Benji (studio album) by Sun Kil Moon

From SomethingSpecial 06/29/2025 12:23

While Katy Song made me fall in love with Kozelek's work, this is the album that introduced me to his music. I've never been so hypnotised by just the sound of a man and his guitar, a man who is able to find poetry and meaning in the most tragic of circumstances, as he traces his humble beginnings and the people that meant something to him along the way.

There's something so magical about this album that is only triumphed by Kozelek's first Sun Kil Moon album, Ghosts of the Great Highway. From the sublime, delicate guitar playing and soundscapes, to the autobiographical, stream-of-consciousness nature of the lyrics, this is the result of a master still at the peak of his abilities.

Album Rating: 83.91
(923/11)

1.Carissa. 88
2.I Can't Live Without My Mother's Love. 77
3.Truck Driver. 89
4.Dogs. 86
5.Pray For Newtown. 94
6.Jim Wise. 74
7.I Love My Dad. 85
8.I Watched The Film The Song Remains The Same. 76
9.Richard Ramirez Died Today Of Natural Causes. 98
10.Micheline. 75
11.Ben's My Friend. 81

From Jboy56 05/11/2022 17:00

Very Bruce, but still original and good.

There was a time, perhaps not that long ago, where I would have dismissed this album as boring and unlistenable. As a middle aged man…yeah, this record resonates. It’s not necessarily the music or the lyrics or the voice that resonates, but the wisdom that comes from an accumulation of loss, hurt, regret, and guilt.

“Ben Is My Friend” is maybe the one track that didn’t click for me.

Raw and honest, pretty and skillful. Carissa.

From VictorVale 11/25/2021 18:46

Incrivelmente íntimo!

This album is full of emotional and well written songs that really grip you and keep you entertained. While it does drag for the hour run time there is still enough to explore to make it a great record. The instrumentation is brilliant and minimalistic and the guitar work really suits the atmosphere and flow of the record. There are the weaker tracks lyrically as well which are a bit more simple but they still provide entertainment and there is a lot still to find in those tracks. The music is so honest and accessible that it is difficult to see why you wouldn't enjoy this album as it can be enjoyed both passively or you could deeply listen to the record and it would provide just as much pleasure either way. On the whole, this is a fantastic record and one that I love to revisit.

A chilling folk album about death reminiscent of Nebraska

From buzzdainer 04/13/2019 20:14

I've always felt a tension between my appreciation of the art and my appreciation of the artist, and no artist's work epitomizes that polarity more than Mark Kozelek. One the one hand, there's this album, which is by turns funny, morbid, obfuscatory, and achingly beautiful--a somber rock performance worthy of the critical accolades it received at the time. On the other hand is Mark Kozelek himself, the kind of misogynistic jerk who onstage called a female journalist who wanted to interview him a "bitch." I think I'm pretty much done with him, but I can't quite bring myself to ignore the high quality of this album or its deserving place among the best albums of 2014.

From Montpejo 03/31/2019 21:29

Highlights: Ben's My Friend, Truck Driver, Jim Wise

Low points: Dogs, Richard Ramirez Died Today Of Natural Causes