For many years I worked in jobs centered around daily deadlines, where at a certain time of each day I had to pick up my pace and finish. Sometimes I would linger longer than I should, turning the final portion of the workday into a reckless sprint, and this experience has left me weary of dawdlers.
I note this only because this personality trait (deficiency?) has affected my view of Among the Leaves, Sun Kil Moon’s latest effort, in a manner that has nothing to do with musical artistry. While there are spirited lyrics and meaningful notions throughout the album, it never stirs above a contemplative whisper, giving the record’s 17 songs in 73 minutes the feel of being stuck behind a tractor on the expressway. Is it possible — possible — to go a little faster?
None of this is too surprising, as SKM’s Mark Kozelek has for years made this music project one geared with molasses instead of motor oil, eschewing pace for plodding. But Among the Leaves takes this to new levels, as many of the songs feature Kozelek singing solo against the plinking of a nylon stringed guitar. The songs with a bit of violin, banjo or drums are kept firmly in the background, allowing Kozelek to keep the focus on him even when a sonic departure could better alter the scenery.
I’ll give him this – his lyrics can entertain even if the music doesn’t, though he’s one sad fucking dude. A murmurer in the past, Kozelek is easy to discern on Leaves, whether he’s lamenting the state of his audience (“My band played here a lot in the 90s when we had lots of female fans, and fuck they all were cute/ Now I just sign posters for guys in tennis shoes”), infidelity (“OK, so I brought home a little sting from a girl who didn’t mean anything) and of course Denmark (“Denmark, Denmark/ Everyone’s white, everybody rides bikes”). The lyrical highlight comes in “Track Number 8,” where he admits the song “ain’t great” and that songwriting is hard – it’s an elegant turning of tables.
But there’s a point where lyrics are not enough, where the music must try to meet the mastery of words. For every “Sunshine in Chicago,” where Kozelek dour lyrics are brightened by a perky guitar and playful delivery, there are three “The Moderately Talented Yet Attractive Young Woman vs. the Exceptionally Talented Yet Not So Attractive Middle Aged Man” (yeah, I know), where a typical musical arrangement (in this case the waltz) is performed in unremarkable fashion. ”The Winery” features flamenco (flamenco on a nylon guitar? Soooo original), while marathon songs “Young Love” and “Black Kite” repeat and repeat and repeat a swirling of nylon strings.
My album quota for nylon guitar dominance is four songs, so I can admit maybe I’m not the person for this review. But is anyone up for 17 songs of nylon guitar? Admit it, the most you could take is six. Kozelek has plenty to say in Among the Leaves, it’s just too bad he labors for so long to say it.
