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Sun Kil Moon's Benji

Recording as Sun Kil Moon, Mark Kozelek’s new album, Benji, walks a fine line between tear-jerk confessionals and R. Kelly–style stream-of-consciousness stories. The everyday recollections of “Ben’s My Friend” feel kind of like Kozelek’s own “Trapped in the Closet.”

On Benji, Kozelek weaves singing about a friend or loved one dying into tales involving Kentucky Fried Chicken, Panera Bread, and Dominos. Its tragic moments are almost equaled by it’s out-of-nowhere, laugh-out-loud lyrics. The result is the most depressing album set in the mall food court one could ever imagine.

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Kozelek fans will be split over this release, as its rambling verses often never run across a chorus, and there is nary a bridge in sight. Structurally, most of Benji feels like a rap album. Lots of repeated rhythms and instrumentation complimented by some serious, real-world death, misery, and hard times. This time around, the listener’s opinion of the album will probably depend more on her/his emotional reaction to Kozelek's confessions than the music that accompanies them. I dig it, but I can see why some would prefer Benji the book over Benji the album. It is a strong Sun Kil Moon release, but Ghosts of the Great Highway is still king.

  • Album: Benji
  • Artist: Sun Kil Moon
  • Label: Caldo Verde
  • Songs: (1) Carissa (2) I Can't Live Without My Mother's Love (3) Truck Driver (4) Dogs (5) Pray For Newtown (6) Jim Wise (7) I Love My Dad (8) I Watched the Film The Song Remains the Same (9) Richard Ramirez Died Today of Natural Causes (10) Micheline (11) Ben's My Friend

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Recording as Sun Kil Moon, Mark Kozelek’s new album, Benji, walks a fine line between tear-jerk confessionals and R. Kelly–style stream-of-consciousness stories. The everyday recollections of “Ben’s My Friend” feel kind of like Kozelek’s own “Trapped in the Closet.”

On Benji, Kozelek weaves singing about a friend or loved one dying into tales involving Kentucky Fried Chicken, Panera Bread, and Dominos. Its tragic moments are almost equaled by it’s out-of-nowhere, laugh-out-loud lyrics. The result is the most depressing album set in the mall food court one could ever imagine.

Sponsored
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Kozelek fans will be split over this release, as its rambling verses often never run across a chorus, and there is nary a bridge in sight. Structurally, most of Benji feels like a rap album. Lots of repeated rhythms and instrumentation complimented by some serious, real-world death, misery, and hard times. This time around, the listener’s opinion of the album will probably depend more on her/his emotional reaction to Kozelek's confessions than the music that accompanies them. I dig it, but I can see why some would prefer Benji the book over Benji the album. It is a strong Sun Kil Moon release, but Ghosts of the Great Highway is still king.

  • Album: Benji
  • Artist: Sun Kil Moon
  • Label: Caldo Verde
  • Songs: (1) Carissa (2) I Can't Live Without My Mother's Love (3) Truck Driver (4) Dogs (5) Pray For Newtown (6) Jim Wise (7) I Love My Dad (8) I Watched the Film The Song Remains the Same (9) Richard Ramirez Died Today of Natural Causes (10) Micheline (11) Ben's My Friend
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