Universal Themes
On Universal Themes, Mark Kozelek's songs are longer, the hooks are fewer, and the observations are less profound and less likely to have you reflecting on your own life. It is ultimately a spotty album from a guy who has released a lot of spotty albums.
Intricately detailed and highly personalized stories and opinions have been the stock and trade of Mark Kozelek and his regular vehicle Sun Kil Moon for years. He’s never been one to shy away from digging into both the small and large details of his own life, or of sharing his truest, most unfiltered opinions with a…
‘Universal Themes’ at least finds the 48-year-old acting his age and doing what he does best: writing very long, very poetic songs about life, death and small woodland animals and singing them over sparse guitar backing.
What are universal themes for Mark Kozelek? To listen to his eight-song follow-up to the critically adored Benji, titled Universal Themes, they are life itself. We all breathe, we all love, we have friends, we fear death, we work, we go from place to place, we remember, we get bored, we survive.
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Mark Kozelek's wilful idiosyncrasy is indulgent but incredibly compelling; is he now singing about Ry Cooder film soundtracks on Ali/Spinks 2?
It's been a wild year-and-a-half for Mark Kozelek; since dropping Benji last year to instant acclaim, he's toured extensively, been in a Pao...
Mark Kozelek seems intent on establishing himself as the cantankerous old man of indie folk: admittedly a niche position that's wide open.
Sun Kil Moon’s Universal Themes is like a diary with pages that are still blank and need to be filled up.
Mumbled splurges of non-rhyming narrative come thick and fast on Mark Kozelek’s latest
The singer/songwriter behind Sun Kil Moon has been performing under that and other names for over 20 years, but found a new audience with the critical success of Benji.
Sun Kil Moon - Universal Themes review: Iâm gonna tell you a story cos, you know, what the heck.