Rating: 9/10
Genre: Acoustic/Alternative
Another release that won't be making the headlines in many music magazines this year is Mark Kozelek's new Sun Kil Moon album Admiral Fell Promises. Following on from the Red House Painters Kozelek has continually delivered great albums to critical acclaim whilst remaining well and truly hidden from the mainstream. His work with Sun Kil Moon to date has all been of sterling quality allowing him to open up and experiment with different styles of music whilst retaining his textbook sombre ballad style.
"Admiral Fell Promises" however is a departure from the variety displayed on "April" or "Ghosts Of The Great Highway" and see's Kozelek go back to basics with stunning results. Oddly the album is released under Sun Kil Moon's moniker whilst the album itself appears to be more of a solo effort but this is of no real importance being that even when with Sun Kil Moon members in tow Mark is still the creating driving force. Fitting to type the album is made up of sombre brooding ballads performed with little else but an acoustic guitar for company leaving the compositions airy and sparse. As usual Mark's expert lyricism is instantly affecting and shows a great level of depth and range in terms of emotion. The lyrics are delivered in his usual mumbled soft tone making it a beautifully soft album with a dream like quality and a thrill to unwind to. Between the songs are classical styled jazzy interludes of spanish guitar. Highlights include the beautiful winding "Third And Seneca" which has the slightest cymbal brushes and has a beautiful instumental mid section. "Church Of The Pines" also stands out with its spanish interludes and overlapped vocals adding an extra dimension of beauty. The only negative aspect is that it is quite similiar to much of Kozelek's material and as such could be seen as a safe choice in terms of the minimal variation.
Overall I would recommend this album to any eclectic music fan. The soft melodies and dreamy vocals makes this an engrossingly beautiful listen, perfect for soothing the stresses of a bad day. Highly recommended.
Download: "Half Moon Bay" "Church Of The Pines"
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