Universal Themes

Universal Themes is the seventh studio album by American indie folk act Sun Kil Moon, released on June 2, 2015 on Caldo Verde Records.

Universal Themes
Studio album by
Sun Kil Moon
ReleasedJune 2, 2015
Recorded2014–2015; San Francisco and Hoboken
GenreFolk rock, indie folk, indie rock, garage rock, spoken word
Length70:10
LabelCaldo Verde
Sun Kil Moon chronology
Benji
(2014)		 Universal Themes
(2015)		 Jesu/Sun Kil Moon
(2016)
Mark Kozelek chronology
Mark Kozelek Sings Christmas Carols
(2014)		 Universal Themes
(2015)		 Dreams of Childhood
(2015)

The album was preceded by the singles, "The Possum", "Garden of Lavender" and "Ali/Spinks 2", and features contributions from Sonic Youth drummer and Benji collaborator Steve Shelley.[1] Noting the "spoken segments, garage-rock and pretty acoustic passages", Jon Dennis of The Guardian described the overall sound of the album as "intimate and minimal".[2]

Reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.1/10[3]
Metacritic79/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
The A.V. ClubA−[6]
Consequence of SoundA−[7]
The Guardian[2]
Mojo[8]
NME8/10[9]
Pitchfork6.0/10[10]
Q[11]
Spin8/10[12]
Uncut9/10[13]

Upon its release, Universal Themes received acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album currently holds an average score of 79, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[4] Corbin Reiff of The A.V. Club wrote that Universal Themes "lives up to the promise of its vague title", and while Kozelek "keeps the actual events described in the music as personal to himself as they ever been, the experiences and the feelings they evoke are relatable on a hundred different levels."[6] Noting its "increased rawness" in comparison to Sun Kil Moon's previous work, Consequence of Sound's Dan Caffrey called Universal Themes the band's most demanding album, whilst concluding that it "might be one of the most in-the-moment albums ever made".[7] Paul Simpson of AllMusic noted that "like Benji, Universal Themes is a challenging listen, and some might view it as Kozelek's most indulgent album yet," but that Kozelek's "brilliant musicianship and guitar playing combined with his fascinating storytelling skills ensure that his music is as poignant and life-affirming as ever, and the album is yet another success in his remarkable catalog."[5]

While stating that Kozelek's veering "between wry, pissed-off, and ruminative expression without ever really settling on any of those" means that the album "never reaches the same highs as Benji", Jeremy Winograd of Slant Magazine wrote that "it does allow the listener to become fully immersed inside Kozelek's head, which is an alternately terrifying and hilarious place to be."[14] In a mixed assessment, Observer critic Kitty Empire stated that Universal Themes "may test the patience of later adopters".[15] Mark Richardson of Pitchfork stated that Universal Themes is "ultimately a spotty album from a guy who has released a lot of spotty albums."[10]

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."The Possum"8:59
2."Birds of Flims"9:04
3."With a Sort of Grace I Walked to the Bathroom to Cry"9:46
4."Cry Me a River Williamsburg Sleeve Tattoo Blues"7:28
5."Little Rascals"7:47
6."Garden of Lavender"10:12
7."Ali/Spinks 2"6:45
8."This Is My First Day and I'm Indian and I Work at a Gas Station"10:09

Personnel
  • Mark Kozelek – vocals, guitar, percussion, production, photography
  • Steve Shelley – drums
  • Alex Schwartz – bass guitar (3)
  • Chris Connolly – keyboards (8)
  • Nathan Winter – recording
  • Aaron Mullan – additional recording
  • Jack Kertzman – additional recording
  • Will Chason – recording, mixing
  • Brian Azer – design

Charts
Chart (2015) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[16] 170
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[17] 95
Irish Albums (IRMA)[18] 64
UK Albums (OCC)[19] 96
US Folk Albums (Billboard)[20] 10
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[21] 44
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[22] 48

References
  1. Minsker, Evan (February 19, 2015). "Sun Kil Moon Announces Universal Themes". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  2. Dennis, Jon (May 29, 2015). "Sun Kil Moon: Universal Themes review – Mark Kozelek's intimate 14th album". The Guardian. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  3. "Universal Themes by Sun Kil Moon reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  4. "Reviews for Universal Themes by Sun Kil Moon". Metacritic. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  5. Simpson, Paul. "Universal Themes – Sun Kil Moon". AllMusic. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  6. Reiff, Corbin (June 2, 2015). "Sun Kil Moon goes deep, gets specific on Universal Themes". The A.V. Club. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  7. Caffrey, Dan (June 1, 2015). "Sun Kil Moon – Universal Themes". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  8. "Sun Kil Moon: Universal Themes". Mojo (261): 89. August 2015.
  9. Perry, Kevin EG (June 4, 2015). "Sun Kil Moon – 'Universal Themes'". NME. Archived from the original on July 14, 2015. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
  10. Richardson, Mark (June 10, 2015). "Sun Kil Moon: Universal Themes". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
  11. "Sun Kil Moon: Universal Themes". Q (349): 113. August 2015.
  12. Jenkins, Craig (June 5, 2015). "Review: Sun Kil Moon Continues to Sugarcoat Absolutely Nothing on 'Universal Themes'". Spin. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  13. Robinson, John (July 2015). "Sun Kil Moon: Universal Themes". Uncut (218): 90.
  14. Winograd, Jeremy (May 31, 2015). "Sun Kil Moon: Universal Themes". Slant Magazine. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  15. Empire, Kitty (May 31, 2015). "Sun Kil Moon: Universal Themes review – mourning dying possums". The Observer. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  16. "Ultratop.be – Sun Kil Moon – Universal Themes" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  17. "Dutchcharts.nl – Sun Kil Moon – Universal Themes" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  18. "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 23, 2015". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  19. "Sun Kil Moon | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  20. "Sun Kil Moon Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  21. "Sun Kil Moon Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  22. "Sun Kil Moon Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
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