant.
Another elder statesman, Leonard Cohen also returned with another fine album 'Popular Problems'. Full of bluesy themes and witty lyrics, the album carries on from where 'Old Ideas' left off which isn't a bad thing.
Two British bands that are forging quite a reputation in the melodic jazz style are the Neil Cowley Trio and Gogo Penguin, Their respective 2014 albums, 'Touch & Flee' and 'V2.0' were very much on my playlist in a year when I have been absorbing myself in an awful lot of jazz music both old and new. Of course Ginger Baker also produced a very jazz influenced album this year with 'Why'.
I have already commented on the releases from Lucinda Williams, Jack White, Jolie Holland, Royal Blood, Robert Plant, Pere Ubu, Opeth, Ryan Adams and Anais Mitchell. Clicking any of these links will take you to my original thoughts.
They are all very enjoyable albums but you may be surprised to hear that none have made it into my own personal top 3 this year.
To find out what has, I suggest you check back here in the next few days.
