Ghosts of the Great Highway

From UrbanHymnsIf misery loves company, there’s no better company than that of the ghosts heard on Sun Kil Moon’s magnificent, sprawling debut album ‘Ghosts of the Great Highway.’ 'Ghosts...' showcased former Red House Painters' frontman Mark Kozelek's distinctive vocals and showcased his strongest songwriting to date. For me "Carry Me Ohio" remains Kozelek’s most poignant songwriting to date, having some of the best lines he’s ever written; there’s just so many great lines on this devastating song to choose from ("Sorry that I could never love you back/I could never care enough in these last days," "What about the sweetness we knew/What about what's good what's true from those days/Can't count to all the lovers i've burned through/So why do I still burn for you I can't say"). And while I think “Carry Me Ohio” carries (pun intended) the best songwriting on this strong album, there are other songs here where the music itself provides some beauty and are the focal point to the song. That being said, this makes for a lengthy album maybe for some (10 tracks clocking in a little under 60 minutes), but the best songs happen to be the longer songs on here; "Duk Koo Kim," the longest at 14:32, is probably the definitive example- and it’s absolutely epic and breathtaking. What I also love about this album is the methodical arrangement of the song cycle here. With “Duk Koo Kim” anchoring the second half of the album it is an expansive and emotionally powerful performance, and Kozelek knows this. So to offset this he follows it up with the gentler, more optimistically toned instrumental “Si, Paloma” followed by the looser, more vibrant “Pancho Villa” to close out this terrific album. Additionally while I enjoy the album from start to finish, “Salvador Sanchez” and “Lily and Parrots” for me are the less compelling songs here, though both are still really well done. The two lean more heavily into the slowcore sound associated with Red House Painters, and while that approach may appeal to some listeners, it makes them feel somewhat out of place alongside the album’s more expansive acoustic and folk-influenced material. But even if this may detract for some, overall this album is absolutely amazing. 'Ghosts of the Great Highway' remains one of my favorite albums from the 2000's, and upon multiple listens of this album I feel like if Neil Young and Crazy Horse had formed in the post-grunge era, I could imagine them making an album like this. A brilliant and absolutely beautiful debut album that I hope others who haven’t heard will find amazing as well. Thanks for taking the time to stop by, reading and hopefully providing some thoughts on this magnificent album. Take care, be safe and have a great week!