Mark Kozelek’s Benji was an unflinching and painfully honest memoir of an album that was arguably last year’s heaviest release (sorry The Body and Mr. Krlic). Despite (or perhaps because of) the hyper-specificity of its songs, it was a visceral listening experience that, even when it wasn’t relatable, set the listener up for their own journey of deeply personal self-reflection that no one was really ready for because who needs that shit in the age of PC Music, right? And all this from a guy who once released an entire album of Modest Mouse covers (no disrespect, but who really saw this coming)?
Now Kozelek has announced his follow-up to that album under his usual Sun Kil Moon moniker. It’s called Universal Themes and will be released on June 2 via Caldo Verde in CD and digital formats; limited vinyl will be released later in the year. It features percussion from Sonic Youth’s Steve Shelley and has a mundane, middle-of-America cover photo similar to Benji’s. It also features a track titled “With a Sort of Grace I Walked to the Bathroom to Cry.” Oh boy, here we go again. Previously released track “The Possum,” which you can stream below, shows up on the album’s tracklist. “War on Drugs: Suck My Cock,” on the other hand, does not.
Universal Themes tracklist:
01. The Possum
02. Birds of Flims
03. With a Sort of Grace I Walked to the Bathroom to Cry
04. Garden of Lavender
05. Cry Me a River Williamsburg Sleeve Tattoo Blues
06. Ali/Spinks 2
07. Little Rascals
08. This Is My First Day and I’m Indian and I Work at a Gas Station
• Sun Kil Moon: http://sunkilmoon.com
• Caldo Verde: http://www.caldoverderecords.com