Leaks and covers, together again! Mark Kozelek’s Sun Kil Moon incarnation’s got an album of Modest Mouse covers, Tiny Cities, out on the first of November. Kozelek’s previous covers effort, What’s Next to the Moon was an all-AC/DC effort which was such a complete re-imagining a KCRW executive notoriously insisted that the title track was originally by Leonard Cohen. This isn’t the most anticipated track, but it’s worth checking out if you know Modest Mouse at all. Hard to believe that it’s got anything to do with the original- except for the lyrics, which got Kozelek interested in the first place.
Sun Kil Moon – “Ocean Breathes Salty” (MP3 link removed)
(Big ups to Michael)
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this is fucking sickening.
im a huge MM fan,
but this shit just isnt working.
bad cover.
the 2nd ive heard off this album,
i had high hopes.
they have been drained.
i now have no hope for this album.
i’ll stick to my MM origional.
as is always the case with MM,
the lyrics are great but Issacs urgency singing them is what makes them great.
this is just slowing it down to a numbing degree where what he’s saying doesnt matter.
i’ll glady stick to my origional modest mouse records, though i respect the effort
I liked some of the tracks on the album but it’s very hit and miss. The best track I thought was “Space Travel is Boring”. The covers of “Tiny Cites Made of Ashes” and “Jesus Christ was An Only Child” were just horrible. The one you posted is sort of in between.
And it’s weird that the release date states November 1st when I received the album in the mail last week after ordering it from the label’s website and since I live in Canada it was actually shipped on October 3rd but took a long time to get here. I guess that’s just when it hits stores.
i hear this album is very much a total Kozelek thing and doesn’t sound like MM at all
If you order this from the label you can get it now. It is an interesting album, it is definitely hit or miss though, and like Kozelek’s previous covers it is totally in his style. If you are a big MM fan this is definitely worth picking up. Neverending math equation is really good.
At the risk of stating the obvious, Mark Kozelek doesn’t normally make covers that sound like the originals. One could even say that part of the charm of doing song covers is taking them in a new direction.
If you want a band that performs Modest Mouse songs while sounding just like Modest Mouse, you can always listen to Modest Mouse.
Sorry, Logan. That’s not the way Mark Koz flies. He doesn’t really do covers, but rewrites and reworks the songs from the ground up. Don’t be mad at the song because it’s no longer Modest Mousey. Be mad because it’s not nearly as good as his AC/DC stuff.
I wonder why he released it under his project Sun Kil Moon instead of his own name. Or, why not just come up with a new name?
‘I wonder why he released it under his project Sun Kil Moon instead of his own name. Or, why not just come up with a new name?’
i’ve been hearing it’s because SKM was his biggest seller. still haven’t checked this out. i really dig ‘what’s next to the moon’
that is exactly why Matt
there’s only 1 or 2 songs on this that feature similiar members as Ghosts of the Great Highway.
and yes, while a few songs are great (i honestly adore his taken on Ocean Breathes Salty and Tiny Cities), not all of them work, and overall the album is very much the same tone & tempo for the most part, making it a bit snoozy to listen to all the way through (and i’m a Koz fanboy). but you’re right, his AC/DC covers are better than this.
Just about anything that comes out of Mark Kozelek’s mouth is gold. Who else could make all those AC/DC songs sound so good?
Sun Kil Moon – Tiny Cities
1. Exit Does Not Exist
2. Tiny Cities Made of Ashes
3. Neverending Math Equation
4. Space Travel Is Boring
5. Dramamine
6. Jesus Christ Was an Only Child
7. Four Fingered Fisherman
8. Grey Ice Water
9. Convenient Parking
10. Trucker’s Atlas
11. Ocean Breathes Salty
Bitrate is only 134-187 VBR I`m afraid, but at least it`s a taste.
Code:
http://rapidshare.de/files/6450515/SKM-TC.rar.html
What the hell?!!! No no no no, I agree with the first comment, it’s NOT right without MM, man.. This is wrong and annoying as hell!
I can’t believe a musician this good would want to cover a band that bad =(
Maybe it’ll be an improvement…
I think all of you are ridiculous. Get this through your head this guy does NOT and never did WANT to sound like modest mouse. While I do enjoy modest mouse, I am sure he has their explicit permission to rework their songs and to be honest it is a compliment to MM’s lyrical abilities that an artist like this would WANT to recreate these songs. If you are thinking this is going to be a MM tribute than forget it and don’t bother with the album….that is not the intention so don’t get upset if it does not sound like Modest Mouse. Different people ARE aloud to like different types of music. I know that will confuse some of you…..
This song is pretty good. Looking at its lyrics, I see what Kozelek probably saw: lyrics this good demand better music than Modest Mouse can provide. Has Kozelek provided it? With this song, I think he has. I reserve judgment on the others. I think Kozelek sounds his best when he is with a band.
In the end, this record is going to be like his AC/DC stuff–hits (“Bad Boy Boogie”) and misses.
You know, now that I’ve listened to this song for a while, and I disagree with many of the posts. Kozelek IS doing Modest Mouse. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing–it’s probably his goal. I can hear the original song in his version, even the off-key part. The original song is good.
Mark’s new album is stunning, as good as anything he has done and I hope it sells loads as Sun Kil Moon. Who would have thought that those awful Modest Mouse arrangements could be changed into something so beautiful.
I really dont know what you guys are talking about. I dont know how much history you know about Koz, SKM, or the Red House Painters, but if you expect this to sound like Modest Mouse in any shape or form, you are going to be HIGHLY DISAPOINTED. This release is very much in the vein of anything you have heard from Koz in his career. I think the “covers” if you can call them that, are brilliant. Of course, some better than others. My gripe is that the album is too short.
Vodkasuffle,
I don’t know whom you’re addressing. I am a big Kozelek fan and a casual Modest Mouse fan. If you don’t think that these are “covers,” you’re not listening. The songs don’t appear related at first listening, but they are. I don’t think there is a bad song on TINY CITIES. But you aren’t giving Modest Mouse enough credit. Koz certainly gives them a lot, and wouldn’t be covering the songs otherwise. The covers gave me a new-found appreciation of MM.
Paul,
Yeah, I think you are right. I didnt mean to slight MM at all, obviously Kozelek feels that they are pretty brilliant lyrically and in performance, otherwise he never would have covered the songs. I enjoy MM quite a bit, but like you said, I have a new appreciation for the band, mostly through knowing lyrics better through the interpretation of Kozelek. Let’s face it, he isn’t as appreciated as a songwriter as he should be. And when people hear of a covers album, they normally dismiss it as simple reinterpretation of the originals, but this is a pretty drastic restructuring of the songs, which understandably may turn off some MM fans. I guess I just like the album so much, that I may have went off the handle to no-one in particular.
hey, i love the way that sun kil moon re did this song. i like the modest mouse version but sun kil moon is o much better i can’t explain it. his voice is so iron and wine/ mark kozelek . I love it. F* all you haters.
I’ve gotta say as a fan of both bands I was looking forward to the retoolings, but most of it is bland. I think Ocean Breathes Salty is the highlight of the album, along with Space Travel and Grey Ice Water.
This song is pretty sad to begin with, and I think that this version really brings that out. For my part, I’ll take both.
I believe everyone is entitled to their own opinion, so in that case..here is mine. Being a RHP, MK and SKM fan, this is very much in the vein that MK follows. He is unique in that what you may feel was a good song originally sounds totally askew, that’s the way that it’s intended. Mark is very original and makes it his own, yes it sounds vaguely like MM, but no one, and I mean no one is going to make it sound original…and why would you. Just pick up a MM cd and listen to it then, but if you want a new take on it, listen to SKM….
Haters use haste!
The beauty of this album is the contrast. I happen to be a fan of both Modest Mouse and Sun Kil Moon, but I would not say jaded. I would agree that Brock’s delivery is as important if not more than his lyrics, but his lyrics aren’t too shabby. And to have Mark Kozelek provide another perspective is quite a gift. I still hear Brock spitting out the lyrics, but I love the opportunity to compare completely different voices saying the same thing.
I havent even bought the album yet.. What Modest Mouse listeners dont get is that its in a was supposed to piss you off! MM as a band are just down right awful!
Mark is really a genius. It goes way back to Red Houses Painters first release ‘Down Colorful Hill’, through his solo stuff and now Sun kil Moon.
Just really give all of his work a listen.. You will get where he goes with the sounds and the reasons behind doing cover albums… He’s fan of other bands and not a fan of himself which should piss the MM fans off… MM should take lessons from the work…
I have known MK since he was born. I was his babysitter when he and his sisters were babies. I infected his mind with Led Zepelin, Arlo Guthrie and James Gang. Mark also had the advantage of one of the greatest radio stations in the country, WMMS out of Cleveland. Mark is classically trained on the guitar and was teaching piano at 16 years of age. The musical presentations Mark prepares for us, the listening public, are gifts which we all should cherish. Most of the world has recognized these gifts and responds accordingly, except the USA. I will now listen to MM and Mark’s new creation and appreciate Mark broadening my listening play field. Thank you Mark for the Christmas gift and Merry Christmas to you. Jimmi from Massillon.
I find it hard to believe that so called music fans can’t be open minded enough to appreciate both versions of the songs. I must say that Modest Mouse has been my absolute favorite band since 1998. I have limited knowledge of Mark’s music… other than “Ghost of a Great Highway”. But from what I’ve heard… I really love his music. I think it’s incredible to hear 2 very different interpretations from 2 very talented musicians. If you’re not a Modest Mouse fan, well then you haven’t really heard the music.
if anything, sun kil moon rescues some brilliant lyrics from the whiny fanboy travesty that is modest mouse. it happens – bob dylan doesn’t so much sing as whistle through his nasal septum, but he could certainly pen a nice song from time to time.
in fact, sun kil moon’s radical reworking of their songs is fitting, considered in the context of modest mouse’s cover of slayer’s south of heaven, which was a bit like reshooting fight club with andy dick instead of brad pitt as tyler durden.
even if you hate modest mouse, which i do, and everyone should, this is a fine cd.
I had no idea that this was a Modest Mouse covers album. I had one MM album at a point in time, disliked it greatly and sold it. I bought this album because I’m a big Mark Kozelek fan. I’m so out of the loop that I just assumed the songwriting credits under names other than Kozelek’s were just to do something different. At any rate, I guess Isaac can write lyrics excellently as I fully believed they were Mark’s lyrics. I don’t see why anyone should be so hateful as it’s just an interpertation of other’s songs as Kozelek has done before. I’m sure AC/DC fans would be pretty pissed off if you played “What’s Next To The Moon” for them, too. I believe everyone should appreciate it for what it is …a brillant reworking of another artist’s work. Kozelek excells at this sort of thing. If you can extract feeling from Bon Scott you can pull it out of anything or anyone…gorgeous listening for a quiet melancholy afternoon.
I’ve been a Modest Mouse fan for almost six years when my brother in law bought me Lonesome Crowded West. This year he got me Tiny Cities and I was very intrigued. I’ve never listened to anything that Kozelek has before and I really enjoy this album. The reason I’m such a MM fan is because of the lyrics and despite the fact that Koz doesn’t cram them down our ears like Issac Brock does they seem even more powerful. It seems to me that Koz just carelessly sings these songs and lets you make your own opinion of them, where as Brock kind of says, “This is me, take it or leave it”. Obviously I’ve taken it, I own everything MM has put out except for their vinyls. I’m very happy with this, but wtf do you people care what I think anyway.
i first heard of sun kil moon today at school when my teacher was playing it. i recognized the lyrics and i was shocked because it wasn’t modest mouse. the songs are slow and to mellow. his guitar playing sounds alomost the same in every song along with his singing. anyways i think its pretty cool that this guy pick modest mouse for an album cover because thats a little unusual to pick them. just gives modest mouse more credit and more people to discover them.
I haven’t heard the whole cd, but what I have heard I truly love. And yes, I also love Modest Mouse. Comparing it to Modest Mouse is insane, they are apples and oranges in comparison, but I think the songs I have heard are beautiful and bring light to what great lyrics that Modest Mouse has. Great stuff!
K
I downloaded some of this by accident (so no hype at all) I didn’t know who was behind it or if anyone else had ever heard it all. All I can say is lucky me. I love it. Especially great to paint to.
“i first heard of sun kil moon today at school when my teacher was playing it. i recognized the lyrics and i was shocked because it wasn’t modest mouse. the songs are slow and to mellow. his guitar playing sounds alomost the same in every song along with his singing. anyways i think its pretty cool that this guy pick modest mouse for an album cover because thats a little unusual to pick them. just gives modest mouse more credit and more people to discover them.
Posted by: Martin at September 27, 2006 4:46 PM”
oh man. you’re teacher is awesome. you however… i dislike your opinion.
My old computer crashed so
I was trying to download all
of the music that I had again
so I went to download ‘space travel is boring’
by modest mouse and accidently downloaded
the sun kil moon cover of it.
My fist reaction was the classic “What the hell?”
Then, once I realized what had happened I fully
listened to it, I liked it. I also like Sun Kil
Moon though, but I honestly like it.
They’re not trying to be modest mouse and
I am reallly glad that they just made a version
all of their own.
You are all idiots. the end. those songs had no hope til kozelek saved the day.
I like sun kil moon a hell of alot more than modest mouse so I am biased and of course I like SKM’s version better.
All the songs on this album sound exactly the same. His fingers move like slugs with guitar. He outs no emphasis on the lyrics. The guitar is almost the exact same for every song on this.
It’s basically the same song over and over with a different one of modest mouse’s song’s lyrics.
Just boring, boring songs. They have no emotion at all.
They’re not sad. They just bore me.
They don’t make me think like MM’s versions do
They don’t provide any reason to listen to.
The guitar is so god damn boring, I just tap my fingers impatiently.
I don’t dislike because it’s slow, but the guitar is so repetative and uninteresting.
Truly a fall from modest mouse’s version.
Whenever I listen to it, I can’t think.
It inhibits my thoughts with one big thought “TURN THAT OFF, NOW”.
All the songs on this album sound exactly the same. His fingers move like slugs with guitar. He outs no emphasis on the lyrics. The guitar is almost the exact same for every song on this.
It’s basically the same song over and over with a different one of modest mouse’s song’s lyrics.
Just boring, boring songs. They have no emotion at all.
They’re not sad. They just bore me.
They don’t make me think like MM’s versions do
They don’t provide any reason to listen to.
The guitar is so god damn boring, I just tap my fingers impatiently.
I don’t dislike because it’s slow, but the guitar is so repetative and uninteresting.
Truly a fall from modest mouse’s version.
Whenever I listen to it, I can’t think.
It inhibits my thoughts with one big thought “TURN THAT OFF, NOW”.