Well, seems I just posted about his up-coming solo album earlier today I might just have to post something about this one too right now. It’s the first and only new album of 2016 that I’ve got. So I’ll see what I can say about it here on my blog thingy, it’s been out a bit over a month now and I’m liking it more and more after each listen, it’s a real grower. I think if I wrote about it a month ago I don’t think I would say I like it as much as I do now. It’s a bit different to just a Sun Kil Moon album but that’s good really thing. I’ve read some reviews saying it’s more Jesu than Sun Kil Moon, maybe that’s why it’s Jesu first and then Sun Kil Moon as the title of the album but I think it’s really just collaboration between both of them, the best of them both really.
So just if you don’t know Jesu is Justin Broadrick‘s side project to his main band Godflesh, also played on the debut Napalm Death classic album Scum way back in the 80’s and has also worked in various other groups and collaborations. I love the album Scum and should write another of my Classic Album post for it. I have wanted to check out Godflesh and Jesu for a longtime now but haven’t go around to it yet maybe now I will after hearing this album. That’s who done the music on the album and the lyrics and singing is Sun Kil Moon aka Mark Kozelek also from the 90’s indie band Red House Painters too which is I guess who I am coming to this for. The music is almost heavy metal but not really at all, not normal heavy metal maybe the best way to describe it is very harsh especially the first few songs. It’s not very Sun Kil Moon sound so it was a bit of a shock on the first listen. His last few albums have been Sun Kil Moon’s Universal Themes, Benji, Among the Leaves and Perils from the Sea which all on first listen I was thinking how great they are and then just press repeat! So this was little different but that’s cool, it’s actually the closest to something I always think he should do which is one very, very long track like just 80 minutes of a CD of his stream of consciousness lyrics with some kind background music. So I should totally love because of that but on each listen I do love it a little more, it’s amazing when an artist after all these years and albums can still push the envelope, I love that!
After those three very heavy and harsh sounding songs and electronic one called Last Night I Rocked the Room Like Elvis and Had Them Laughing Like Richard Pryor which could be just like the show I saw of his last year. We heard Mark’s acoustic guitar playing on the next track Fragile, only one with it on so it’s closest to his older stuff. Father’s Day is musically more ambient then we go back the sound of the early tracks on the song called Sally but I think I do like these lyrics better on this than on to those early tracks on the album. Thinking about it each song just gets better and better, real flow or you kind-off get into a groove after a while because that. The next three tracks or the last songs on the album are just breathe taking. America’s Most Wanted Mark Kozelek And John Dillinger has to be one of the greatest song titles for a longtime. Then Exodus and Beautiful You are totally well beautiful. I guess these track are more atmospherically musically. Mark’s lyrics are unbelievable here and I feel bit silly trying to say how great they’re. Thinking about it all those albums above that I named dropped at the top of the page they all do the same thing, somehow the tracks just get better and better as the album goes on, do you know what I mean? Mark’s lyrics just unbelievable again and once again words fail me but his are almost never ending. I read somewhere a while ago, I can’t remember where but he was saying he can just walk into to a 7-11 and come with a song in his head, that’s totally amazing to me.
So anyway it also seems easier to buy from the artist themselves, you know record label and/or website than anywhere else now. I had to get the CD and would like to get the vinyl too, that just sounds some of his lyrics on the first track. My home town, Perth is in the lyrics too twice on two different songs. I was writing a post about his show he played here last year so maybe should finish writing it. Mark has told crowds at some the half a dozen shows they have played both of them are going to and are already working on a follow-up album together for 2017 so it’s not going to be just one record but we will see I guess what happens about that. Mark’s on the cover in a fields of sunflowers it seems it’s the first cover he’s been on out of all his albums he’s recorded, the photo was taken by by Steve Shelley, drummer formerly from Sonic Youth and the woman is Macha Kouznetsova if you like to know, who’s also in the lyrics on the album too. Kozelek has done all the album covers up to this point of pretty much all his records he’s done so that’s why he’s not on them because he’s behind the camera. I’ll say to finish off this post I will give the album Jesu/Sun Kil Moon four and one quarter of sunflowers fields out of five. You should listen to it yourself and to finish off the post here’s the song titles, times and what it all adds up too.
Jesu/Sun Kil Moon track listing:
1. Good Morning My Love – 7:04
2. Carondelet – 8:36
3. A Song of Shadows – 6:19
4. Last Night I Rocked the Room Like Elvis and Had Them Laughing Like Richard Pryor – 8:03
5. Fragile – 5:57
6. Father’s Day – 6:12
7. Sally – 6:27
8. America’s Most Wanted Mark Kozelek and John Dillinger – 7:15
9. Exodus – 9:45
10. Beautiful You – 14:01
Total length – 79:30
a1000mistakes 