• Artist: Sun Kil Moon
• Album: April
• Label: Caldo Verde
• Release: 2008
• Links: Official Site

Five years have passed since Mark Kozelek released Ghosts Of The Great Highway, his debut under the Sun Kil Moon moniker. During that time, Kozelek toured endlessly and also released Tiny Cities, his collection of Modest Mouse covers. The recently released April doesn’t aim to duplicate the success of Ghosts. Instead, April finds Kozelek issuing one of his moodiest and most diverse efforts to date.

I am sure that some will be intimidated by some of the lengthier tracks on April, but if you are familiar with Kozelek’s work, then you are probably already aware that he has a penchant for the guitar epic. For the most part, Kozelek does a fantastic job on April of keeping the listener’s attention. “Lost Verses,” which is sure to go down as one of the best opening tracks of the year, lasts for over nine minutes and every second is completely justified. The same can be said for the heartbreaking “Tonight In Bilbao.”

Part of April’s diversity can arguably be credited to Will Oldham. He appears on several tracks, most notably the edgy “Heron Blue.” Something tells me I’d find more than a couple Oldham records if I raided Kozelek’s house. The complex travelogue of “Moorestown” shows that Kozelek is still among the best at crafting gut-wrenching ballads. It is tracks like this that remind me why Kozelek is one of my favorite lyricists. I’m not sure if I am sold on “Like The River,” but I am fond of closing track “Blue Orchids,” which ends the album on an ominous, yet satisfying note.

Although it may not be as compact or immediate as Ghosts, the delightful April is, at times, just as rewarding. Kozelek tries a variety of styles here and most of them work wonderfully. He is never one to repeat himself, but almost always comes up with something great. It may have taken a long time for April to arrive, but the wait was certainly worth it. April is another worthy entry in the catalogue of one of independent music’s most admired songwriters.

Mark Kozelek is on tour now and will be at the Ottobar in Baltimore on June 18th.

Above you will find the video for “Morningside Heights,” the addictive lead cut from The Latest Rights, the new album by The Strugglers. This is the fourth full length from songwriter Randy Bickford, who has been writing songs under The Strugglers name since 2001. The Latest Rights is in stores this Tuesday (April 15th) courtesy of Acuarela. You can also listen to an MP3 of “Morningside Heights” and check out more songs by The Strugglers on Bickford’s MySpace.

I graduate one month from today. I have a bunch of assignments due this week, but will check back in over the weekend with a couple things. MSNBC’s Chris Matthews is the guest speaker at my graduation. Hey, anything is better than last semester’s guest: Tony Snow. That really would have hurt my soul.