Lost Verses

I've always considered Mark Kozelek to be one of the most unheralded singer-songwriters of the past decade. Although he has managed to earn significant street cred in the indieworld, Kozelek hasn't quite achieved mainstream success like some of his contemporaries (Ryan Adams, Conner Oberst, etc). The prolific troubadour, who has released multiple solo albums over the years, as well as efforts with the Red House Painters and his current project Sun Kil Moon, is already getting praise for his upcoming album -- appropriately titled April (which is out April 1st). The other day, I read a Paste Magazine advance review of the record and was delighted when I found out it is already being classified as a masterpiece. Starting today, April can be streamed in its entirety on Sun Kil Moon's MySpace page. And from what I have already heard, I am absolutely blown away. Kozelek does not fail to put his his introspective, nostalgic touch on each song (see "Lost Verses", "Tonight The Sky") , proving that there is not a singer-songwriter that comes close to being as giftedly heartfelt. Give Kozelek a chance and I assure you you'll see what I'm talking about. I predict that April will be a unanimous pick on critics' year-end pick lists.

Essential Mark Kozelek:
Red House Painters - "Have You Forgetten" (Vanilla Sky version)
Red House Painters - "Michigan"
Red House Painters - "Revelation Big Sur"
Red House Painters - "Summer Dress"
Sun Kil Moon - "Carry Me Ohio"
Sun Kil Moon - "Glenn Tipton"
Sun Kil Moon - "Gentle Moon"
Sun Kil Moon - "Neverending Math Equation" (Modest Mouse cover)
Sun Kil Moon - "Ocean Breathes Salty" (Modest Mouse cover)
Mark Kozelek - "Moorestown" (off of Little Drummer Boy)