Music: Sun Kil Moon

Boxing, music, love and death. These make up Mark Kozelek’s mind

Named after an obscure (well, not to the South Koreans) super-flyweight world champion boxer, Mark Kozelek is also known as the man who fronted Red House Painters, a band that were signed to Ivo Watts-Rusell’s 4AD label in 1992, after being handed a demo recording via Mark Eitzel, of American Music Club. They released several acclaimed albums with the label, before being dropped. Red House Painters subsequently dissolved, before arising again as Sun Kil Moon, and released their debut album in 2003, Ghosts of the Great Highway. Kozelek has subsequently said that the name change was a ruse to gain interest from critics again; the move worked, for it outsold all their previous albums.

But it also expressed a deep interest in boxing; not only as a sport, but as a metaphor for life insofar as the fighting spirit exemplified by boxers (as opposed to the fact that for every winner, there is a loser) is highly appreciated by Kozelek. Indeed, he went so far as to spend 17k on a pair of tickets for the recent ‘Fight of the Century’ between Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Manny Pacquiao. Although many would argue this was money badly spent (the fight was a bit of a damp squid, and rather one-sided), his love of boxing continues with several mentions within the new album, including a song title Ali/Spinks 2, a reference to the second title fight between Muhammad Ali and Leon Spinks in 1978.

The album, made with the help of Sonic Youth’s Steve Shelley, is an extension of last year’s Benji album; highly narrative, almost in diarist style, with changes of tones, style, and tempo throughout. Kozelek’s words centre around the aforementioned boxing, but also music – with plenty of references to his formative listening years – the women in his life, childhood and later life reminiscing, friends, and a worrying plethora of sick, dying or dead people. Above all, Kozelek strikes the boxer’s pose in taking the rough with the smooth, perhaps just glad to have made it this far and with plenty to look forward to as he approaches 50. It’s idiosyncratic, and another reminder that Kozelek is surely one of the best post-American grunge songwriters out there, and a damn fine guitarist to boot.
St. George’s Church, Saturday 1 August, 7pm, £28