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Before his Isaac Brock obsession, SKM's first album -- Ghosts of The Great Highway -- happened. It was a seemingly effortless distillation of Kozelek's distinct vision, honed after a decade in the Red House Painters. He had largely abandoned the solipsism that defined his output in that group, though. Ghosts was a perfectly-pitched, completely engrossing record; every track a masterful combination of inexhaustible experience and balanced construction. The master of dreamy slow-core was at the top of his game and we swooned along with the ebb and flow of each incredible piece. All of this to say: April has huge, weathered shoes to fill.
Speaking of RHP, April lifts off with a wink at their legacy. Opening with the chirpy "Lost Verses", Kozelek's voice sounds fresher, younger as it did on RHP's debut so long ago. Loping guitars chords multiply, and distant, reverb-laden voices sneak into the song's center, before a gritty exposition, rocking you out softly. You don't realize it, but you've just sat through a ten minute piece, yet, curiously, your Yes albums are safely packed away in the garage. Settled in, you prepare to enjoy the rest, but give us What's Next To the Moon's "Rock and Roll Singer" over riff copycat "The Light" any day. Jeez. It's only the second track on the album, and we're already beginning to dread that we'll be wishing for more covers by the end of the set. "Lucky Man" does it's best, god bless it. A strong track, yet ephemeral. April hits a strange stride in it's center with the minimalistic Heron Blue", showing off SKM's guitar multi-tracking mastery. We loved the simple density of "Tiny Cities Made Of Ashes" from the previous album, which "Moorestown" does a wonderful job of emulating and building upon, a comfortable intermission that had us at peace.
A peace that went undisturbed through the inoffensive, rather bland second act. Multiple listens and we still couldn't develop a desire to hear snoozers "Like The River" or the sprawling, 10-minute long "Tonight in Bilbao" more than we had to for the purposes of journalism. The final track, "Blue Orchids", is another wonderful, Spanish guitar-heavy piece, again showing off Kozelek's nimble fingers. Steve Howe had better watch his back. But just like the diehard fans of the ex-Yesman that rushed to pick up copies of his solo work, all but the devoted should keep this disc at a distance and start at the beginning, lest they get the wrong idea about the Koz.
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