Mark Kozelek - Little Drummer Boy Live Dig +Album Reviews

A Gruff Monk in the Cathedral of Eros

Stephen Silberman | SF, CA USA | 12/02/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Mark Kozelek, the founder of the Red House Painters and current architect of Sun Kil Moon, is one of the most original, emotionally affecting, and haunting songwriters out there. He describes the pain and yearning of love and sexual desire like a monastic singing about the longing to vanish into God. Like that fictional monk, Kozelek's longing will never be fully sated; but outlining the shape of the pain itself becomes a way of talking about how difficult it is to be alive.

Unlike many younger "freak-folk" songwriters in the same vein -- some of whom were deeply influenced by Kozelek's earlier work -- he also radiates a gruff, diffident persona that keeps him from becoming overly precious. His tragic masterpiece "Duk Koo Kim," for instance, was inspired by watching old boxing movies at home. He reinvents AC/DC and Modest Mouse tunes as if they'd been written by the love-child of Hank Williams and Nick Drake. Onstage, he often seems less-than-comfortable, breaking off his elaborate finger-picking patterns perfunctorily, or rushing through the lyrics, as if the songs are too personal to be exhibited in a mere nightclub full of inevitably chattering, cell-phone-toting yuppies. Thankfully, neither of those tics plague these tracks, selected from a recent acoustic tour with former RHP rhythm guitarist Phil Carney.

Kozelek's treatments of his songs are both reverent and fresh. "Salvador Sanchez" -- a Crazy Horse-inspired electric firestorm on Sun Kil Moon's superb "Ghosts of the Great Highway" -- sounds like a traditional folksong about a sainted culture-hero in this version. Only Kozelek could take the well-toasted Christmas chestnut "The Little Drummer Boy" and make it resonate with the call of a soul in desolation. The Cars' "All Mixed Up" -- a dynamic multilayered electric creation on RHP's masterpiece "Songs for a Blue Guitar" -- is played in a hush, with a trembling voice that suggests that the refrain "everything will be all right" is nowhere near the truth. The only misstep on "Ghosts" was a pumped-up version of "Lily and Parrots" that obliterated the song's wistful lyrics under a mushroom cloud of feedback; here, the song is resurrected acoustically with crystal clarity. One of the most poignant tracks on this album is a new tune called "Unlit Hallway," which pairs a melody worthy of a classic ballad with aching lyrics like "breathe my love, wake my love," as if the singer was a sad god whose power to raise the dead was starting to slip.

Nearly every track on this record is lovely, though "Mistress" is marred by overuse of a falsetto vocal technique that was spine-chilling when Kozelek employed it during live versions of "Evil," but here just sounds like a jokey trumpet-imitation that goes on way too long.

I didn't give this record five stars only because Kozelek's treatments of the songs are rather similar, lending the album a somewhat monochromatic feel. But it's a beautiful monochrome, and consider this a 4-and-a-half-star review, because it's still a great album. Fans of introspective music that sustains a poignant mood while addressing the darkness at the heart of love should not hesitate to pick it up."

Kozelek's Early Christmas Gift

Sao Paulo | 12/01/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a good live album recorded during several shows on Sun Kil Moon's tour this year. I have become a very big Kozelek fan post-RHP, but I had no idea this album was being released until last week. This is a must-have for fans. The craftsmanship is excellent, so this live album would be a good starting place for those new to Kozelek's music, sort of as a greatest hits compilation.

Three of the songs on Sun Kil Moon's "Tiny Cities" cover album of Modest Mouse songs are covered here brilliantly, kicking off disk 1 with "Trucker's Atlas," closing out disk 2 with "Tiny Cities," and in between "Four Fingered Fisherman," following the stellar, soaring "Duk Koo Kim." The three Modest Mouse covers may be the best songs on the album - one can hear in his voice how much he loves those songs. Other standouts for me are "Moorestown" and "Michigan."

I have a feeling I will warm to it eventually, but I do not like the quicker tempo of fan favorite "Glenn Tipton." Other than that, this is a flawless edition."

Hear Mark's live sound without the talking in the background

Grendel | Chicago, Ill | 12/15/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Mark Kozelek is a true artist - I've been to three of his live shows on his last tour, and unfortunately all of those live shows were in Florida. Music fans in that state have the uncanny ability to pay $15 to enter a live music venue, and then proceed to talk so loudly during the show that it is impossible to truly get deeply into music like this. Mark's music is ethereal, sibilant and evocative, and he knows the value of dynamic range - something that is quite impossible if the background din is so elevated that sounds can't emanate from a black background. It's very much like asking a painter to create a masterpiece on canvas, then giving said painter a canvas that already has something on it. It's also extremely rude - it's as if they were telling Mark that they really didn't care for him or his music, after paying to get in.

This double disc set is very well recorded, and it conveys Mark's live sound very well. Listening late into the night, the music invited me to imagine myself in one of the many venues used for this recording, and the recording quality makes it possible to hear deeply into the music and pick up Mark's intent. His guitar picking ability is amazing, and his use of string harmonics is equally brilliant. While listening to the album I finally heard what I missed at the shows. This album is a must for Kozelek fans, but I'd also recommend it to those who are fans of the acoustic guitar. The disc has me wanting to hear Mark at another live show - but hopefully not in Florida."

Excellent, definitive.

Raindog 1972 | New York | 03/25/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you follow the career of Mark Kozelek, you may be weighing the pros and cons of picking up another live documentation of the gifted songwriter's catalog. Indeed, the mood of a Kozelek live show mirrors his proper releases quite closely. Additionally, there is a lot of live stuff out there already. This is his second "Christmas Live" disc (the first, White Christmas, was also a limited edition cd put out on Sub Pop a few years back)...and right on the coattails of a Tiny Cities reissue (from his band Sun Kil Moon) which included a seven-song live disc. Add in the fact that the guy is heavily bootlegged and there is a trove a stuff spanning his career as a solo artist and with his two bands (Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon) floating out there on the internet and you might consider passing Little Drummer Boy Live up. I wouldn't if I were you.

This is the definitive documentation of Kozelek live. Although his records are intimate, quiet ventures -much like his performances- they, and Kozelek's voice were made for the live performance. This set is head and shoulders above 'White Christmas' for its sheer breadth of songs (it has 20 songs to White Chistmas' paltry 13) and the addition of Painters' guitarist Phil Carney to the performances. Carney's quiet, and at times idiosynchratic accents to Kozelek's morose musings elevate every performance he appears on...and pushes "Du Koo Kim" from incredible to absolutely tanscendent...

The sterility of the recording booth is been pulled from Kozelek's songs and exchanged for the warm, natural tones of the live performance. Another artist this proved true for was Townes Van Zandt, whose quiet tunes came alive in front of audiences...., even though I own most of his studio recordings, when I want someone to hear Van Zandt for the first time...I always end up reaching for 'Rear View Mirror' or 'Live At The Old Quarter.' Kozelek's trembling voice on the Cars cover "All Mixed Up" is true, beautiful, the way it should be and never would be on a studio recording.

Of course, being Kozelek, the listener is introduced to different interpretations of their favorites. I remember seeing the Painters in Toronto and not recognizing anything they played until a good 1 to 2 minutes into the song. Most times this works for Kozelek. The trudging chord progressions of "Salvador Sanchez" are replaced with Carney and Kozelek plucking out the pretty melody from the structure of the song and putting it in the foreground with amazing results. Not every song benefits from this strategy..."Lily and the Parrots" languishes and drags in its new arrangement...but most of the time, Kozelek breathes new life into the familiar, the favorites, and the forgotten..."Bubble" and "Katy Song" are absolutely fantastic...and have made me shelve the Sun Kil Moon records in favor of some old Red House Painters discs this week...

Two new tracks, "Moorestown" and "Unlit Hallway" are included on the release...though Kozelek has been batting them around live for a while now...I guess they are here to seal the deal for Kozelek completists, but they stand on their own surrounded by some of the strongest selections of Kozelek's career. "Moorestown" fares better...this must be destined for his next proper release...

The record is a limited edition affair...with purportedly only 10,000 pressed in N. America...which will make it pretty easy to get for at least a while...but there really isn't any reason to wait...

"

Brilliant.

William D. Doherty | 02/12/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Never thought I could appreciate a live album, but this one is incredible. Vocally, musically, Mark Kozelek is on point. He doesn't miss a beat. The song selection is remarkable, Mark cranks out some of his best songs one after another. The two new songs are some awesome. Well done!"

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	Mark Kozelek Little Drummer Boy Live (Dig) Genres: Alternative Rock, Folk, Pop, Rock Mark Kozeleks follow up to Sun Kil Moons Tiny Cities is a limited edition live two disc set that features live versions of Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon favorites.
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