Sometimes a collection of covers reaches so far beyond its source that it takes on a life of its own and takes you by the hand to the place where it all began. I had never really listened to Modest Mouse until after I heard this record played. You say "Surely you'd heard some Modest Mouse!" I had, but it never really got under my skin the way Sun Kil Moon did.
This collection takes what are now very familiar tunes (Modest Mouse now lives happily on my iPod) and turns them into haunting epics of failure and regret that spin off of steel strings in slow waves, reaching deep inside to turn that knob that keeps you cool about music.
There's something about Mark Kozelak's voice that makes it impossible to keep your distance from him. All the better, I think music is best when experienced directly and that's what this album delivers. This is an old pair of jeans and a dog eared book. These songs are the faded memories of lovers, drifting to the surface on a lazy afternoon. I keep this one right next to my heart along with Iron & Wine, Hope Sandoval, Keren Ann and Elliott Smith.
Good for: Thinking long and hard about the world, looking into mirrors.
Listen to samples at Last.fm!
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