April (Sun Kil Moon album)

April
Studio album by
Sun Kil Moon
ReleasedApril 1, 2008
RecordedMarch – August 2007,
San Francisco, California
GenreFolk rock
Length73:44 (album)
26:22 (bonus disc)
LanguageEnglish
LabelCaldo Verde Records
ProducerMark Kozelek
Sun Kil Moon chronology
Tiny Cities
(2005) 		April
(2008) 		Admiral Fell Promises
(2010)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic80/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The A.V. ClubA−[3]
Metromix[4]
Mojo[5]
Pitchfork8.3/10[6]
Rolling Stone[7]
Slant Magazine[8]
Spin[9]
The Sunday Times[10]
Uncut[11]

April is the third studio album by American folk rock band Sun Kil Moon, released in the US on April 1, 2008 through Caldo Verde Records,[12] and on April 18, 2008 in Japan via P-Vine Records. The album was recorded at Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco and Well Recording in Seattle during a seven-month stretch from spring to late summer in 2007. The album was produced and written by Mark Kozelek. Will Oldham, Ben Gibbard and Eric Pollard lend their backing vocals throughout the album. The album also comes with a bonus disc of four alternate recordings.

April is also available on vinyl through Caldo Verde Records, Vinyl Films, and Aural Exploits. A limited pressing of 1,000 copies on black vinyl were released on May 6, 2008 to retail and online outlets; 500 on white vinyl from May 20, 2008 exclusively at sunkilmoon.com; and 400 on marble vinyl, exclusive to Aural Exploits, from June 3, 2008.[13] The 4 bonus tracks (plus two previously unreleased live versions of "Lucky Man" and "Tonight in Bilbao") were released separately as a vinyl EP, titled Tonight the Sky, available exclusively on Caldo Verde Records' website in January 2009.[14]

The songs "Moorestown" and "Unlit Hallway" first appeared on Mark Kozelek's 2006 live double album Little Drummer Boy Live. At the time of the album's release, the two songs were previously unreleased. The song "Lucky Man" refers to the Emerson, Lake & Palmer song of the same name from the band's 1970 debut self-titled album.[15] "Heron Blue" is featured in the Gears of War 3 teaser trailer which premiered in April 2010.

April debuted in the Billboard Top 200 at #127. By its second week, the album slid but remained in the top 200 at #200.[16] The album was released to positive reviews, with Slant Magazine asking the question: "How many other artists can boast as many near-masterpieces?"[17]

Track listing

All tracks written by Mark Kozelek.

No.TitleLength
1."Lost Verses"9:43
2."The Light"7:50
3."Lucky Man"5:47
4."Unlit Hallway"4:19
5."Heron Blue"7:38
6."Moorestown"4:41
7."Harper Road"3:56
8."Tonight the Sky"10:21
9."Like the River"4:09
10."Tonight in Bilbao"9:28
11."Blue Orchids"5:56
Total length:73:44

Bonus disc

  1. "Tonight in Bilbao" (alternate version) – 9:43
  2. "The Light" (alternate version) – 6:02
  3. "Like the River" (alternate version) – 3:03
  4. "Tonight the Sky" (alternate version) – 7:36

Tonight the Sky (EP)

The bonus disc was released as a separate 12" vinyl EP in January 2009 by Caldo Verde Records and Vinyl Films. The vinyl release also features two previously unreleased live tracks.

Side A

  1. "Tonight in Bilbao" (alternate version) – 9:43
  2. "The Light" (alternate version) – 6:02
  3. "Like the River" (alternate version) – 3:03

Side B

  1. "Tonight the Sky" (alternate version) – 7:36
  2. "Tonight in Bilbao" (live in Barcelona) – 9:04
  3. "Lucky Man" (live in Glasgow) – 5:34

Personnel

Sun Kil Moon

  • Mark Kozelek – vocals, guitar
  • Anthony Koutsos – drums
  • Geoff Stanfield – bass guitar

Additional musicians

  • Michi Aceret – viola
  • David Revelli – percussion
  • Will Oldham – additional vocals
  • Ben Gibbard – additional vocals
  • Eric Pollard – additional vocals

Recording personnel

  • Mark Kozelek – producer
  • Aaron Prellwitz – engineer
  • Geoff Stanfield – engineer
  • Jason McGerr – engineer
  • Steve Armstrong – additional engineering
  • HT Waterman – additional engineering
  • John Golden – mastering

Artwork

  • Nyree Watts – photographs
  • David Rager – design

References

  1. ^ "Reviews for April by Sun Kil Moon". Metacritic. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  2. ^ Jurek, Thom. "April – Sun Kil Moon". AllMusic. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  3. ^ Hawthorne, Marc (March 31, 2008). "Sun Kil Moon: April". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on April 5, 2008. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  4. ^ McKibbin, Adam (March 31, 2008). "Sun Kil Moon, 'April'". Metromix. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  5. ^ Cameron, Keith (April 2008). "Sun Kil Moon: April". Mojo (173): 103. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  6. ^ Deusner, Stephen M. (April 11, 2008). "Sun Kil Moon / Mark Kozelek: April / Nights". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on April 13, 2008. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  7. ^ Hoard, Christian (May 1, 2008). "Sun Kil Moon: April". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 16, 2008. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  8. ^ Newlin, Jimmy (March 31, 2008). "Sun Kil Moon: April". Slant Magazine. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  9. ^ Zimmerman, Sharon (April 2008). "Sun Kil Moon: April". Spin. 24 (4): 104. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  10. ^ Cairns, Dan (April 6, 2008). "Sun Kil Moon: April". The Sunday Times. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  11. ^ Mueller, Andrew (May 2008). "Sun Kil Moon: April". Uncut (132): 111. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  12. ^ Redeye Distribution Archived March 27, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ "auralexploits.com". www.auralexploits.com. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  14. ^ "Caldo Verde Records". www.caldoverderecords.com. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  15. ^ Mark Kozelek's "Nights of Passed Over" book
  16. ^ "Top 200 Albums". billboard.com. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  17. ^ "Slant Magazine". www.slantmagazine.com. Retrieved July 8, 2017.