Sun Kil Moon - Tiny Cities

Sun Kil Moon. Tiny Cities . 2005. 4 stars .

After being floored by Sun Kil Moon’s latest album April , I was compelled to uncover more gems from Mark Kozelek’s career, finding this impressive collection of Modest Mouse covers. That’s right, Tiny Cities is entirely a covers album dedicated to the Midwest’s indie heroes, and Kozelek successfully takes their soul-searching songs and makes them his own.

At first, I approached this album with caution, questioning the wisdom of doing a covers album, despite already being a fan of Modest Mouse. To my pleasant surprise, Kozelek’s reinterpretations are both radically different from their source material without betraying the intelligence and insight of Isaac Brock’s lyrics. Kozelek turns away from Brock’s wild and often maniacal performance and instead plays his narratives through resigned acoustic passages. When filtered through the warm gauze of Kozelek’s voice, the gentle spirit of Modest Mouse is revealed with greater clarity, calling greater attention to the folksy demeanor and dusty memories that had once been hidden within.

With this approach, the more raw Mouse tunes, like "Tiny Cities Made of Ashes" and "Convenient Parking" are streamlined into short, beautiful displays of melancholy. Kolezek’s use of symphonic production also highlights the epic tones contained within "Space Travel is Boring", using Brock’s material to find darker pools of longing.

Tiny Cities , in short, is a fitting tribute to one of indie rock’s greatest acts, extending the lyrical majesty that has made them so significant. Even for those who have no knowledge of Modest Mouse’s material, this is a stunning example of Kozelek’s unique singing style and soothing instrumental work.

Digg!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008 at 9:09 am and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.