Named after a former South Korean boxer, they will knock you off your feet

Named after a former South Korean boxer, they will knock you off your feet

 

 

In focus, the task at hand is to wow Lille Vega (Photo credit: Sun Kil Moon official website)

March 28, 2014
The Copenhagen Post

by Ronnie Safarov

Alternative music fans, get ready for possibly one of the most beautiful sonic experiences of the year so far. Mark Kozelek, the renowned singer-songwriter, exceptional guitarist, and occasional actor, is back to town, this time with his band Sun Kil Moon.

 

Kozelek, a native Ohioan, gained his first big success after moving to San Francisco, where he formed an indie art-rock band Red House Painters with a drummer Anthony Koutsos.

 

Together they developed and perfected a musical style dubbed ’sadcore’ by critics, which is characterised by slow tempos, sombre melodies and intimate lyrics.

 

Since the break-up of Red House Painters in 2001, Kozelek has tried his hand at many various enterprises, even dabbling in acting (you might remember him playing Larry Fellows in Almost Famous).

 

But in 2002 he formed Sun Kil Moon, a new project with a greater accent on folk rock.

 

Named after a former South Korean boxer, the band quickly rose to fame among fans of semi-acoustic rock with albums like Ghosts Of The Great Highway (2003), Tiny Cities (2005) and especially April (2008).

 

Subsequently the band released two more albums that were recorded almost solely by Kozelek and became a sort of introspective soul-searching for the charismatic band leader.

Enter Benji, the latest LP by the band, released in 2014.

 

As sombre and intimate as any of Kozelek’s works, this album has received excellent reviews from critics worldwide, and despite dealing with an inherent melancholy, was named “Kozelek’s least depressing and most life-affirming record” by Pitchfork.

 

On April 1, Kozelek is going to perform at Lille Vega, backed by the band that now features the world-famous Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley.