April

Sun Kil Moon’s Mark Kozelek has written an unusual number of epic compositions throughout his career, and 2008’s April, the third Sun Kil Moon, is packed with extended, anguished acoustic and electric blowouts that obsess on memory and personal loss. For nine minutes Kozelek haunts “Lost Verses” as an invisible presence observing his loved ones while an anonymous vocal choir chants eerily behind him. For seven-plus minutes, “The Light” shifts between acoustic and electric guitar textures and a downcast, somber melody that best expresses the song’s emotional insecurities. “Tonight the Sky,” a tribute to a late friend, comes charging forth with a mutation on the riff from Neil Young’s “Ohio,” its passion for life growing stronger throughout its ten-minute build. “Lucky Man” recounts Kozelek’s wayward teenaged years and love for classic rock. “Moorestown” walks the streets of a small town where a romance blossomed. “Tonight in Bilbao” expresses a touring musician’s spiritual isolation. The album’s sonic and emotional depth is unparalleled.