Sun Kil Moon - Benji
I honestly and personally feel that this is one of the lyrically wise, brutally honest albums that I have heard in years/decades!
I find it the emotional level of what I consider a masterpiece 'Berlin" by Lou Reed, except that "Benji" is not a fictionalized album but true stories from northern Ohio by Mark Kozelek and from a long time(less) ago. If you're older than 35-40.. then you will get it... Otherwise move on.. Sorry, not quite true... there's a lot to learn from this album no matter how old we are...
I will listen to this album all throughout 2014 and beyond that..Songwriting at its highest level/near mind blowing and with a unique personal touch... I'm enticed/shattered by the stories, so real... hits me right in the weak point and I almost feel that it is my life... or like I'm right there and experienced it all.. Reminds me of my past, friends and family that all to me what I'm today and what I respect and appreciate.. I now truly miss my Grandmother, recognize the value of my family and friends... and feel for those who lost much more.
This is a huge credit to any album... from me at least.. I bend over and bow respectively for this album because it also made me reflect on my own life and what happens around us beyond our own little bubble.. making me think about what is truly important and what is not...
Five stars out of five.. and yes, I'm judging this album from a more emotional aspect than technical/musical aspect..But the Songs Remain The Same..and I realize after all the death, tragedies and emotional that this albums expose me to, it is all about moving forward and grasp the real moment of here and now, create a new past..
Bohren are one of a very small handful of bands that can make music that is as sinister as it is relaxing. Yeah, it's true that their sound has not really evolved at all--pick up any Bohren album and it'll sound pretty much exactly the same as any of their others. But there's no denying that they've mastered dark jazz as a genre--as a pure expression of dark ambient music as filtered through jazz, Bohren's music simply cannot be beat.
Also, if you haven't listened to the new Sun Kil Moon and you're big on country/folk/indie-rock singer/songwriter stuff, you are doing yourself a *grave* disservice. Some people aren't too excited about it given how much of a departure it is from SKM's earlier material (insofar as the lyrics are concerned), but I think it's a real emotional wringer--by allowing himself to specifically detail moments in his life and his relationships with other (real) people Mark Kozalek is proving the point (well illustrated by James Joyce and Roger Ebert, among others), that the more specific and personal your storytelling the more universal it becomes. When you try to create something that's 'for everyone' you're actually creating something that's for no one. Kozalek has long been a master of making sad music for sad people--well, now he's a ******* wizard at it, precisely because this is music for everyone. If you can't find something to relate to here, then chances are you're actually a lizard. Go see your doctor about that.
Bohren are one of a very small handful of bands that can make music that is as sinister as it is relaxing. Yeah, it's true that their sound has not really evolved at all--pick up any Bohren album and it'll sound pretty much exactly the same as any of their others. But there's no denying that they've mastered dark jazz as a genre--as a pure expression of dark ambient music as filtered through jazz, Bohren's music simply cannot be beat.
Also, if you haven't listened to the new Sun Kil Moon and you're big on country/folk/indie-rock singer/songwriter stuff, you are doing yourself a *grave* disservice. Some people aren't too excited about it given how much of a departure it is from SKM's earlier material (insofar as the lyrics are concerned), but I think it's a real emotional wringer--by allowing himself to specifically detail moments in his life and his relationships with other (real) people Mark Kozalek is proving the point (well illustrated by James Joyce and Roger Ebert, among others), that the more specific and personal your storytelling the more universal it becomes. When you try to create something that's 'for everyone' you're actually creating something that's for no one. Kozalek has long been a master of making sad music for sad people--well, now he's a ******* wizard at it, precisely because this is music for everyone. If you can't find something to relate to here, then chances are you're actually a lizard. Go see your doctor about that.
