This record is just a work of what I call elemental, devastating beauty. It often hurts to listen to, but you cannot stop. People have remarked about Mark’s voice sounding so youthful on this record, and there is something about that, coupled with the stark minimalism of the production (as these are RHP’s first 4AD demos), that makes it really haunting and affecting. It is heavy stuff, but “Lord Kill the Pain” just makes me laugh with a feeling of mutual understanding, hopefully the result of the subsequent recovery and emotional acceptance that accompanies the human experience. It is nice to know that Kozelek still has a great sense of humor about himself.
I have been listening to this a lot in the past several weeks, and one thing I have been curious about is the recurring lyrical theme on this record of Japan. He mentions it in about 4 songs. I am going to look up the possible meaning behind this, as I’ve found the internet is rife with RHP/Sun Kil Moon discussion groups :p

Very good album. First 4 tracks are brilliant, I was less impressed with Lord kill the pain and Michael.

Very good. I like a lot. I’ll listen to the rest of their stuff now.