Sun Kill Moon - entry point?

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'Scratch
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Sun Kill Moon - entry point?

Post by 'Scratch »

I've been hearing about Sun Kill Moon for awhile now but haven't really dove in yet. Members here have pretty good and savvy taste so I was hoping you might steer me in the right direction.

What do you like about them, how would you describe them and what would the best album to start with?
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shuffle
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Re: Sun Kill Moon - entry point?

Post by shuffle »

They've only got three studio albums so far and I'd recommend you to start with Ghost of the Great Highway. Tiny Cities is only Modest Mouse-covers (I haven't heard it yet) and April is a tad on the heavy (not musically) side for a beginner. Ghost of the Great Highway's got this great Neil Young & Crazy Horse-ish vibe that are apparent on April too, but to a lesser extent. I'm having trouble describing their music, so I'd recommend you to just youtube (or something) Carry Me Ohio (it's "only" a little more than 6 minutes :P ). If you dig Sun Kil Moon you should definitely check out Red House Painters since that's Mark Kozelek's first band and Sun Kil Moon is mainly a continuation of his musical journey (the band on Ghost and April is great, but really, Koz is the only one that matters).
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Penny Lane
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Re: Sun Kill Moon - entry point?

Post by Penny Lane »

I agree. Ghost of the Great Highway is the one to start with.. his voice needs some gettin used to (like the National guy)..but once it hits, you might really enjoy. They also covered 'Kentucky Woman' for Elizabethtown (**movie in which MMJ plays the band RUCKUS). Many songs are about boxers, too, so it's kinda cool. I call it sleepy music. Yeah, it's basically the same as Red House Painters.
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Re: Sun Kill Moon - entry point?

Post by brettac1 »

Well, basically Sun Kil Moon sold more albums than the Red House Painters name, so it became Sun Kil Moon. Kozelek is the band.

If I were to recommend a Mark Kozelek starting point, it would be Ghosts of the Great Highway, followed by Red House Painters I (sometimes called Rollercoaster), and then to check out April.

But a really great way to listen to him is to get one of his live solo albums. I personally think that Little Drummer Boy would be a great intro to his work. That way the arrangements are more stripped down and you can listen to the lyrics, then add the layers of studio sound on top of it later when you have an understanding.

I just describe him as melancholic, and that's the best descriptor I can think of. I mean, you're not going to be cheered up, most likely (unless you're one of those "well, I thought I had it bad, but at least I'm not that guy" types). The instrumentation is beautiful. He's about the most consistently excellent writer I can think of, and he's generally quite predictable.

I'm not sure I would compare him to Matt Berninger or The National, really. It's different. With RHP/SKM, it's more like vocals are another instrument. With The National, they typically sit on the top of the mix. To me, it's much more like an MMJ or something, because there's a fair amount of reverb, too.

Koz also plays the bass player in Stillwater in Almost Famous - "Man, I'm hungry, can't we just get some barbecue or something?". He's tight with Cameron Crowe.
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Penny Lane
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Re: Sun Kill Moon - entry point?

Post by Penny Lane »

i meant that those crooner type of voices are hard to get used to..no matter how the voice is used

forgot about that almost famous appearance...
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Re: Sun Kill Moon - entry point?

Post by brettac1 »

Yeah... I guess I have never gotten a "hard to get into" thing with The National. I love monotone baritones, because you can pretty much always decipher the lyrics, which is typically what I'm after. Explains why The National are probably a top five band for me, I suppose. I don't need my singers to sing. In fact, to quote Dave Berman, "all my favorite singers couldn't sing".
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Re: Sun Kill Moon - entry point?

Post by Penny Lane »

brettac1 wrote:Yeah... I guess I have never gotten a "hard to get into" thing with The National. I love monotone baritones, because you can pretty much always decipher the lyrics, which is typically what I'm after. Explains why The National are probably a top five band for me, I suppose. I don't need my singers to sing. In fact, to quote Dave Berman, "all my favorite singers couldn't sing".


and i live in frank sinatra's hometown, maybe that's why i hate crooners...but i love Koz in spite of....i just love storytellers
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Re: Sun Kill Moon - entry point?

Post by Duke Silver »

Love this cover:

ain't no static on the gospel radio

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Re: Sun Kill Moon - entry point?

Post by gerg »

Singers that lean on reverb like he does wear me out after a few songs. I like a handful of his songs but find many, if not most, of them boring and not engaging. Moorestown, from April, is beautiful and a good example of him at his best.

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Re: Sun Kill Moon - entry point?

Post by 'Scratch »

Thanks all. Good info to grok on.
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dime in the gutter
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Re: Sun Kill Moon - entry point?

Post by dime in the gutter »

i've got ghosts of the great hiway.....kinda wears on me after a while.

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Re: Sun Kill Moon - entry point?

Post by 'Scratch »

Yeah, I have PLENTY of melancholy stuff already. Maybe I'll wait awhile. Listen to some Songs:Ohia or Magnolia Electric instead.

Again, thanks for the reviews. I'm sure I'll get around to it but SKM may not be the best mood fit right now.
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dime in the gutter
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Re: Sun Kill Moon - entry point?

Post by dime in the gutter »

'Scratch wrote:Listen to some Songs:Ohia or Magnolia Electric instead.


win-win.

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Re: Sun Kill Moon - entry point?

Post by joelle »

dime in the gutter wrote:
'Scratch wrote:Listen to some Songs:Ohia or Magnolia Electric instead.


win-win.

guaranteed
overall collection
anything molina way trumps SKM
but ghosts of the highway is brilliant in it's own right.
solid solid album.

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Re: Sun Kill Moon - entry point?

Post by cortez the killer »

You are entitled to your opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts.
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Re: Sun Kill Moon - entry point?

Post by Smitty »

His collabs with Jesu suck so bad. Everything post-Benji is terrible.
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Re: Sun Kill Moon - entry point?

Post by WarHenRecords »

Smitty wrote:His collabs with Jesu suck so bad. Everything post-Benji is terrible.
Agree.
Everything up to and including Benji ranges from Good to Incredible.
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Re: Sun Kill Moon - entry point?

Post by Shakespeare »

red house painters catalog was almost uniformly brilliant

sun kil moon never grabbed me quite the same but there were plenty of gems through among the leaves

i couldnt stand benji and hes only fallen off harder since. he can still write great vintage kozelek tracks when he wants to (you missed my heart would stand out even on the classic red house painters albums) but he seems to never give a damn anymore

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