Gave April a listen yesterday, and yeah, it's just a step down in quality of songs overall, for me anyway

So if Sun Kil Moon the Moon is a Dead World?

Gave April a listen yesterday and confirmed that I like this more. Wish the songs were performed solely on guitar like they are here (ex: Tonight The Sky).

i thought my comment was funny.

you thought.

you like ctts so blurprprprp

I'd like April and Ghosts to both be acoustic too, though the playing styles are different on those albums compared to this. He's gotten better here, definitely, but I'm kind of disappointed that he doesn't strum some of his chords on this album

I think fans of Joanna Newsom's latest will definitely enjoy this. Both Have On Me and this album have a stunningly intimate chamber mood.
This has become my favorite Kozelek release, might be a 4.5

Album Rating: 4.0

album is fantastic, something i've wanted him to make for years

Album Rating: 4.0

yeah, everyone seems to be like, "why's this not the Mark Kozelek we love, rawr." idk He eschews memorable hooks for a more layered songwriting approach. This album is more about his guitar and less about his vocals. That would be a problem if he wasn't as equal beautiful with the guitar as he is with his voice.

Album Rating: 4.0

This is pretty much the same Kozelek I've always heard minus a band plus flashy nylons, but it's not like his guitar playing is a crutch. The heart of his songwriting is still there and as top-notch as ever. It seems most people's beef with this album so far is that his guitar playing isn't as "folksy" or "chord strummin" or whatever you want to call shit like "Glenn Tipton," but I think the change in style fits more with the breezy feel of this material. Likewise, this style wouldn't have worked on Ghosts of the Great Highway as it carried a more reflective tone which was accentuated by the folkier style.

Does this guy still sing like he has bells palsy? If so I'm out. EDIT: Checked, yes he does, but the music is fantastic.

Album Rating: 4.0

This is great; not quite as good or memorable as Ghosts, but I enjoy it about as much as April, which was a bit too long overall. Alesund is one of his finest songs and the the guitar here is amazing as well.

No this is not my guitar, I'm bringing it to a friend. No I don't sing, I'm just humming along.

Album Rating: 4.0

He has a quite different songwriting idiom on this. It doesn't sound drastically different, but it is considerably so.

Album Rating: 3.0

Hi Jared,



I created an account to say that yours is the only review I've read that has nailed my reasons for being disappointed with this album, so thanks for that.



I saw Mark play a live solo show last summer and left disappointed and bored, but at the time I was so immune to any criticism of the guy that I put it down to having had a bad day and not much liking the venue. I realise now that he introduced four or five of these songs that night, and that was what bored me. I had the same sensation when listening to the album for the first time.



I agree that he works best with a band behind him. The other album which is largely solo is Songs for Blue Guitar, and that has always been my least favourite of his output. However, I can't help mnoticing that the majority of reviews and fan reaction has been hugely positive, with lots of mention of this maybe being his best work. I think that this combined with his increasingly referencing money and finance in interviews/gigs (possibly since he took on his own label) mean that in the future the band-backed releases and tours will become the exception rather than the standard.



Thanks agin for the great review.

I appreciate the feedback Kaixo, and it's nice that we share the same opinion. I really hope that he will go back to using a full band eventually.

In response to what you say about the critical reception for this album, a lot of reviews have been positive so far, true, but as a whole, I they have been slightly lower than both Ghosts and April, though not by much.

Album Rating: 4.0

Certainly an album that requires time to get something out of. I found the first listen to be an utter slog but it got progessively better.



Kinda like having to eat through a moldy bread cover to get at a juicy steak.

Hmmm, that chord change in Alesund is just like wow...

probably one of his best songs

album cover looks a lot like a paul mccartney


[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/03/Chaos_and_Creation_in_the_Back_Yard.jpg[/img]