speed of dark

I ordered and received Little Drummer Boy Live after I had already plotted out my 25 (or so) Favorites of 2006, so I wasn't sure at first if I was going to include anything from it or not. This double CD set is Mark Kozelek's latest release and his first live release if you don't count the limited edition "White Christmas Live" (2002). I guess he got tired of all those poor-quality bootlegs that have been passed around and decided he could make a recording with much better results. He was right. The quality is wonderful on most of it although a tiny bit overdriven in a few places, and you don't have any hoots and hollers from the audience or clinking beer bottles.

I am a late-comer to the Mark Kozelek Adoration Society. I did not wander through the ups and downs of the Red House Painter years or hold my little torch in the darkness waiting for random shooting stars during the solo years. I came on board when Sun Kil Moon rose brilliantly in 2003.

I remember when I first heard "Carry Me, Ohio" played on KCRW. I dropped what I was doing and stood awe-struck in front of my speakers with my mouth open. I said to my husband, "I MUST have that." That song was and still is stunning to me. That's when I began to find out about Mark Kozelek, the man behind this magic.

I dragged my husband out to a concert at the Troubadour last year, where I found Kozelek to be an enigmatic performer. He really doesn't care what you want to hear; he's going to play what he likes. When the audience yelled for certain songs, he said, "Don't tell me my back catalog." He also said he wasn't going to play any AC/DC songs, which disappointed me because I think "Bad Boy Boogie" is right up there with his best stuff. We ended up listening to a lot of Red House Painter songs that I wasn't familiar with. He played only a couple of songs from Ghosts of the Great Highway. He played "Katy Song" but not "Bubble," another big favorite of mine.

For those reasons, Little Drummer Boy Live is a very satisfying album for me. It contains more of my favorites, so I get to experience more of the concert I would have liked to hear. There are two brand new songs as well: "Unlit Hallways" and "Moorestown." What you get is a wonderful overview of Kozelek's musical career from 1993 right up to present. I'm still mystified by the Modest Mouse covers; they seem tuneless, especially the ones he chose here. "Ocean Breathes Salty" would have been great; instead he chose "Tiny Cities."

Indie Mom says it all sounds alike to her. That's true; it does. But when you love that gentle tickling of the 12-string like I do, that's not a problem. I once played "Bubble" for He Might Be Giant (my grandson). I told him the music reminded me of a stream flowing over rocks with sunlight sparkling off the water. He listened and then said he thought so too. That is what it's like, as near as I can describe it. Another thing that comes out in concert is how much richer and more beautiful Kozelek's voice is than on any recording. I'm still not sure this CD quite captures that either.

Do I recommend this CD set? YES, absolutely, either as an introduction to Kozelek for those who enjoy fine acoustic guitar or as a must-have for the devoted fan. Even if you already have many of these songs, the treatments here are gorgeous and different, especially the Sun Kil Moon tracks. Another plus is that the words are much clearer than on previous CDs. Somewhere there is an entire forum where people debate what Kozelek's lyrics are. Wonder no more! You can hear them! And if you've never seen him perform, this is an opportunity to get a sense of that.

But the one I would pay the whole $14.99 to get if it were the only good song here, and I'd consider it a bargain, is "Down Colorful Hill" from way, way back in the earliest Red House Painters' work. I am ga-ga over "Carry Me Ohio," "Bubble," and "Glenn Tipton," but this is the one that has me enraptured. I can't get enough of it. The original is also nice, but it is punctuated with military drumming that negates the tenderness of the words. Those disturbing rat-a-tats are replaced here with rippling guitar.

Does it belong in the Favorites of 2006? YES, absolutely. So here it is, unnumbered and all.

Mark Kozelek: Down Colorful Hill from Little Drummer Boy Live

Mark Kozelek: Moorestown

Website | Buy this album at Caldo Verde Records | Fan MySpace

See Cool Christmas Caroling for the title song, "Little Drummer Boy."