Favorite Albums: 2000-200448. Sun Kil Moon, Ghosts Of The Great HighwayOriginal position on my Stylus ballot: n/a If I could only own one Mark Kozelek recording, it would be the Red House Painters’ Retrospective - Ivo Watts-Russell’s immaculately crafted mixtape of Mark’s sweetest sadfaces. But Ghosts Of The Great Highway, his first album of originals after retiring the RHP moniker, is easily my favorite of his post-4AD works, if not his entire career. Warm post-Neil Young jam (“Carry Me Ohio”!) after warm post-Neil Young jam (“Salvador Sanchez”) rolls by with Comes A Time ease, the usual dour, dead spots found on RHP albums replaced by optimistic bursts of Spanish guitar (which also spruce up his familiar ache on the endless “Duk Koo Kim”). Though I usually give pathologically forlorn mushmouths shit, I’m glad indie rock’s proudest John Denver fan doesn’t enunciate much here: having to weigh the specifics behind his sensitive moans might disrupt bathtime.

Favorite Albums: 2000-2004
48. Sun Kil Moon, Ghosts Of The Great Highway
Original position on my Stylus ballot: n/a

If I could only own one Mark Kozelek recording, it would be the Red House Painters’ Retrospective - Ivo Watts-Russell’s immaculately crafted mixtape of Mark’s sweetest sadfaces. But Ghosts Of The Great Highway, his first album of originals after retiring the RHP moniker, is easily my favorite of his post-4AD works, if not his entire career. Warm post-Neil Young jam (“Carry Me Ohio”!) after warm post-Neil Young jam (“Salvador Sanchez”) rolls by with Comes A Time ease, the usual dour, dead spots found on RHP albums replaced by optimistic bursts of Spanish guitar (which also spruce up his familiar ache on the endless “Duk Koo Kim”). Though I usually give pathologically forlorn mushmouths shit, I’m glad indie rock’s proudest John Denver fan doesn’t enunciate much here: having to weigh the specifics behind his sensitive moans might disrupt bathtime.