Sun Kil Moon — Tiny Cities

Ever wondered what Modest Mouse would sound like if they were an alt.country group and Isaac Brock could sing? If so, your curiosity will be highly satisfied by Sun Kil Moon's Tiny Cities, an 11-track LP entirely composed of MM covers. Singer-songwriter Mark Kozelek takes some of Brock's best known tunes and dramatically reworks them into the alt.country mold. It's an exercise that, surprisingly, hits a lot more than it misses. "Dramamine," "The Ocean Breathes Salty" and the dramatically reinterpreted "Tiny Cities Made Of Ashes" are definitions of what covers should be — they maintain the spirit of the originals, while exposing the material in a vastly different light. Tiny Cities is worthy of attention beyond fans of Modest Mouse and Kozelek.

Get it from