Sun Kil Moon – Admiral Fell Promises

Releasedate: 13-07-2010; Label: Caldo Verde Records
By: Lara Cappelli

Sun Kil Moon is the project of American singer-songwriter Mark Kozelek, created after his previous band Red House Painters broke up in 2001. He is the main composer of the group, that have released four full-length so far. “Admiral Fell Promises” is their latest one.

A man and his guitar is roughly what you can find in this album. The man in question is Mark Kozelek who decided to structure this album around the only atmosphere created by his voice and guitar, without any other addition. As risky as it may sound, it works, it perfectly works. After some patient listenings one starts catching on the real beauty of this album, bit by bit. At first there’s Mark’s crystalline voice which he insists on to convey the overall mood of the songs. Afterwards, the guitar might easily strike with its style which reminds of flamenco. The lyrics are remarkable too, with their overview of Mark’s personal observations that make the album more intense and intimate. Once all these elements are found, the amount of emotional power the album manages to convey seems unbelievable and it all doesn’t sound as simple as the first listenings did, but rather elaborated and multi-faced more than ever. It is incredible what a sole man can give if only he has something to tell and an instrument to do it with.

Links:
Sun Kil Moon MySpace
Sun Kil Moon Official