MARK KOZELEK, DAVID BAZAN
(Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie) Witnessing Mark Kozelek of Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon performing under a giant illuminated cross inside a Texas Presbyterian church (during South by Southwest) was an odd feeling to say the least. Looking like he’d ditched his notoriously prickly behavior and sinning ways, Kozelek seemed humble, if not downright vulnerable, for the first time in his nearly 20-year career. Much like the greatest icons of the singer-songwriting stable—from Elliott Smith to Tim Hardin—there was also something unapproachable about Kozelek. You didn’t want to have a beer with him, befriend him, or have him crash on your couch—you just wanted to worship him, from afar. The absolutely stunning April, his latest under the Sun Kil Moon moniker, showcases Kozelek’s hazy, soft voice and ability to emotionally draw you in, with the album’s sprawling opener, “Lost Versus,” which clocks in at a little under ten minutes, or the reminiscing love dirge “Moorestown,” where his sad voice seems more pained than usual when he sings, “My thoughts will pause, my throat will swell/When her name is spoken.” That song, in particular, is one of Kozelek’s best, which—when you consider the depth of his vast catalog—is saying a lot. EZRA ACE CARAEFF

I am not joking about this song. While Kozelek was playing it at SXSW, I turned to my friend sitting next to me in the pew and said (a little too loud for church), “this is fucking gorgeous.” To which he replied, “shhhhh!”

Tonight, at the Aladdin, I promise to be quiet and keep my expletives to myself.

MP3:
Mark Kozelek - Moorestown

Photo by Nyree Watts