I don’t think it’s any secret to say that I love sound – all sorts of noise, from laughing children, bleating lambs, indie music; Moonlight Sonata to Seize the Day and everything in between. If it evokes a feeling, a memory, a picture in my mind, then I’ll listen to it.

Every so often though, there is a piece of music – and artist – that makes me stop, drop everything and stand listening in awe and wonder –  it connects with me on a level I cannot explain, and a week on, I’m still there, absolutely paralysed.

Last Monday, I had the fortune to go for coffee with a friend of mine, and we spoke about the things one does over coffee – friends, family, recent events, and those yet to come. We also spoke about music, since that is a passion for both of us and we seem to like comparing notes on various genres.  In our conversation, my friend mentioned a fellow they had seen in concert and someone I had recently read about, Mark Kozelek – an American artist from San Francisco. According to the first article I ever read about him in Uncut Magazine (via Twitter) “ He has produced  17 albums, mostly using the band names Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon…..Kozelek has forensically documented his life: a compelling patchwork of family anecdotes, love stories, tragedies, tour grouches, bereavements and small talk about cats and boxing.”

I liked what I read – he sounded intriguing, so I resolved to chat about Mark the next time my friend and I met, which we did. For various reasons, I hadn’t had the opportunity to look Mark up on YouTube and listen to his work, so my friend kindly sent me links to some of Marks’ work. What happened next utterly shook me to the core, and was so powerful I’ve felt compelled to write about it.

The first song I heard, taken from Kozelek’s 4th album released in 1995 by the Red House Painters, “Ocean Beach”, was “Drop”. A week later, I still struggle for words to describe this song. So moved was I by the experience, I went out and bought the album not long after.

“Drop” is like no song I have ever heard before. It feels like someone has taken to me with a baseball bat – hauntingly beautiful; so beautiful it physically hurts to listen to it; it is one of those songs which you simply can’t stop listening to (despite my best efforts) and speaks to your soul. It is almost like Mark takes the listener gently, loving by the hand, and guides them slowly and tenderly into the pit of his despair – to the listener’s own darkest recesses. If you have ever been in a dark place, afraid to show your true emotions, or engage with your real feelings, be prepared with Kleenex at the ready. It’s like someone’s read your mind – and it’s unnerving and wonderfully relieving at the same time.

The acoustic guitar reminds me of the beginning of Oasis and “Champagne Supernova”, and joined by the simplicity of the jazzy piano undercurrent, hits to the centre of your heart as the drums join in the melee, bringing in the bass.  The lyrics – Kozelek’s real tour de force – tell of hope; of loss, of pain indescribable: “So much that I can say to you, my voice shakes from the hurt that I hide….ashamed of my existence and of my petty often wounded pride”

The album itself is just as powerful. I particularly like “Summer Dress”, which has the most wonderful lyrics, and “Cabezon” which are markedly upbeat from “Drop”, with a swift rhythm and light-hearted style. According to a recent Q&A by Celeste Moure on the “Like Vancouver” website, Mark recently released a new track from his forthcoming Sun Kil Moon album, Universal Themes, out June 2 on Caldo Verde which I shall be eagerly awaiting with interest.

Having stumbled upon Mark and his work quite by accident, I consider him to be one of the best kept secrets in music. If you have never listened to his work I implore you – grab a long drink, darken the room, put the candles on and turn the TV off. Put some of his music on and drift away…you will not regret it.