The Possum. http://www.sunkilmoon.com/skmpossum/
thoughts?
― dell (del), Friday, 28 November 2014 05:28 (nine years ago) link
This dude has crawled up inside his own ass at this point.
― Johnny Fever, Friday, 28 November 2014 05:30 (nine years ago) link
I think it's great. I wish I could navigate a midlife crisis by recording a song about a dead possum and going to a Godflesh show instead of other mistakes that I have made.
I do wish that he would go back to his natural beautiful pipes instead of trying to do this Modest Mouse guy howling thing. It's kind of like if John Lennon ended up recording every song for the rest of his life in Yer Blues mode. I guess it's almost like some kind of natural law regarding genius that if you're really talented you have to sabotage it in some way through a combination of overthinking and trying too hard to get away from what you do best. But I like the song a lot.
― dell (del), Friday, 28 November 2014 05:33 (nine years ago) link
Yeah, I'm not into it myself. He should maybe write a book and get the stream of conscious story telling out that way since he doesn't seem very interesting in "crafting" songs as of late.
― Evan, Friday, 28 November 2014 05:45 (nine years ago) link
Musically for him this is something he can shit out with absolutely no effort. I just with he would put some energy back into that aspect of his songwriting.
― Evan, Friday, 28 November 2014 05:52 (nine years ago) link
Mm, yeah, Benji is great and all but I haven't been able to listen to it more than one and a half times. Aside from the harrowing subject matter, just from a basic aesthetic sense it's not exactly a song format that bears repeated listens. I feel like on Old Ramon/Ghosts of the Great Highway/April he managed to fit his storytelling/confessional urges in a format that was more conducive to hitting the repeat button
It's funny, I only just now realized this, but the first time I ever heard GoTGH was on Thanksgiving, my friend sent it to me for no reason at all, and I opened up the package on t-giving and finally listened to it, like maybe 30 seconds of each song before I had to rush out of the house and go do holiday stuff, and I knew instantly that it was an amazing record -- it was that good. My friend advertised it to me by saying that he got stricken with a stomach virus and he was bedridden for several days in a row and just kept listening to the record on repeat. I can totally understand that -- he did something on that record that he hasn't been able to do since ... tho I do love April as well.
― dell (del), Friday, 28 November 2014 05:54 (nine years ago) link
Yeah, I agree Evan.
― dell (del), Friday, 28 November 2014 05:55 (nine years ago) link
Right, Admiral Fell Promises edges out as the favorite for me, but I feel the same more or less. I definitely repeat listen to later material myself, but so much of the latest from him is carried almost entirely by poignancy in the narrative and his delivery.
― Evan, Friday, 28 November 2014 06:03 (nine years ago) link
https://twitter.com/pitchfork/status/538723495274758144just look at the title of the b-side. DIS SHIT DONT STOP.
not that I'm mad at anyone for making fun of the hipsterati, even with them being the lowest possible hanging fruit there is, but given everything he's already done it's just pathetic, and also the people he hates are paying his bills and keeping him relevant, not the older indie dilletante TROO BELIEVERZ. so it's wild hypocritical altho I doubt he cares. standing by my logic that he's either relapsed to boozing OR, alternately, is having a real hard time being sober.
― hanley ramirez ordering a pizza (slothroprhymes), Saturday, 29 November 2014 16:08 (nine years ago) link
I knew instantly that it was an amazing record
same here. i checked it out of the library because of the cover art and as soon as i started playing it i was like "wow i uh made the right decision"
― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Saturday, 29 November 2014 17:16 (nine years ago) link
Did you rip it?
― $0.00 Butter sauce only. No marinara. (Sufjan Grafton), Saturday, 29 November 2014 17:24 (nine years ago) link
standing by my logic that he's either relapsed to boozing OR, alternately, is having a real hard time being sober.
maybe he's just sad about getting older, and fighting back against it in unseemly ways.
Do not go gentle into that good night,Old age should burn and rave at close of day;Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
― Daniel, Esq 2, Saturday, 29 November 2014 17:38 (nine years ago) link
I mean, that's certainly what's happening to eminem right now so I would imagine it's a major part of it all regardless
― hanley ramirez ordering a pizza (slothroprhymes), Saturday, 29 November 2014 18:22 (nine years ago) link
just seems like a theme running thru a lot of his recent material. he's a prick, but can't deny i like the music (when he's not being lazy)
― Daniel, Esq 2, Saturday, 29 November 2014 18:24 (nine years ago) link
I have no idea which straw man "older indie dilletante TROO BELIEVERZ" is supposed to be?
― i did it all for the 'nuki (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Saturday, 29 November 2014 18:34 (nine years ago) link
yelling at the kids is not burning and raving at close of day
burning and raving at close of day is bewailing one's own mortality and how just as you're closing in on the wisdom and vision you sought, your time starts to run out, and your energy flags no matter how jealously you've guarded your powers, and besides the futility of the whole enterprise becomes more transparent and it doesn't seem fair because seen from the right angle it all seems so beautiful but the clarity of your aging eyes forces to you see both that beauty and its pointlessness
being mad at williamsburg is basically going gentle, because it's what all the olds do when they run out of the power to be properly mad
― The Complainte of Ray Tabano, Saturday, 29 November 2014 18:37 (nine years ago) link
xpost i meant people who collect or collected red house painters b-sides and kozelek live bootlegs since the 90s/early aughts as opposed to people who saw the BNM of benji and began exploring his back catalog as a result. it wasn't intended to demonize either, light jab at best bc who cares how you find an artist, but you can take it that way if you like - I'm sure kozelek would
― hanley ramirez ordering a pizza (slothroprhymes), Saturday, 29 November 2014 19:00 (nine years ago) link
Leeds show seemingly cancelled tonight.
― djh, Monday, 1 December 2014 20:10 (nine years ago) link
he's busy writing "I Think FKA Twigs' Face is Fucking Weird & I Need a Drink"
― hanley ramirez ordering a pizza (slothroprhymes), Monday, 1 December 2014 22:02 (nine years ago) link
Still really digging Red House Painters "Void"
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Thursday, 1 January 2015 04:30 (nine years ago) link
^^^^^^^^^ this is the greatest song.
― Daniel, Esq 2, Thursday, 1 January 2015 04:43 (nine years ago) link
Was listening to both the album version and the live version linked above a while ago.
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Thursday, 1 January 2015 15:21 (nine years ago) link
Is it the live version from Little Drummer Boy Live? With that version a great song became an incredible song.
― Evan, Thursday, 1 January 2015 15:25 (nine years ago) link
Actually all of the Old Ramon tracks that he does on that live album become twice as gorgeous with his approach there.
― Evan, Thursday, 1 January 2015 15:29 (nine years ago) link
It's live at Hultsfred.
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Thursday, 1 January 2015 15:58 (nine years ago) link
Ok just looked it up. That version is incredible!
Also, here's Cruiser from the album I was thinking of- unfortunately nobody uploaded Void to youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhfspmqOe64
― Evan, Thursday, 1 January 2015 17:00 (nine years ago) link
This could be in... the top 3(?) of favorite Kozelek songs for me, and it's from an album overlooked by most people. Stylistically it's 90% likely a carry-over from his Admiral Fell Promises songwriting period.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pLIC7fK778
― Evan, Thursday, 15 January 2015 21:31 (nine years ago) link
this is indeed pretty great, i didn't know it yet, thanks for the hint.
― it's the distortion, stupid! (alex in mainhattan), Thursday, 15 January 2015 22:00 (nine years ago) link
You're very welcome.
It has the closest structure & style to Alesund but its coda has much more emotional pull. Notably helped by the extremely subtle vocal harmonies and banjo accompaniment within it.
― Evan, Thursday, 15 January 2015 22:02 (nine years ago) link
Kozelek: "Steve Shelley was telling me the other night, ’This next one needs to be really good,’ and my hope is that it will be."
Tracklist:
01 “The Possum”
02 “Birds Of Flims”
03 “With A Sort Of Grace I Walked To The Bathroom To Cry”
04 “Garden Of Lavender”
05 “Cry Me A River Williamsburg Sleeve Tattoo Blues”
06 “Ali/Spinks 2″
07 “Little Rascals”
08 “This Is My First Day And I’m Indian And I Work At A Gas Station”
― Evan, Thursday, 19 February 2015 12:46 (nine years ago) link
’This next one needs to be really good’
:/
― Evan, Thursday, 19 February 2015 12:47 (nine years ago) link
well that's what you call aggressively steering into the skid
― slothroprhymes, Thursday, 19 February 2015 13:13 (nine years ago) link
I was really hoping "The Possum" was the last of him getting this approach out of his system. I definitely didn't expect the B side of that single “Cry Me A River Williamsburg Sleeve Tattoo Blues” to have a chance of being included.
I mean, I was just listening to April and it's so well crafted and well performed and moving. I was really hoping he'd return somewhat to that level of care and nuance. Yet these new song titles aren't comforting.
― Evan, Thursday, 19 February 2015 13:30 (nine years ago) link
It's a bit odd opening Kozelek threads with a slight dread that he has said/done something else stupid.
― djh, Thursday, 19 February 2015 17:39 (nine years ago) link
I think we're all getting used to that feeling.
― doug watson, Thursday, 19 February 2015 18:57 (nine years ago) link
don't know about this new album, but I'm finally getting into the desertshore stuff
― Team Foxcatcherwatcher (Sufjan Grafton), Friday, 6 March 2015 21:23 (nine years ago) link
I say this as a relative Kozelek apologist: this is hideous
http://pitchfork.com/news/58752-sun-kil-moon-goes-electric-on-alispinks-2/
― Simon H., Friday, 6 March 2015 21:43 (nine years ago) link
sounds like... sun kil moon. the breakdown is pretty cool. don't forget how insanely prolific he is these days.
― mushaboom kids (rip van wanko), Friday, 6 March 2015 22:32 (nine years ago) link
I don't hate this
― Dinsdale, Saturday, 7 March 2015 09:52 (nine years ago) link
His vocal style lately, this drawl/talk/croak thing, makes it sound to me like he's trying to do an impression of some cliche cool guy inflection. Like he's mumbling the whole song from the back of a parked motorcycle as he leans on his knee and stares off into the horizon. Maybe he thinks he's Matthew McConaughey now cause of True Detective.
― Evan, Sunday, 8 March 2015 01:05 (nine years ago) link
that song is fucking horrible
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Sunday, 8 March 2015 01:12 (nine years ago) link
https://mobile.twitter.com/search?f=realtime&q=%2523FutureSunKilMoonSongs
― Evan, Monday, 9 March 2015 14:47 (nine years ago) link
the rap j mascis never dared
― da croupier, Monday, 9 March 2015 14:51 (nine years ago) link
someone should run LFO's "Summergirls" through a fuzzbox and post it as a new sunkilmoon track
― da croupier, Monday, 9 March 2015 14:55 (nine years ago) link
maybe jerk the pitch around a little on the vocals
― da croupier, Monday, 9 March 2015 14:56 (nine years ago) link
― Evan, Monday, March 9, 2015 10:47 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
irl lols
― slothroprhymes, Monday, 9 March 2015 16:47 (nine years ago) link
Good god, "Perils from the Sea" is so beautiful I don't want to believe its by the trolling dickhead of late.
― djh, Friday, 27 March 2015 20:55 (nine years ago) link
upcoming record w/ Justin Broadrick(!)
http://www.factmag.com/2015/04/27/jesu-and-sun-kil-moon-to-collaborate-on-new-album/
― yeovil knievel (NickB), Monday, 27 April 2015 12:25 (nine years ago) link
I'll fuckin listen to that
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Monday, 27 April 2015 14:04 (nine years ago) link
Wondering if he'll shake his recent McConaughey-croak-rap rut for this one.
― Evan, Monday, 27 April 2015 14:10 (nine years ago) link