Sun Kil Moon
Tiny Cities

THE REVIEW

Let's start from this assumption: "Tiny Cities," the second album of the project Sun Kil Moon (led by the American Mark Kozelek) is probably the most criticized work of this project, one with the least emotional force.

The album was released in 2005, two years after the debut "Ghosts of the Great Highway," and from the day of its release, it sparked much debate among Kozelek fans. Many people saw it as a sparse work (with a runtime around 30 minutes), but above all, a record lacking bite, devoid of the nostalgic charge that instead emerged strongly with the debut album. These were all criticisms that "clashed" with the positive comments (the minority) directed at "Tiny Cities."

So after listening to the album in question a couple of times, I decided to address it, to highlight a positive perspective towards an album that the majority considered negative instead. In "Tiny Cities," we find Kozelek capable of describing to us with his guitar and his deep voice, a universe of stories written by Isaac Brock, Eric Judy, and Jeremiah Green, three members of the indie band Modest Mouse, from which Kozelek draws some compositions, reinterpreting them in his decadent style. All the tracks on the album have been taken from Modest Mouse and reworked by Kozelek, thus becoming musical stories, masterfully and lightly narrated by the voice of the American singer-songwriter.

All the criticisms aimed at this album, particularly those concerning its sparseness, are entirely valid, and frankly, it is unclear why this choice was made, with short songs that end up going "unnoticed." The fact remains that for those who write, "Tiny Cities" represents a good alt-country album, closely linked to Kozelek, although the tracks were not born from his mind. The cornerstone of his music lies in the "ancient" touch he injects into what he plays, that feeling of music tied to another time, where the voices of sadness and nostalgia fit gloriously. In this sense, I am inclined to mention "Neverending Math Equation", which, although it develops on an acoustic and almost "cheerful" base, manages to sound dark in its tone, in its progression through Kozelek’s vocalizations. The same can be said of "Grey Ice Water" and "Convenient Parking". Alongside these good guitar visions over which Mark's voice overlays, there are, however, some forgettable pieces, which fortunately pass by given the short duration of the songs.

The final result is an album teetering between a "experimental" solution and some frankly somewhat incomprehensible choices that the good Kozelek will have made for his reasons, but which impact an overall judgment that directs "Tiny Cities" towards sufficiency, distant from the strings of one of the greatest songwriters of recent decades.

1. "Exit Does Not Exist" (1:24)
2. "Tiny Cities Made Of Ashes" (3:13)
3. "Neverending Math Equation" (2:53)
4. "Space Travel Is Boring" (3:42)
5. "Dramamine" (2:44)
6. "Jesus Christ Was An Only Child" (1:59)
7. "Four Fingered Fisherman" (2:41)
8. "Grey Ice Water" (2:32)
9. "Convenient Parking" (1:56)
10. "Trucker's Atlas" (2:49)
11. "Ocean Breathes Salty" (4:35)