Joey always smiled

"Joey Always Smiled is an interesting chapter in this ongoing saga, one that finds Kozelek meeting minds with gifted harmonist and multi-instrumentalist Petra Haden. On the surface, the seven songs here are mostly more of Kozelek's real-time rambles about memories from growing up or anecdotes from his everyday life. His mother taking him to his first concert (the Doobie Brothers), early experiences with childhood friends, playing guitar in echoey hotel rooms, and even a lengthy, detailed synopsis of the movie Full Metal Jacket are all lyrical tangents in these songs, some of which reach nearly 20-minute running times. Haden's contributions are limited to layers of overdubbed vocal harmonies and counterpoint, and however auxiliary, they complement Kozelek's slow-burning songwriting perfectly".

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"On this record, Petra Haden (that dog., The Rentals, The Decemberists) appears to take the reins and has helped create seven fairly glorious, rich, and deeply textured sonic palettes on which Kozelek may poetically paint. But no, Kozelek stands firm with his everything-including-the-kitchen-sink-listicle style, which is something of a disappointment. Yet there are transcendent moments; the moving, strange, and genuinely interesting spoken word performance by actor Kevin Corrigan on 16-minute plus single "Parakeet Prison"; the haunting, sparse, strangely exotic, and tender slowcore of the title track; any time Haden's heavenly voice glides over the rough course of Kozelek's seemingly infinite spiel ...".

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