Sun Kil Moon

Mark Kozelek effortlessly tends to dodge the pitfalls of sinking ever more thoroughly into his own little world. The longer he continues to sound like the sullen yet tuneful young fellow who founded Red House Painters, put out records on his own Caldo Verde label, indulge in covers, and prefer solo-acoustic performances, the more shades he reveals of his persona. Under the Sun Kil Moon name, Kozelek has taken on a glow that’s sometimes deceiving: He sounded joyfully reflective while singing from the perspective of a serial killer on “Glenn Tipton,” the opener of 2003’s Ghosts Of The Great Highway. SKM’s latest, Admiral Fell Promises, discards the rhythm section of Ghosts and 2008’s April to focus on intricate yet elegant classical-guitar workouts.

Updated 07/14/2010