Live at Phoenix Public House Melbourne

Mark Kozelek has had a number of official live albums (some limited-edition) over the years, each with something to recommend. But 2013\'s *Live at Phoenix Public House Melbourne* is the most lifelike. The between-song banter is left in, and Kozelek\'s honesty and humor are center stage. The unflinching look at touring at the end of \"Sunshine in Chicago\" is heartbreaking for anyone who\'s had dreams of being a successful musician; it\'s made more poignant by the performance of \"The Moderately Talented Young Woman,\" which, like many of the songs here, comes from Sun Kil Moon\'s album *Among the Leaves*. Kozelek\'s guitar work is flawless throughout, and his voice remains one of the most emotive and touching. \"Glenn Tipton\"—originally from Sun Kil Moon\'s debut album, *Ghosts of the Great Highway*—is reworked into a slower meditation. \"Mistress,\" the album\'s oldest song from his Red House Painters days, never loses its magic. The newest song, \"You Missed My Heart,\" proves Kozelek hasn\'t lost his touch for telling stories other songwriters might miss or be too timid to approach.

Recorded live at Phoenix Public House, Melbourne, June 11, 2012.

Live at Phoenix Public House Melbourne draws heavily from Sun Kil Moon's Among the Leaves, and underpins the conflict in Kozelek's gratitude toward his fans-- whose support has led him into a lonely life of touring. In that respect, Like Rats, a new set of covers, may be considered a peace offering.