Mark Kozelek
The Finally LP
Rating: 3.0
Label: Caldo Verde
There’s irony in the title of this album. Calling a CD- and digital- only release “LP” is a deliberate one, though it does evoke my nostalgia by keeping to 10 songs, as albums often did in the pre-digital days. Calling a cover album by a guy who made his name with John Denver and AC/DC covers “Finally” may be less intentional, though I can’t say what the motives are. I feel I should now find the irony in “the,” but sadly the final irony is that “finally” implies that this is something we’ve been waiting for, something essential, whereas this is merely good.
Kozelek’s known for remaking songs when he covers them, but the songs on this album are far less of a reach; the only track that even aspires to be as far from his milieu of hipster cool as John Denver was is “Send in the Clowns,” and the only track that aspires to go as far from his gentle sound as AC/DC was is “If You Want Blood.”
That’s not to say it isn’t worth buying; it’s worth buying on the strength of one of its tracks alone, even if the others weren’t worth anything. Kozelek’s cover of Hüsker Dü’s “Celebrated Summer” is beautiful. I’ve been waiting years for someone to do an album of acoustic Hüskers covers.
Years ago, I figured it would be Bob Mould, but now I’m hoping for Kozelek. Mould was always a beautiful songwriter under the distortion and feedback and Kozelek captures the resentful wistfulness and angry irony of the song perfectly. He lets you believe “and getting out of school meant getting out of hand” for a good few seconds before the brutal chorus: “Was this your celebrated summer?”
Aside from this track, though, nothing here is really essential. Covering Palace’s “New Partner” as though it’s a Nick Drake or Leonard Cohen song really isn’t changing it all that much, however nice it is. “If You Want Blood” is certainly far from AC/DC’s version, but nothing much is accomplished by playing it this way once we stop laughing at the idea of a folky cover of a metal song, and for most of us that was quite a long time ago. “Send in the Clowns” is still sentimental dreck no matter how you play it (unless Sideshow Bob is involved). The cover of Ed’s Redeeming Qualities’ “My Friend Bob” stands out for me, both because I hadn’t thought of Ed’s Redeeming Qualities in about two decades and because it adds some humor to what could otherwise be a rather maudlin album.
Kozelek is a beautiful guitar player and has a pretty voice, though not much range in the way he uses it. The production is typically both lush and sparse, which highlights the beauty of both. This is an album (an EP by today’s bloated standards, but why would you want to pad this to 20 songs?) I’ll play when I’m in a certain mood, but I don’t imagine it’s an album that will change anyone’s life.
by Bob McCarthy
