Sun Kil Moon is the solo moniker of Mark Kozelek who you might recognize as the lead singer from the 90's band, Red House Painters. A band that prided itself on writing very slow, but also emotionally complex songs. That tradition isn't lost on Mark's solo stuff, as Mark himself says on the track "I Watched the Song Remains the Same", that he has always been a melancholy person. Thus, Benji is not an album with a lot "happy" moments, however, it would be wrong to say there isn't a light at the end of the tunnel.
The album starts mournfully and beautifully with the track "Carissa" which details the unfortunate death of Mark's second cousin who burned to death after accidentally putting an aerosol can in the trash. An event that is later recalled on the track "Truck Driver" where Mark tells an eerily similar story, but this time about his uncle.
Loss of friends and family plays a bug role on Benji, whether it be a physical death or a separation of emotions. For instance, the track "I Love My Dad" is a tribute to Mark's father, but he only describes things he did when mark was young, not the man he is currently which he hints at toward the end of the song by saying he's not a perfect man.
Another truly standout moment on this LP, and perhaps my favorite is the song "Jim Wise." It tells the story of a man who "Mercy killed his wife at the hospital, by her bedside", but now faces life in prison, and is currently under house arrest. The way Mark paints the picture of Jim and the situation he's in is so vivid and heartbreaking, I can't help but get a little choked up every time I listen to it.
In fact, that emotion is one I feel throughout the album, it's one of sadness, but mixed with an odd sense of assurance that even though there is a lot of death and pain in life, there are moments of happiness that make it all worthwhile. The track "Ben's My Friend" is the closer, and goes through a "Pretty dull and uneventful" day in Mark's life, ending in him going to see The Postal Service in concert. I love Mark's wry lyrics on this track, and just try to get the refrain about crab cakes out of your head.
I loved this album, and see it as an early contender for album of the year... it's that good.
10/10
The album starts mournfully and beautifully with the track "Carissa" which details the unfortunate death of Mark's second cousin who burned to death after accidentally putting an aerosol can in the trash. An event that is later recalled on the track "Truck Driver" where Mark tells an eerily similar story, but this time about his uncle.
Loss of friends and family plays a bug role on Benji, whether it be a physical death or a separation of emotions. For instance, the track "I Love My Dad" is a tribute to Mark's father, but he only describes things he did when mark was young, not the man he is currently which he hints at toward the end of the song by saying he's not a perfect man.
Another truly standout moment on this LP, and perhaps my favorite is the song "Jim Wise." It tells the story of a man who "Mercy killed his wife at the hospital, by her bedside", but now faces life in prison, and is currently under house arrest. The way Mark paints the picture of Jim and the situation he's in is so vivid and heartbreaking, I can't help but get a little choked up every time I listen to it.
In fact, that emotion is one I feel throughout the album, it's one of sadness, but mixed with an odd sense of assurance that even though there is a lot of death and pain in life, there are moments of happiness that make it all worthwhile. The track "Ben's My Friend" is the closer, and goes through a "Pretty dull and uneventful" day in Mark's life, ending in him going to see The Postal Service in concert. I love Mark's wry lyrics on this track, and just try to get the refrain about crab cakes out of your head.
I loved this album, and see it as an early contender for album of the year... it's that good.
10/10
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