Old Ramon

Whether Mark Kozelek records as a solo artist or as a member of Red House Painters or Sun Kil Moon, it is his music that comes forth. The other members provide the supportive atmosphere, the occasional jarring riff, and the steady, slowly ticking foundation, but the songs — their poetry, their inescapable melodies, their sense of joy or dread — belong to Kozelek. 2001’s Old Ramon was delayed several years by record label difficulties and finds the group further distancing themselves from the ethereal moody pond of their earlier 4AD recordings — though the gorgeous nine minute slow perk of “Void” recalls those shimmering days. There’s a churning middle-American classic rock to the acoustic-electric guitar weave of “Byrd Joel,” an impressive guitar thunderstorm histrionic to the 11-minute “River” and a punchy, naturalist slant to “Cruiser.” Twisted, obsessive and romantic love remain his common theme, however Kozelek also pays homage to one of his early heroes, John Denver, with “Golden” (he also organized the Denver tribute CD, Take Me Home) and to his cat with “Wop-a-Din-Din.”