Benji
Spunk
With Red House Painters, Mark Kozelek fronted one of the most revered guitar bands of their time. Since then he has put out records of AC/DC and Modest Mouse covers, appeared in films and is now cementing the reputation of Sun Kil Moon who have snuck up on all by having released six albums.
Kozelek has always put a fair portion of his personal experiences into his songs, but Benji may be the most exposed he has ever been. During the course of the album we find that his second cousin and his uncle both died in separate aerosol can explosions. Kozelek’s drawl is so laconic that it sounds like he is gargling antidepressants to work up the energy to utter a single phrase. This is even more evident on Benji which has a strong focus on mortality and people’s untimely passing.
The smell of death isn’t confined to Kozelek’s family as he reflects on serial killers in Richard Ramirez Died Today Of Natural Causes. With the increasing years, Kozelek is less self-conscious to reveal more about the love for his family, and even recounts some of his fumbling early sexual experiences on Dogs.
Kozelek is a ridiculously gifted guitarist, but on Benji the tunes are more direct with strong melodies and his impeccable nasal tones driving the strong tunes in place of any memorable riffs. Death rarely sounded so delightful.
CHRIS HAVERCROFT
