Mark Kozelek will return with the fifth album from Sun Kil Moon, and first since 2010′s Admiral Fell Promises, on May 29th Caldo Verde Records.

Taking its name from a John Connolly novel, Among The Leaves was recorded “almost entirely on nylon string guitar” in San Francisco, according to the band’s website. Joined by longtime engineer collaborator Aaron Prellwitz, Kozelek tackled most of the songs solo. However, a “new ensemble of players” appear on a portion of the record.

Over his 20 years making music under his multiple monikers, Kozelek has become known for his doleful songwriting. While Among The Leaves claims to maintain that essence, it also finds “Mark relaxed, singing playfully about his life as a musician” and displaying a “more raw and humorous side of [his] songwriting.” Spanning 17 tracks, titles range from simple (“Elaine”) to verbosely clever (“Not Much Rhymes With Everything’s Awesome At All Times”), and tackle subjects like the late, great San Franciscan guitar repairman Richard Collopy (“Song for Richard Collopy”).

Among The Leaves Track List:
01. I Know It’s Pathetic But That Was The Greatest Night Of My Life
02. Sunshine In Chicago
03. The Moderately Talented Yet Attractive Young Woman vs. The Exceptionally Talented Yet Not So Attractive Middle Aged Man
04. That Bird Has A Broken Wing
05. Elaine
06. The Winery
07. Young Love
08. Song For Richard Collopy
09. Among The Leaves
10. Red Poison
11. Track Number 8
12. Not Much Rhymes With Everything’s Awesome At All Times
13. King Fish
14. Lonely Mountain
15. UK Blues
16. UK Blues 2
17. Black Kite

Among The Leaves is the 5th full length album by Mark Kozelek under the Sun Kil Moon moniker. Played almost entirely on nylon string guitar, this 17-song all original album was recorded between October 2011 and January 2012 in San Francisco. Among The Leaves - words which caught Mark’s attention from a John Connolly novel - finds Mark relaxed, singing playfully about his life as a musician while retaining the melancholic spirit of his 20 year catalog. Mark’s love for San Francisco and Northern California are at the heart of this new album. “My first album (Down Colorful Hill) was released in 1992” says Kozelek, “but creatively, I feel like I’m just beginning. The new album was written and recorded impulsively, without second guessing. I didn’t have that kind of confidence in the past.” Unlike Red House Painters’ epic Rollercoaster, described by Rolling Stone as “the slowest and mopiest self revelations ever put to tape” or Sun Kil Moon’s Ghosts of the Great Highway, which Billboard Magazine called “heartbreaking,” Among The Leaves displays a more raw and humorous side of Mark’s songwriting. Aaron Prellwitz, recording engineer of Red House Painters and all 5 Sun Kil Moon albums describes the latest effort as “wonderfully direct." Kozelek curiously ties together legends Joe Frazier, Bobby Fischer and Ed Gein in ‘The Winery’, ‘‘Song for Richard Collopy’ is a touching tribute to the late San Francisco guitar repairman, and ‘Sunshine In Chicago’ – written just before taking the stage at a Chicago venue last year – is a funny, self deprecating poke at life on the road. Though Among The Leaves is mostly in the solo, nylon string style of Admiral Fell Promises, a new ensemble of players joined Mark for a portion of the record, recalling the same spirit as April and Tiny Cities, but with a fresh, new sound. The album will be released on CD, vinyl, and digitally, with bonus tracks to be announced. More information soon at www.caldoverderecords.com

I still just want something that sounds like Ghosts of the Great Highway

Among The Leaves

Release Date May 29 - Caldo Verde Records
from Caldo Verde:



I still just want something that sounds like Ghosts of the Great Highway

Though Among The Leaves is mostly in the solo, nylon string style of Admiral Fell Promises, a new ensemble of players joined Mark for a portion of the record, recalling the same spirit as April and Tiny Cities, but with a fresh, new sound.

Guys, it's not going to sound like that album because:

I enjoyed April, especially "Moorestown" & "Lost Verses". Admiral Fell Promises never really clicked with me

oh dang. i guess i'll just have to listen to salvador sanchez until i die.

April was great. Admiral Fell was forgettable.

i D/Led this a short while back

interesting stuff - way more "short" songs from him than i'm used to, and the lyrics to most of the songs on this are extremely musician-specific, about touring and the guy who built/fixed his guitar, etc.

probably my second fav SKM so far, which is pretty good, since NOTHING will ever come close to ghosts of the great highway

i D/Led this a short while back

probably my second fav SKM so far, which is pretty good, since NOTHING will ever come close to ghosts of the great highway

Link or STFU

"With Among the Leaves, Kozelek trades being disillusioned with the world in for being disillusioned with being disillusioned with the world."

This line from Consequence of Sound's review of Among The Leaves does a great job of encapsulating the album in one sentence: